Central Park Hawks

Ellen Michaels, formerly a model, is a New York City wildlife photographer specializing in photographing the birds, butterflies, insects, and flowers of Central Park in New York.

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.

THE LEGACY OF PALE MALE AND HIS MATES

This gallery features historical images of Pale Male and Lola. To document his incredible three-decade legacy at 927 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, before passing away at age 33 on May 16, 2023, here is his historic nesting timeline:

Lola: His companion for nine years until her disappearance in December 2010.

Lima: Mother of two eyasses in 2011; tragically passed away on Cedar Hill in 2012.

Zena: Mother of three eyasses in 2012; tragically died from rodenticide poisoning later that year.

OCTAVIA'S NESTING HISTORY & 2026 UPDATE

Pale Male’s long-term mate, Octavia, successfully raised offspring with him every consecutive spring from 2013 through 2018. Following a nesting pause between 2019 and 2023, the local hawk story continued into a new chapter. In March 2026, Octavia began rebuilding her famous nest with a young new mate named Henry. While they successfully produced an eyass - Octavia's first since 2018 - the young bird unfortunately fell ill, tumbled from the nest, and passed away on July 1, 2026.

If you would like to license high-resolution hawk and other birds of prey images, please email me at EllenMichaels@ymail.com.

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