Mystery of hawk deaths

Three red-tailed hawks have died recently in New York City...and it seems that rat poison could be behind the deaths. Did the dead hawks feast on rats or mice that were themselves poisoned? There is no way to know, birders say, but the powerful rodenticide, Bromadiolone, and other poisons were found in the hawks' systems.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/nyregion/rat-poison-is-found-in-bodies-of-3-dead-hawks.html

More information on Bromadiolone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromadiolone

By coincidence, I came across a red-tailed hawk last Sunday (photo below) whilst cycling on the Wooded Isle in Chicago:

Cultural symbolism of hawks from http://alltotems.com/

• Native American: Among Native American traditions, Hawk served the role of messenger guide, bringer of messages and portents of change. Hawk reminded the people they needed to be awake and aware. Many Native American tribes admire the hawk for its speed, endurance, perseverance, and sharp eyesight.
• Celtic: In the Celtic tradition Hawk empowers a person to seek out their ancestral roots and to examine in depth that which is positive (so that it may be integrated into a person’s life) and that which is limiting (so it can be released). Tradition is only worth honoring when it supports joy and fulfillment in one’s life! In this tradition Hawk also supports the solar side as stated above, helping a person to move forward in life and to seek out great quests to embark upon.
• Greek: In Greco-Roman mythology, the hawk is the ‘swift messenger of Apollo/Mercury,’ and is associated with the sorceress, Circe.
• Chinese: The Chinese associated this bird with war.
• Christian: In early Christian symbolism, the wild hawk represented evil; the tamed hawk signified the convert; and the hooded hawk symbolized the Christian hoping in the Light of Christ even though surrounded by the darkness of earth. Because of the hawk’s swiftness in darting down and grasping its prey, this animal is a symbol of death, injustice, violence, and those people who prey upon the weak.
• Egyptian: In ancient Egypt, the hawk was considered a royal bird and a symbol of the soul (ba). Isis is said to have shape shifted into a Hawk to save Osiris. Horus also carried Hawk medicine which allowed him to see the “unseeable”.
• Indian: Gayatri is the Hindu hawk who brought an intoxicating drink of immortality known as ‘soma’ from heaven. He is also a vehicle of Indra.