From today's New York Times:
5th Ave. Address, but No Youngsters in Nest

In a bittersweet denouement, the eggs won't hatch.

So ends this year's reproductive cycle for New York City's most
celebrated birds, the Fifth Avenue red-tailed hawks known as Pale Male
and Lola. Since their nest was destroyed in December, the hawks
rebuilt in February and laid eggs in March.

But April has earned its reputation for cruelty.

E. J. McAdams, the director of New York City Audubon, confirmed the
inevitable yesterday in a press release, offering closure to dozens of
anxious bird lovers who have gathered daily in Central Park, waiting
for the heads of baby chicks to appear over the side of the nest on
the 12th-floor facade of an opulent co-op building.

Because the incubation period for red-tailed hawks rarely exceeds 35
days, Mr. McAdams said, "it is improbable a chick will hatch."

Having determined by Lola's behavior that she laid at least one egg on
March 9, Audubon officials said that 50 days had passed without a
hatching, beyond the limit of hope.

"All their supporters are sad today," Mr. McAdams said.

"But the Pale Male and Lola story is a story of resilience, and we
look forward to a successful nest next year."

Since Pale Male took up residence in 1993 at 927 Fifth Avenue, on the
southeast corner of 74th Street, he has sired more than 20 chicks with
a series of mates, according to naturalists' records.

The hawks' perseverance in a dense urban environment has delighted
bird lovers around the world, and it prompted a groundswell of protest
when the nest was destroyed by the co-op on Dec. 7.

The public outpouring persuaded co-op shareholders to provide a metal
platform on Pale Male's cornice to support a new nest. He and Lola
took to the platform eagerly, rebuilding with sticks and tree limbs
from Central Park.

Still, their failure to bear offspring this year may have been caused
in part by the newness and size of the nest. Observers say that it is
smaller than the one that was destroyed, which had grown over the
years to a width of more than eight feet, and that by next year it
should be a better size for hatching chicks.

Nor is this the first year that hawk eggs have failed to hatch. Marie
Winn, the author of "Red-Tails in Love," an account of the hawks' life
in Manhattan, said that eggs failed to hatch in 1993 and 1994, but
that three chicks were hatched the next year.

Mr. McAdams said yesterday that Pale Male and Lola seemed certain to
try again, and that there was little chance they would move to a
different home.

"Given what they've already been through, I just don't think they will
ever leave," he said.

Theresa
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