What an awful thing to happen!  I looked on the web and found this
page:

http://www.palemale.com/

It says that the reason that the building owner got permission to
remove the nest is because they claimed that the nest was inactive.
But there are birdwatchers who claim that it is still very much an
active nest.

Is this a nest the birds built themselves, or a bird house type nest?

I ask because I've watched a pair of sparrows (I think they're
sparrows) who nest in the rain gutter over my deck for several years.
Picture an L-shaped gutter system, where the base and stem of the L
are 2 different unconnected gutters, one directly above the other
(clearance is inches). The nest was where the base and stem come
together, which is the endplate of each gutter (no downspouts in
either location).

It was a perfect location for the birds - out of the weather,
protected from predators, easy access to a tree off the corner of my
deck. And when my landlord had the gutters cleaned early this past
Spring, the nest was removed.

The sparrows had their own ideas about the subject, and rebuilt their
nest in the same location in nothing flat. No idea if the hawk family
will do the same thing, but if they like the location and there's no
physical barrier to them doing so I hope they do come back!!!

Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

That's terrible. We're purring hard for the birds.

This just BITES!  After 11 years, what harm were the birds doing?  Why
suddenly dismantle their nest?  It makes no sense.  Purrs and birdy chirps
on the way.

On a humorous note, Peaches the love bird, who is the bathen'st bird I've
ever owned hadn't taken a bath in a week.  I'd refilled the plant spritzer
so the water was at room temp.  I spritzed her last night and she decided
hmmm, maybe I *do* need a bath!  So she got down in her oversized water dish
and went to town.  It's so funny to watch!  She was soaking wet by the time
she was done.  After thoroughly preening she was running around the cage,
ringing her bell toys and chirping like mad :)  It makes me smile.

Jill

Oh, how awful -- I'd call the Fish and Game people and see if they are a
protected species -- maybe the apartment building is in for a fine.  Maybe
an artificial nesting spot can be made attractive nearby?  So sad.
Christine

Hawks are protected animals. You cannot touch their nest. It is a Fish & Game
regulation violation. A major one. You cannot touch their nest, an egg, a baby.
You cannot destroy their nest. You cannot harm the adults. You would need a
federal permit to be able to remove the nest. You probably wouldn't get one.
Did htey just not like a little bird poop? Some hawks eat pigeons. Eating
pigeons cuts down on poop. Hawks also eat mice, rats and squirrels. They're
good for the environment. What a shame. I would report them if they did this
without proper permits.

This is so very wrong! These people should have their homes torn out
from under them. Oh, just don't get me started, grrrrrr. Purrs and
meatloaf meditations going out from my four furries for the Redtails.

Julie

The Red-tails have made CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/08/nest.removed.reut/index.html
(includes a picture from March 2004)

Outrage over Pale Male's eviction
Hawk tries to rebuild
Wednesday, December 8, 2004 Posted: 6:17 PM EST (2317 GMT)

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- He was a movie star who resided on Manhattan's
tony Upper East Side, drawing a devoted crowd of followers who
gathered daily to catch a glimpse of him.

But on Tuesday, that star -- a famous red-tailed hawk known as Pale
Male who built his nest above a cornice of an apartment building
overlooking Central Park and was the subject of a documentary movie --
was evicted.

The nest where Pale Male and his companions had resided since 1993 was
removed along with the metal spikes that provided support for the nest
and protected it from the wind.

The action outraged bird lovers, including actress Mary Tyler Moore,
who lives in the same building as the hawk.

"I am just amazed at the insensitivity ... of people who have torn
away a nest that had been used for 10 years by an extraordinary
red-tail hawk," Moore said.

Moore attributed the decision to complaints over "the occasional bird
droppings" that the hawks produced.

The building's management company said of the nest removal, "It was a
researched and thought-out decision on the part of the building."

Pale Male's unusual decision to take up residence in Manhattan and
raise his young 12 stories above the park captivated bird watchers and
inspired a book and a documentary film.

On Wednesday, Pale Male and Lola, his female companion, could be seen
circling the building and bringing back twigs to try to rebuild the
nest, which bird watchers said would be futile without the metal
spikes to support it.

E.J. McAdams, executive director of the local Audubon Society, said he
contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see if there was any
violation in removing the nest.

A spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service said it had been
contacted by the building about removing the nest.

"Our response to them was that removing a nest, if unoccupied by
chicks or eggs, does not require a permit under the Migratory Bird
Treaty Act," she said.

Pale Male supporters were organizing a sunset vigil outside the
apartment to urge the building to restore the nest.

"Our goal is to get the nest back up," McAdams said.

Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

Lots of purrs for the poor birds,

<snip>

Birds only use the nest to raise young. I expect next year they will
rebuild the nest next year as it has been successful for them in the
past. Purrs for the hawks, and all those that care about them.