SFist: SFist Photo: A Bird of Prey Guarding our City Hall

aqua

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:22:14 -0800

It was done in Trafalgar Square. Possibly still is, but it turned out to be unexpectedly expensive. Also there are stories of a Peregrine (can't remember the name, but it was something charming and colloquial) who made a lot of especially gory kills in front of kids & tourists, making enough of a spectacle that he was withdrawn. When I passed through Trafalgar a month ago, it had no pigeons in it all, for the straightforward reason that a concert was being set up. So there's another solution -- frequent, pigeon-displacing concerts. :)

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:05:39 -0800

Too bad we can't just directly net the pigeons, and ship them to PA to be shot by VP Cheney: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/07/09/070709ta_talk_collins

Jon

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:34:52 -0800

Is that a flame the hawk is sitting on? At first glance it looks like a hand with a very noticeable finger upraised-- a perfect symbol of City Hall Governance as it were.

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:32:56 -0800

There's a whole family of Cooper's Hawks in Lafayette Park, with 4 young fledglings.

jwb

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:59:55 -0800

There are peregrine falcons nesting in Alta Plaza Park, and the neighborhood has been rather free of pigeons lately.

mariconsoy

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:51:23 -0800

Do they like the flavor of Supervisor meat?

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:48:10 -0800

Other Hawk sightings: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdersh/902841342/in/pool-63052053@N00/ This one is eating dinner.

guest

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:12:14 -0800

Nice photo. Looks like a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk. There was one that frequently sat on the very top of the dome last year.