Hawks' nest demolition raises public ire

NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Two red-tailed hawks in New York have joined the ranks of the city's homeless with the demolition of their tony Fifth Avenue nest.

Pale Male and his mate, Lola, who have been a fixture in the posh area since 1993, were seen circling over their Upper East Side co-op looking for a new place to roost, the New York Daily News reports.

"They're circling around and around," said Lincoln Karim. "They are frantic. They keep landing on the spot where the nest was."

The exploits of the majestic birds and their offspring on the 12th floor of 927 Fifth Avenue were made into a book and documentary. Animal lovers from across the world have watched them in admiration.

Their home was taken away this week when the co-op board hired a contractor to remove the nest and the metal spikes it rested on.

Building attorney Aaron Schmulewitz said the nest was 50 square feet.

"Portions of the nest had been falling onto the street, and carcasses of animals had been dropped by the hawk onto the street below," he said.

Others, including actress Mary Tyler Moore who lives in the birds' building, are outraged.