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LES Gets Hawkish as "Sky Beasts" Move In
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 26, 2010
Modified Jan 26, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 26, 2010
Modified Jan 26, 2010
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At least 32 pairs of nesting red-tailed hawks have been identified across the city since 2007, and lately the Lower East Side has been captivated by a pair that have settled on a fifth-floor air-conditioning unit at Public Schools 9-4/188 on East Houston Street. "They come down and they eat squirrels, rats, birds," 18-year-old local resident Johnny Reyes, who calls them "the sky beasts,"tells the Daily News. "People who walk their little dogs are always looking out for the hawks." And for good reason—they'll steal your lunch, too! "In recent memory, there have never been more hawks than there are now in the most unusual of places," says city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. Urban hawks—how many is too many?
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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