For a long time there has been a hawk living at Eastern State, hiding among the ruins and history. It’s very rare to catch a glimpse of him. Eviscerated pigeon corpses found every couple of weeks are usually the only evidence that he is still around. I had always assumed that he nested in the northeast guard tower, one of the few places in the prison that no one ever goes. Lately, however, that all seems to have changed.
Over the last month, staff and visitors have sighted the hawk all over the grounds of the penitentiary. He seems to enjoy perching on a tour guide stand or along a stone wall and watching the world around him, even allowing people to get pretty close. (Honestly, maybe a little too close. He seems like a fierce creature, and it does make me nervous to see people approach him so closely.) I took some pictures of the hawk, and, using my amateur birding skills, I have identified him as an immature red tailed hawk. Immature? This is certainly not the hawk that has lived here for years then. We must have a vacancy for a bird of prey and this is the new bird on the block.
Eastern State seems like a wonderful place for a hawk to live. There are plenty of pigeons to eat, high towers to perch upon and survey the area, and the coloring of the birds is great camouflage against the stone backdrop. Several people also claim to have seen him taking the audio tour, but I can’t verify that part of the story. Though if he wanted to learn the history, I would be happy to take him on a tour. I hope that this hawk decides to stick around at the prison for a while. He will be great for keeping down the troublesome pigeon population, impressing visitors with his grace and charm, and further adding to the mystique
of Eastern State.
Francis X. Dolan
Associate Director for Tour Programs and Site Operations
