On my birthday, December 30th, a Barn Owl was discovered in Central Park. It was a great birthday present. It was roosting in a pine tree and sadly got flushed by onlookers who had rushed to see it after a twitter alert, jumped a fence and got right under it. It was sad to see the lack of owl watching etiquette.

Luckily it went to a tree on a nearby island and sat calmly for two and a half hours from about 5 pm to 7:30 pm and could be watched respectfully from a distance. However, for some reason a few photographers insisted in pushing and shoving. Bird watching isn’t a rugby scrum. What really bothered me was that I had helped folks to find the owl in the low light, set up my scope and offered views, and then set up my camera and let folks look at my camera’s screen. I really don’t understand why anyone felt the need to push me!

For some reason folks get irrational around owls. The same thing happened today. The park’s visiting Northern Saw-whet Owl was impossible to photograph today, due to today’s perch, but folks insisted on spending hours under it. There is no reason to risk bothering a sleeping bird. On a day like today, go birding elsewhere and return for the fly out if you’re interested in seeing the owl awake.

The Barn Owl hasn’t been relocated for 48 hours, so I think it’s safe to post pictures.