Central Park Hawks

Ellen Michaels, formerly a model, is currently a wildlife and nature photographer specializing in photos of the birds, butterflies, insects, and flowers of Central Park in NYC.

These are photos of Central Park Red-tailed Hawks and Pale Male, the famous NYC Fifth Avenue hawk. There are also images of Lola, Pale Male's mate for nine years, and images of other raptors and birds of prey. Pale Male has had four different mates since Lola disappeared in December 2010. He had offspring with Lima in 2011, Zena in 2012, and Octavia in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Pale Male update: 6/19/11, Pale Male and Lima had two eyasses. On 2/26/2012, Lima died on Cedar Hill. Pale Male found another mate named Zena, and in April 2012, they had three eyasses. On 9/28/2012, Zena died from eating a poisoned rat. On 10/13/2012, Pale Male got a new mate, Octavia. During the week of 4/21/2013, Pale Male and Octavia had babies. During the week of 4/21/2014, Pale Male and Octavia had three babies. On 4/30/2015, Pale Male and Octavia had three eyasses. On 4/24/2016, Pale Male and Octavia had two eyasses. On 4/20/2017, Pale Male and Octavia had three eyasses. On 4/21/2018, Pale Male and Octavia had two new baby hawks. Pale Male and Octavia did not have babies in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023.

Our beloved Pale Male passed away at the age of 33 on May 16, 2023. Rest in peace, Dear Pale Male. You have given millions of Central Park visitors such profound joy over the many years of your life.

In March 2026, Octavia started rebuilding her nest. She has a new, young mate named Henry, and they had one eyass—the first time for Octavia since 2018. Unfortunately, the eyass was ill, fell out of the nest, and died on July 1, 2026.

If you would like to license images, you can email me at EllenMichaels@ymail.com.

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