I can’t believe Flaco has been in the park for three weeks! I saw him for about an hour in the late afternoon. He coughed up a pellet and then hooted before fly out. I lost track of him almost immediately after he flew out for the night.

The Eurasian Eagle-Owl was calmly resting when I arrived just after a rain shower. He looked a richer color with damp feathers and the last bit of sunlight. He hooted and explored a number of trees before I lost track of him. About twenty minutes later, I heard him hooting and relocated him. His hooting went on for at least thirty minutes. He then flew across a meadow in the northern section of the park and I lost track for the night.

Flaco, the feral Eurasian Eagle-Owl, hide on Sunday and wasn’t found until Monday. He was found in the northern end of the park, much further north than expected. He’s continuing to out pace expectations. His new roost was in a quiet part of the park, birded mostly by experienced birders. So, while he had a crowd watching him, unlike the southern end of the park, today’s crowd was quiet and respectful.

I’m disappointed to learn of the decision of the Wildlife Conservation Society to leave Flaco out in Central Park for the time being. I would have liked to have seen a different outcome. While it’s been wonderful to see that he has adapted to the park, and managing well, I don’t think it is good for the other birds of the park. I also worry that life as a celebrity bird isn’t any better than being in the zoo.

On Saturday, rather than let him roost quietly, there was always a large, noisy crowd watching him. He hooted while I was there in the afternoon, and he didn’t seem to be getting much sleep.

I find it frustrating that would could have been a teaching moment to let folks know about how to report and watch owls has been lost. He’s now being promoted as the “Next Big Thing” and a tourist attraction.

I couldn’t spend much time in the park today, so I only had a few minutes with Flaco. He was roosting comfortably, except for when a Gray Squirrel tried to take a small bite of him.

It’s now over two weeks since vandals released an Eurasian Eagle-Owl from the zoo. I watched the owl in the afternoon and into the evening.