Living with our Non-Human Neighbors- The Red-Tailed Hawk

During my senior year of high school as I neared Columbus Circle in New York City on my walk to school, I noticed feathers falling down from the sky above me. I looked up. Suddenly, I felt wings flapping near my head and around my neck and shoulders. I screamed and ducked down just in time to see a red-tailed hawk swoop up from behind me with a pigeon in its talons. I stood shaking with adrenaline, surprised to find myself in a starring role of my very own National Geographic program. Bewildered, I realized that only one other person had witnessed this strange encounter; everyone else remained focused on their routes along this busy stretch of Manhattan. I locked eyes with this stranger, as if to say, “This did just happen, right?” After all, it’s not everyday a hawk collides with your head in search of breakfast.

Hawks have coexisted with humans in New York City for the city's entire history. Before New York became one of the busiest metropolitan centers in the world, it was deciduous forest and home to many apex bird predators like the red-tailed hawk. However, with the emergence of skyscrapers and the depletion of trees, hawk populations have suffered; in 2010 there were only eight red-tailed hawk nests in New York City. With each nest only producing two to three chicks per year, the population was dangerously low. Fortunately, there has been some improvement in their numbers since. This year, with the help of the New York City Audubon Society and Botanic Gardens, conservation efforts have increased the number to twenty nests. However, much more has to be done to protect the species and continue to raise the number of nesting birds. Some efforts put forth by the city include reducing the amount of rodenticide used. This will help protect the mice and rat populations which form the basis of hawks' food sources. Protecting what green spaces, like parks and community gardens, are left in the city will also help protect the population. Educating New Yorkers on their fellow non-human neighbors, and supporting systems already in place, like the Audubon Society and botanic gardens, is another way to bring awareness to the red-tailed hawk.

For many New Yorkers, hawks are an invisible presence that we almost never see and hardly ever hear about, but that's what makes conserving their numbers so important. When we do take the time to seek nature out, everyone is in awe of what they find. I mean, who wouldn't get excited after seeing a red-tailed hawk in the middle of mid-town?! On that particular morning walk to school, on a crowded urban street, only one other person took notice of a wild creature adapting to city living. This hawk had found a way to thrive in a city where most humans have trouble doing so. The fact that so many people failed to observe this action parallels our relationship to non-human species and to conservation. We can easily remove ourselves from the natural world in a city as big as ours but by doing so we miss out on opportunities to protect, as well as learn about, nature and the species that live along side us. By opening our eyes and investing in their presence, we will be able to help sustain and grow the red-tailed hawk population.