Famed New York Hawk to Regain His Perch | ||
A celebrated red-tailed hawk evicted last week from his upscale New York digs can move back to the ritzy apartment building where his nest was perched following an agreement on safety arrangements, building management said on Tuesday night. Pale Male's nest was abruptly removed from its Upper East Side site last week after complaints from building residents about falling debris, including gnarled remains of pigeons. The removal sparked noisy protests from fans who had watched the hawk and his mates raise more than 20 chicks in the spot overlooking Central Park since 1993. Late on Tuesday, New York City Audubon Society and the building's board said they had agreed to restore the metal spikes supporting the hawk's nest and erect a guardrail around its 12th-floor roost to safeguard residents and passersby. An architectural firm was retained to consult on design and construction. National Audubon Society President John Flicker said the arrangements would "help create a secure and stable environment that should enable the birds to return to their home of more than a decade." Building resident and hawk supporter Mary Tyler Moore said she expected that the spikes would be put up on Wednesday. "I'm hopeful that the birds will be peaceful enough to make another nest," the actress said, standing outside her apartment. On Monday, bird lovers met with managers of the exclusive building to ask them to restore the nest and the metal spikes that supported it. The building's architect had examined how the nest could be rebuilt in a way that would satisfy bird lovers and eliminate the possibility of falling debris. Pale Male's unusual decision to take up residence in Manhattan and raise his young 12 stories above the park has captivated bird watchers for the past decade and inspired a book and documentary film. Pale Male even has his own Web site, Moore said the real reason the nest was removed was because residents didn't like the bird droppings or occasional pigeon carcass that would fall to the ground. Bird lovers had urged the nest be reconstructed in its original spot as soon as possible to avoid interrupting Pale Male's mating ritual. The hawk and his current mate, Lola, have tried to rebuild, but without the metal spikes to support it, the twigs they have gathered would likely blow away.
| 一只著名的红尾鹰上周被人们逐出了它居住的“纽约高级公寓”。本周二(12月14日)晚,该公寓大楼的物业管理机构表示,随着改善安全设施协议的达成,它现在可以重新搬回建在这座豪华大厦里的“小巢”了。 红尾鹰“小白”的鸟巢建在大楼高层东侧,上周,鸟巢突然被拆除了,起因是公寓住户们抱怨上面总是往下掉各种垃圾,包括老鹰吃剩的扭曲的鸽子残骸。 但是“拆巢”事件激起了“鹰迷”们的大声抗议,他们从1993年起就看着这只鹰和他的配偶们在这块能够俯瞰中央公园的“宝地”上养育出20多只雏鹰。 周二晚,纽约市奥特朋协会和这座大楼的董事会共同表示,他们同意重新安装支撑鸟巢的金属长钉,并在位于12层的鸟巢周围竖起护栏,以保证住户和路上行人的安全。 他们还请了一家建筑公司,征询他们对鸟巢设计和建造方面的意见。 美国奥特朋协会的主席约翰·弗里克说,这样的安排将“有助于创造一个安全稳定的环境,让鸟儿回到已住了十多年的家园”。 大楼住户玛丽·泰勒·摩尔也是一位爱鹰者,她说她希望那些钉子能在星期三之前安装好。 “我希望这些鸟儿能够在平静的气氛中重新筑巢。”这位女演员站在她的公寓房门口说。 本周一,爱鸟者们和这座高级公寓的管理人员会面,要求他们修复鸟巢,重新搭建支撑鸟巢用的金属长钉。大厦的建筑师认真考虑了重建鸟巢的方案,既要做到让爱鸟人满意、又不会经常往下掉垃圾。 “小白”当初选择在曼哈顿定居,并决定在公园上空的12楼高处(筑巢)抚育自己的小鹰。这个非同寻常的决定十多年来吸引了不少鸟类观察者,还为一本书和一部记录片提供了灵感和素材。“小白”甚至还有自己的个人网站。 摩尔说,拆除鸟巢的真正原因是公寓住户们不喜欢从天而降的鸟粪和偶尔掉到地上的鸽子残骸。 爱鸟者们迫切要求在旧有的巢址上尽快重建新巢,以免扰乱“小白”的婚配佳期。“小白”和他现在的伴侣“洛拉”曾试着重新筑巢,但是由于没有金属长钉的支撑,它们收集的树枝多半会被风吹跑。 |
Vocabulary: |
ritzy: elegant; fancy(豪华的;时髦的) Audubon: Haitian-born American ornithologist and artist whose extensive observations of eastern North American avifauna led to the publication of The Birds of America (1827-1838), a collection of his engravings that is considered a classic work in ornithology and American art.[奥特朋(1785-1851), 海地裔美国鸟类学家, 画家及博物学家。他对北美东部鸟类的广泛观察促成了后来的《美洲鸟类图谱》(1827-1938)的出版,这部著作被认为是鸟类学上最优秀的作品及美国艺术] |