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Photo of the Day: Majestic Bird on a Railing

November 8, 2017 | 8:13 PM - Updated on November 9, 2017 | 8:25 AM
in NEWS, OUTDOORS
31

A hawk stopped by Karen Luerssen’s porch at Lincoln Towers on Wednesday, and spent some time surveying the area, she said.

“This amazing hawk sat on the corner railing of my terrace for over an hour today waiting for prey. I live in 185 WEA, Lincoln Towers, and I’ve been in this apartment for over 25 years and have never seen a hawk on my railing. It was an incredible experience!”

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UWS Dept. of Comment
UWS Dept. of Comment
7 years ago

I dub thee “NYColeman Hawk-ins”

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EricaC
EricaC
7 years ago

Wow!

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jezbel
jezbel
7 years ago

Strange to find this post here today. This afternoon while walking on E. 49th Street just off 5th Ave, I came across an unconscious hawk, lying on it’s back in the middle of the sidewalk. Soon there were about 15 people who also stopped to observe the bird, see if it was breathing and try to help it in some way. It had flown into the glass of a store. The hawk was completely out cold but was breathing. We bundled it with a scarf someone bought from a vendor. Sat with it. Kept anyone from stepping on it. Called emergency services around town. And waited with it for 30 minutes till Audubon got there to bring it to wildbirds.org in our neighborhood (87th & Columbus). A great NY moment where the lives of 15-20 people stopped to protect this beautiful animal in the heart of mid-town.
Hopefully your pic might be of the recovered bird after being released. Trying to get his bearings.

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Howard Freeman
Howard Freeman
7 years ago
Reply to  jezbel

What a wonderful New York story within a story.

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Christine E
Christine E
7 years ago

Eat, prey, love!

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Jasper
Jasper
7 years ago

It would be nice to think he might be one of Pale Male’s grandkids. 🙂

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Ye Olde Englishe Teachere
Ye Olde Englishe Teachere
7 years ago

“I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is Southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” –Hamlet: Act 2 Scene 2 (sayeth Google).

Some call Hamlet “the Melancholy Dane” while a few prefer-to-refer to him as The Great Dane (woof!).

Thanx 4 letting us Watch the Birdy.

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Beth Berggamn
Beth Berggamn
7 years ago

We’ve got the young redtails all the time. There’s available food.. rats, mice, small birds. There’s even been a resident kestral.

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B.W.
B.W.
7 years ago

So beautiful! Great shot, Karen!

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Lisa
Lisa
7 years ago

Amazing! I would have loved that!

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Joy Weiner
Joy Weiner
7 years ago

How fantastic, thank you for sharing this!

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phyllis howe
phyllis howe
7 years ago

You were blessed. S/he must have felt at home on your terrace. Good for you for patiently watching and appreciating him.

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Alan
Alan
7 years ago

Are we sure that’s not a Peregrine Falcon?

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jezbel
jezbel
7 years ago
Reply to  Alan

Peregrin is less than half the size of a mature redtail. Male redtails are a bit smaller than females, which are about 2 feet tall with a wingspan of 4 feet.

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Karen Luerssen
Karen Luerssen
7 years ago
Reply to  Alan

Tail feathers not the same — this bird had red tail feathers. Plus a friend who knows birds confirmed it was a red-tailed hawk.
— Karen

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Mireya
Mireya
7 years ago

Wow! You are so lucky to have had such a wonderful guest.

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Mireya
Mireya
7 years ago

Wow 😮. You must feel lucky to have had an awesome guest just drop in from the blue.

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BillyNYC
BillyNYC
7 years ago

Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful photos of this guy! I have been seeing more and more Hawks in this general area and overwhelms me how they are part of our every day life here on the Upper West Side.

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Caroline Jules
Caroline Jules
7 years ago

Terrific photos!!

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UpperWestSider
UpperWestSider
7 years ago

beautiful!!!!

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Cintra
Cintra
7 years ago

That’s nice of the hawk to drop by. It obviously felt comfortable at your place.
20 years ago in April, there was a pigeon who laid 2 eggs on my window patio, which had a lot of empty large flowerpots. The eggs eventually hatched & the birds grew up & eventually flew off.

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Laurel Gilbride
Laurel Gilbride
7 years ago

I live in 185 West End and haven’t, to date, had such a great visitor. I’m jealous.

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Norma
Norma
7 years ago

Nice photos! In all likelihood, the hawk thought your balcony was a nice place to rest. I used to live upstate, and would often see hawks resting on tree branches or some hardscapping. When birds of prey go after something, they do so from high up above (eyes of a hawk) to get speed. I once witnessed a squirrel taunting a hawk in Central Park on the lower branches of a tree. I watched and worried, but the hawk just hung out.

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Wendy
Wendy
7 years ago

There may be a club/group about raptors in Mirebeau, F-86110, France ; La France profonde ! I’ve looked at 2 or 3 books in the English language @ raptor. Don’t remember receipts @ raptors, inc. their Eggs. How’re raptors chez the Bronx Zoo ? Pity, the small Cage for that Eagle, decades ago.

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Ronnie
Ronnie
7 years ago

Me, too. But in Madison, WI. One whole hour. Grooming, mostly. A treat!

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Joey
Joey
7 years ago

Great for rat & pigeon control

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Diana M.
Diana M.
7 years ago

There is a large woven wreath (almost 3 ft. in diameter) for sale at Michael’s. If you put this on your terrace, if the red-tailed hawk is part of a couple they would start building a nest now, lay some eggs and raise a brood in the nest. There is such a nest outside the President’s office at NYU in Washington Square and a website that follows them (Don’t remember exact website name)

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Rita
Rita
7 years ago

Great photo of a majestic bird! Maybe he will return for a second visit.

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Andrea
Andrea
7 years ago

What a pleasure to see these photos. Many thanks for taking time to share with us.

BTW, if a hawk did make a nest on your balcony, you would not be able to use it (see story about this in early edition of this paper). You would become a threat to the eggs/young, and the hawks would attack you when you opened your door to come out.

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Toni Burbank
Toni Burbank
7 years ago

Thrilling bird, gorgeous photos! Thank you.

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Helen S.
Helen S.
7 years ago

He or she visited me a week before and stayed on a perch at my window on the 16th floor for about 20 minutes. I was able to get quite close. It was an amazing experience.

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