A baby hawk was rescued from a South Bronx street on Sunday by a quick-thinking resident, who enlisted the help of an expert falconer and a local environmental group.

These heroic New Yorkers rescued a red-tailed hawk in the South Bronx and brought it to an expert falconer via canoe. Pictured (l to r): two unidentified Friends of Brook Park volunteers, Lee Rivera, Danny Chervoni (holding hawk) and Harry Bubbins. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft, NYC Park Advocates)

The red-tailed hawk, believed to be just 70 days old, was living on top of an air conditioner near 149th Street and 3rd Avenue in the South Bronx.

The mother hawk had disappeared and concerned residents were monitoring the nest to see if the father would return.

Lee Rivera acted quickly when the bird fell. He scooped it up and brought it to Brook Park, where head gardener Danny Chervoni and members of Friends of Brook Park helped fashion a makeshift cage using two milk crates secured with rope.

After an hour-long boat trip up the Harlem River, the hawk was treated by Ludger K.Balan, a licensed falconer and executive director of The Urban Divers.

Surprisingly, this was not the first hawk rescue in the South Bronx.

"We've rescued a hawk before in similar circumstances and brought it to Ludger," said Harry Bubbins, director of Friends of Brook Park.

What set this rescue apart was the dramatic way the hawk was brought to safety-- on a canoe.

>> Click on the slideshow (below) for additional photos of the rescue

Canoe rescue

When Lee Rivera arrived at Brook Park clutching the hawk in his bare hands, members of Friends of Brook Park were getting ready for a canoe trip up the Harlem River. They planned to paddle from the South Bronx to Manhattan in support of Friends of Sherman Creek, a community group dedicated to preserving local wetlands.

"I look over and I see this guy clasping this bird," recalled NYC Park Advocates president Geoffrey Croft, who was loading life jackets for the canoe trip.

"He walked with this bird through the streets of the South Bronx to this green oasis called Brook Park. I looked up and thought, you never know what you are going to see [in New York]."

Rivera knew he had to get the hawk to Ludger K. Balan, a raptor expert. Balan had spoken at park events and was working with residents to monitor the abandoned nest.

Unfortunately, Balan could not come to Brook Park to examine the bird. He was leading a raptor demonstration at Sherman Creek Park in Manhattan for Harlem River Awareness Day.

Balan told the men to bring him the bird as quickly as possible. That's when the canoe journey began.

With time running out, the canoeists added an extra passenger to their ranks: the baby hawk. It was placed between Croft and Friends of Brook Park director Harry Bubbins.

The bird was treated to a scenic ride from 141st Street and Park Avenue in the Bronx to Sherman Creek Park in Manhattan. It passed three historic bridges and enjoyed calm waters.

The bird arrived safely and was stabilized by Balan.

Dedication

Rivera and Chervoni could not make the trip by canoe, but were committed to the hawk's rescue. They took the subway and reunited with the bird at Sherman Creek Park.

At the end of his wildlife demonstration on Harlem River Awareness Day, falconer Balan commended Rivera and Chervoni for their dedication to the baby hawk. The audience applauded.

"It was wonderful seeing the community come together and rescue this animal," said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates.

Ludger K. Balan leads an educational program at Harlem River Awareness Day. Balan is a falconer and the executive director of The Urban Divers. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft, NYC Park Advocates)

Rehabilitation

Fortunately, the hawk did not have any physical injuries resulting from the fall.

On Monday Balan brought the bird to a licensed rehabilitation center on Long Island.

"They'll nurture it for two to three weeks or so until it's ready for release," said Harry Bubbins, director of Friends of Brook Park. 

The hawk will probably be returned to the South Bronx.

"Hawks are plentiful in the Bronx," explained Balan. As a result of conservation efforts, he noted, "we're seeing more raptors coming back."

For more information

To learn more about the community-based organizations mentioned in this article, visit their websites:

* Friends of Brook Park

* Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy (UDEC, The Urban Divers)

* Friends of Sherman Creek

* NYC Park Advocates

* A Walk in the Park (blog)

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