General News

American Barn Owl Safety

Currently, due to publicity started by the West Side Rag, and escalated by social media influencers and major publications, the American Barn Owl nest on the Upper West Side has become the next big thing.

Since the nest’s location has been discovered, there has been a mix of birders, photographers and the public visiting the nest site. Fortunately, unless one goes on a roof, observing the nest requires staying so far away that the impact of the public watching the owls has so far been minimal. 

It has been great to help share the discovery with the neighborhood, who had wondered what all the noise was about.  But soon, the fledglings will need to enter Central Park at night to learn to hunt and might eventually roost there during the day. Once this happens, these owls will need to be left alone so they can learn to be independent from their parents and eventually “leave home”. This will require an internet blackout, where there daily locations and activities aren’t reported in real time.  Crowds coming to see a roosting juvenile owl, or folks following an owl with flashlights around the park will be detrimental.

So, I will no longer be posting daily reports online.  It’s time for me to shift gears and begin the process of giving these owls the space they will soon need.  I hope others will also begin to wind down the hype, pledge not to report their locations online and work to minimize the impact of birders and photographers once they are in the park.

Once the young owls have all dispersed, I’m sure I’ll have some stories to tell. But for now, it makes sense for me to stop my daily reporting of this amazing discovery, American Barn Owls nesting in Manhattan.

Owls

UWS American Barn Owls, Saturday, 10/17

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.

Owls

UWS American Barn Owls, Friday, 10/16

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.

Owls

UWS American Barn Owls, Thursday, 10/15

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.

Owls

UWS American Barn Owls, Wednesday 11/14

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.

Owls

UWS American Barn Owls, Tuesday 11/13

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.