The Tale of Pale Male

The Tale of
PALE MALE

A TRUE STORY

JEANETTE WINTER

HARCOURT, INC.
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Copyright © 2007 by Jeanette Winter

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Winter, Jeanette.
The tale of pale male: a true story/Jeanette Winter.
p. cm.
1. Red-tailed hawk—New York (State)—New York—Anecdotes. I. Title.
QL696.FB2W555 2007
598.9'44—dc22 2006008741
ISBN 978-0-15-205972-9

H G F E D C

Printed in Singapore

The illustrations in this book were done in acrylic on Arches watercolor paper.

The display type was set in Syntax Black & OptiEagle Bold.

The text type was set in Syntax Bold.

Color separations by Colourscan Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore

Printed and bound by Tien Wah Press, Singapore

This book was printed on totally chlorine-free Stora Enso Matte paper.

Production supervision by Pascha Gerlinger

Designed by Judythe Sieck

If you look hard out in the world, you might see the nest of a Red-tailed Hawk high up on a cliff, or high up in a tall tree, or, if there are no trees, at the very top of a tall cactus.

Hawks like a tall perch so they can see what is happening down below. Nothing escapes the eye of a Redtail, not even a tiny hurrying, scurrying mouse.

This Redtail has just caught a mouse in the countryside below.

But look—there are skyscrapers all around.

And what building is the Redtail headed for? It's the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Metropolitan Museum is in Central Park.

And Central Park is in New York City.

This Redtail is a city slicker!

A lady hawk waits for the Redtail.

He offers her his gift.

She takes it.

And eats it.

She would rather have a mouse to eat than anything else.

The hawks become mates, and soar high into the sky.

The two Redtails break twigs, just the right length, to build a nest.

They bring each twig to a window top guarded by angels— back and forth, back and forth, over and over— until the nest is built.

Spikes for keeping pigeons away hold the twigs secure.

Below on the ground, bird-watchers have spotted the two hawks that they had named Pale Male and Lola.

Look!

They're nesting again at their penthouse on Fifth Avenue.