Category: Owls

Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Owls

Rest in Peace, Flaco

I’m sad to report that Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl has died.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has confirmed his death on their website.

The press release obfuscates some of the WCS’s responsibilities in Flaco’s death, however. While the vandal who released him is untimely responsible for Flaco’s death, the zoo failed to protect and recover Flaco. The WSC has never addressed the poor security at the Central Park Zoo, the public relations vacuum that led to the disruption of the rescue attempts, and the abandonment of the rescue attempts after only two weeks which the WCS justified because of Flaco’s ability to feed himself, ignoring the risks he faced in Manhattan and the risks he posed to native wildlife. The press release clearly was written by a public relations team who repeatedly put the WCS’s interests ahead of Flaco’s.

Alan Drogin lives in the building where Flaco was found and wrote this on the NYS Birds listserv.

From: Alan Drogin
Date: February 23, 2024 at 21:54:02 EST
To: NYS Birds NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Flaco

About a month ago I posted about hearing Flaco in our neighborhood.  I connected with Bruce Yolton who’s been photographing and reporting Flaco sightings on his website Urban Hawks.  I’d been hearing Flaco regularly since then and a few us in our building have seen him sleeping on the fire escape adjacent to our courtyard.

Earlier this evening our super buzzed us to report that Flaco was likely dead, lying face down, wings splayed out just outside our building’s basement door.  When I ran downstairs to have a look I saw some slight movement and immediately ran upstairs to report to the Wild Bird Fund and the NY Department of Environmental Protection.  WBF fortunately being only a few blocks away immediately sent two volunteers to rescue him.

I don’t know if there is any chance he survived, but our prayers are with him.

Alan Drogin

It was comforting to know that Alan Drogin, an expert birder called the correct individuals, who quickly came to collect and treat Flaco. Thank you, Alan.

Owls

Long-eared Owls XI, Wednesday 2/21/24

On Wednesday, we found the Long-eared Owl in a new tree where the owl must have gotten some afternoon sun. The owl flew out to saplings on the hill between the nursery and compost but quickly went to the “rat’s nest”, a tangle of brush next to a dumpster. It made a few hunting passes before flying to a small tree by the side of the East Drive. It went down to the ground, most likely caught a mouse and then flew up and down the East Drive before going in the direction of the Wildflower Meadow.

Owls

Long-eared Owls X, Tuesday 2/20/24

The owl chose yet another roost tree today, but I couldn’t find the owl. At fly out, it was to the normal slope between the Nursery and Compost, then to the east face of the western hill of Compost before the owl went to a sampling along the East Drive. After about 8 minutes it appeared to catch a mouse just beside the road. Then it flew low across the East Drive toward the wildflower meadow. We saw the owl briefly but quickly lost track of it.

Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Owls

Flaco’s Expanding Diet

The news that Flaco has been killing and eating pigeons has raised some concerns on social media. His change of diet from rodents to pigeons most likely lowers his health risks. The pigeons are less likely to be poisoned by could contain lead, Avian Flu or Frounce.

What is a major concern is something the zoo administration, the “Free Flaco” movement, the media and local birding organizations have all chosen to ignore which is, what will Flaco’s impact be on native wildlife? Will Flaco move on from killing feral Rock Pigeons to native birds? And will he raid hawk and falcon nests, as Eurasian Eagle-Owls do in Europe and Asia?

This spring, because people acted in their own self-interests and only thought about the short term, we may have a major crisis. If Flaco behaves like other Eurasian Eagle-Owls and predates on raptor and falcon nests, what should be done? At this point he will be very difficult to recapture, since he’s left Central Park and changed diets. And since he is still the property of the WCS, who has the authority to recapture him is also a difficult question to answer.

The only option might be to let him take protected birds or euthanize him. Neither option is a positive outcome.

The likelihood that Flaco would interfere with native wildlife was clear from the beginning. It’s frustrating that we have let Flaco’s beauty, celebrity status and resilience blind us from focusing on the long-term impact of letting an invasive species remain loose in New York City.

Owls

Long-eared Owls IX, Sunday 2/18/24

The remaining owl chose a new roost for the day in a tree just to the west of its previous tree. At fly out, it went to the hill between the nursery and compost, and most likely caught and ate a mouse. It then went to a pile of brush next to one of the compost dumpster and hunted before flying off to the west.

The real thrill of the night was seeing the pair of Eastern Coyotes who were making their way south along the path that goes between the compost area and the Conservatory Garden. They went then made a loop in the nursery. I had to leave early, but reports are the pair howled five times.