Urban Hawks

On Thursday morning, workers started to remove the water tank where the fledglings continued to roost by order of the building’s property manager. Before work could be halted by the NYS DEC, the tank roof was destroyed. (The building is being managed by the city, with the management company being appointed by the city, so this is an unusual situation.)

Staff members from the NYC Bird Alliance (our local Audubon chapter) responded quickly and spent the afternoon and evening observing the owls and communicating with the news media. Jessica Wilson, Executive Director, Andrew Mass, Director, Marketing and Communications, and Olivia Liang, Senior Associate, Marketing and Communications did a wonderful job coordinating with the press and city and state agencies.

When this nest was discovered, I wrote that anyone who loved owls must become a member of the NYC Bird Alliance. This event highlights the importance of supporting the organization. If you aren’t already a member, please join them.

The owls had fledged three weeks ago, so the birds were able to roost out in the open on buildings nearby during the day. They were all accounted for last night, with all five fledglings being seen together on a skylight near the nest. The loss of the roosting location will be stressful for these fledglings. They will need to quickly learn to find secluded roosting locations to avoid being mobbed by songbirds and avoid possible predation by raptors.

Social media posts about the owls have offered many suggestions about what to do next for these owls. I would suggest that laymen let conservationists decide what is best in the short term for this specific nest and also determine what should be done long term, if anything for American Barn Owls in Manhattan.

There are many options about what to do about the irresponsible act by the building’s property agent. Options include doing nothing, rebuilding the tank’s roof or putting up a nest box. Each has its pros and cons, and I’m happy to leave it up to the experts at the NYC Bird Alliance and the NYS DEC to decide how to proceed.

While this nest has been a wonderful experience for the city, given the risks these owls face in the city, putting up lots of nest boxes in the area might not be a wise investment of resources. I was disheartened to read a social media comment from the person who aided with the failed reintroduction of Eastern Screech Owls in Central Park suggest putting up Barn Owl nest boxes on the Upper West Side and Central Park. Haven’t we learned from our previous failed efforts? Shouldn’t we reduce or eliminate rodenticides in our spaces before we encourage owls to breed here?

I had paused posting photographs and videos of this nest almost two weeks ago, because I was concerned about the hype the nest was getting and the impact hoards of individuals might have once the owls began exploring Central Park. But I think now is a good time to share a few weeks of videos, so everyone can understand how special this nest is and how these owls need to be protected.

Sunday night was a quiet night. I only saw three fledglings. As the youngsters get older, they are exploring more and more.

On Monday night, I was able to catch a food delivery.

On Tuesday night, it became apparent that most of activity around the skylight and water tank has shifted to later in the evening. Usually between 10pm and Midnight.

Wednesday night had some nice activity and one of the owlets playing peak-a-boo from inside the tank.

I only had a brief glimpse of the owls on Thursday. I only saw two. It was too windy to get decent photographs, so I didn’t spend much time at the nest.

Friday night had a feeding and four owlets lined up briefly at the entrance to the water tank.

Saturday night had a feeding and all five owlets were being very active on the water tank roof.

On Sunday night, there was a food delivery of a nice sized Brown Rat.

Monday night had two feedings. The first one had a parent dangle a rat in front of the nest’s entrance, something I hadn’t seen before.

One Tuesday, I was able to capture a feeding and some explorations of perches away from the water tank.

Wednesday night had all five of the fledglings being active on a skylight and the water tank. A parent called for about five minutes, as well.

On Thursday night, I was able to watch the owl on the water tank and nearby perches. It was the first time seeing them since the water tank was partially dismantled.

Before I arrived a photographer was able to see all five fledglings at once on a skylight. This is encouraging news.

Saturday night was a two act play.

The first act was, presumably a fledgling, making a trip down a cross street, landing in a tree, and after being a bit bewildered flying to a window sill and then back into the backyards of the block where the nest is located.

For those who haven’t been around fledgling raptors, it’s important to give them as much space as possible and be quiet in these situations. It takes them time to figure out how to get out any odd situation they’ve gotten into and rushing them can cause them to have an accident. Sometimes the fledglings might even end up on the ground, or a car roof. Let them be. In the past, I’ve seen inexperienced individuals often try to “rescue” a bird in an odd place, causing them to rush off and get injured. Unless there is an obvious injury, or an immediate safety risk, such as being in a road, let them be.

It’s also very important not to surround them. Make sure they have as many exit routes as possible.

The second act, was later in the evening, after a long “intermission” of no activity. There were multiple food deliveries and lots of action on the water tank.

On what started out as a rainy night, and ended up with strong wind gusts began with relative quiet. Only one owlet could be seen at the base of the water tank and for about an hour none of them. After 11 pm, after a drop-off of a rodent, five fledglings appeared, two on a skylight east of the water tank, and three on the tank.

Activity on the water tank continues to decrease, although the owls are still using it. The fledglings are spending more time exploring the roofs, fire escapes and windows of the block. Last night, an inexperienced owl watcher startled a fledgling, who then had a collision. It appeared stunned, but then flew off. So, if you do have access to one of the roofs, please be careful.

There were only a few visits to the water tank tonight with long periods where the owls could not be seen. There was a burst of activity, when strong winds picked up with the parents and fledglings flying around late in the evening.

The fledglings are now exploring the block the nest is on and aren’t no longer concentrated on the water tank, so watching them has become much more difficult. The parents and the fledglings occasionally make visits to the tank and a nearby skylight but the visits are getting less frequent each day. The most active times to watch them are just after dark, and around 11pm.

Despite all of the photographs circulating on the internet of these owls, seeing them is now very difficult without specialized equipment and often takes an hour to get a good view.

I’ve studied many urban nests, starting with Pale Male’s nest on 927 Fifth Avenue. Over the years, I’ve followed many of the Red-tailed Hawk nests in the city, a few Eastern Screech Owl and Great Horned Owl nests, and a few Peregrine Falcon nests.

They are fascinating to watch, and I’ve learned a lot about each species. How often can you take the subway to a nest? I’m looking forward to learning more about these American Barn Owls.

On Tuesday night, I saw two of the fledglings lock talons while perched and preen each other. I never expected to see that in Manhattan.

The parents are feeding the fledgling, mostly on the water tank. The fledglings tend to wonder at this early stage, and having a central feeding location helps corral them. I’m looking forward to seeing how far the fledglings explore their urban environment and then explore Central Park.

American Barn Owls, unlike the other owls we see in New York City, wait until it is pitch black to appear. This is unlike the Barred Owls or Great Horned Owls, we infrequently see in Central Park. So watching them is a completely different experience. You can’t come at dusk with binoculars and expect to see much, especially on a clear night. Even most cameras, especially hand-held cameras will fail to take a decent image.

There are also limited windows to watch the water tank. It is in the center of the block and there are only limited windows to view the tank from Central Park West or West 75th Street. These get packed with onlookers at dusk, but being in the scrum won’t help you see the owls once it gets dark.

It’s also getting harder to see the owls now that they have fledged. They are often not in view now as they explore the buildings around the tank.

So, if the news reports have you clamoring to see these owls, just know it will take some effort to see them.