Violet, the red-tailed hawk dies

Emily S. Rueb/The New York Times

Violet and her eggs in her nest high above Washington Square Park in April



Pip is born



You can see the huge size of Violet's leg here

Violet and Pip

Photos: D. Bruce Yolton
http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/

December 29 2011
Violet, the red-tailed hawk whose intimate family life in a nest overlooking Washington Square Park was was chronicled on a live-streaming webcam, delighting more than a million viewers with the sacred spectacle of nature, died on Thursday. She was believed to be about 5 years old.

Violet had “heart-related complications” following surgery to amputate her necrotic foot, said Robert Horvath, a raptor rehabilitator based on Long Island. He said he was awaiting necropsy results.

The hawk had been suffering from chronic leg injuries for several weeks and was taken to North Massapequa, N.Y., for treatment on Saturday.

Last winter, Violet and her mate, Bobby, caught the attention of faculty and staff members at New York University, where the couple had created a nest on the 12th floor of Bobst Library, outside of the university’s president’s office. Read More...
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/violet-the-red-tailed-hawk-is-dead/#more-385749

Violet the Hawk's Fans Flock Online to Mourn Her Loss
MANHATTAN — After news broke Thursday that Violet, the beloved red-tailed hawk of NYU and Washington Square Park, died following surgery, bird lovers took to Twitter and Facebook to express their condolences.
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111230/greenwich-village-soho/violet-hawks-fans-flock-online-mourn-her-loss#ixzz1ibhhzLAg

Violet the Hawk's Mourners Plan Washington Square Park Memorial
MANHATTAN — A pair of wildlife rehabilitators who were the last to treat Violet the Hawk, the sick raptor who once called Washington Square Park home, say they are planning to build a memorial in the park that will "capture her spirit."
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120105/greenwich-village-soho/violet-hawks-mourners-plan-washington-square-park-memorial#ixzz1ibZsV35X

My thoughts about hawks
Judging from the outpouring, we can see that many New Yorkers are interested in the fate of Violet the hawk. While it is sad to see a creature like this die, we believe that the idea of  introducing hawks into the New York City area is a wrong-headed one. As much fun as they are to watch, hawks belong in  forests, not in small city parks. We recently learned that there is one living at Playground 5 in Stuyvesant Town for example. This hawk flies over to Peter Cooper Village and sits by the orange tree where some of our baby squirrels are living. It justs sits there, waiting to pick one for lunch.

BTW, I think I've finally solved the mystery of Patches, who lived a short distance away from the orange tree, and disappeared one day last summer. Not only that, but his entire nest disappeared. The piles of leaves on the ground that were from his nest indicated that there had been a tussel. Patches had a disability: he had a patch on his back that kept healing and then opening up again. When it was open it was bloody and would easily attract a hawk. I didn't know about the hawk from Playground 5, which no doubt was making visits to PCV last summer.   

The presence of  hawks is devastating to one of  our most precious wildlife assets: the New York City squirrel. Ah, there there are no other squirrels like these anywhere, and they should be protected! 

 From the squirrel's point of view
Squirrels are also restricted to small park areas, and thus do not have the resources of a forest available to them. Squirrels are vulnerable, and therefore they have to be assisted and protected. And in turn they provide city people with a remarkable experience and needed connection with nature.

From a squirrel feeder's point of view
To squirrel feeders they often become like pets. We get to know their individual personalities and idiosyncraciesl We even give some of them names. Can you imagine how terrible it would be to go into your back yard and find your precious Fido eviscerated by a hawk?