Central Park’s resident Great Horned Owl surprised me on Tuesday. The locked hill she’s been using all winter was opened up today. I was on a walk with the Linnaean Society of New York in the morning, and was able to let our group view the owl through my spotting scope.

However, when I returned with my camera, she was no where to be seen. A quick text to some friends led me to her location. Hawks had driven her from her roost. As the trees leaf out, hawks become more aggressive and with her winter roosting hill now unlocked, I suspect we’ll now have to work at finding her.