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Getting a book review from the New York Times is a dream come true for us and a testament to how much Flaco meant to so many. The review (link below) includes some fun stories we haven’t shared before.
This morning @davidlei and I received an early Christmas present — a lovely book review by Elisabeth Egan at the New York Times Book Review (link below). We’re grateful for the enthusiastic and heartwarming words of support readers have shared with us. Happy Holidays!
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David Lei retweeted
Upper West Side barn owl perching atop scaffolding on a building on Saturday night. This is perfectly normal owl behavior. Cont’d
#birdcpp
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UWS barn owl update and FAQs.
@jacquelineUWS (follow her for more updates!) and I had eyes on at least five owls last night—two adults and three fledglings—and saw a feeding.
Cont’d
#birdcpp
@jacquelineUWS (follow her for more updates!) and I had eyes on at least five owls last night—two adults and three fledglings—and saw a feeding.
Cont’d
#birdcpp
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It’s possible / probable we saw all of them during the course of the evening but we had five individuals simultaneously. We knew two were adults by their appearance and behavior, including their vocalizations.
The owls—the adults it seems—are still perching on the remains of the nest occasionally. And many other buildings / structures in the neighborhood. Pictured is one of the adults on a different building in the neighborhood. They have not been observed visiting the nest box yet, but I’m glad one was put out for them just in case.
Some FAQs:
1) Who owns the building / is responsible for the destruction of the nest? The building is a rental, not a co-op or condo. It is reportedly in an ownership dispute and currently under the control of the New York County Public Administrator. They have a third-party property management company taking care of the building. The property managers were reportedly well aware of the owl nest before beginning work Wednesday and Thursday. According to residents, DEC officials visited the building weeks ago and left their contact information. But the property managers decided to do what was described to residents as “scheduled maintenance” seemingly without contacting the DEC. After receiving a stop-work order from the DEC on Thursday, they then resumed work on Friday before receiving a cease-and-desist.
2) Is the destruction of the nest a violation of the law? Yes, it is a violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law. I hope the property managers are investigated and justice is done. CC: @bradhoylman, @ebottcher and @galeabrewer
3) What exactly was the nest? I believe that the nest was simply the middle of the floor of the attic or crawl space under the conical roof of the water tower. Barn owls nest in shallow “scrapes” in cliff recesses, tree cavities, or in the shelter of manmade structures. They do not build nests out of twigs and branches. Twenty years ago, a worker discovered a barn owl nest in a water tower in the Bronx. The access hatch to the water tower had blown off (just like the UWS water tower) and he found a group of owlets huddled together on the floor under the conical roof.
4) Was the repair of the water tower necessary? What should the property managers have done? First of all, the property managers described the work as “scheduled maintenance” and not urgent to residents. However, residents and neighbors report the water tower was in disrepair for a long time. So perhaps it should have been fixed a while ago. (Of course, that would have meant the owls nesting somewhere else.) Once it was clear that a protected nest was in the water tower, the property managers should have consulted with the DEC before working on it. They also should have obeyed the first stop-work order.
5) How old were the owlets? What exactly is the impact? We believe the owlets were about two months old and just beginning to fly when the nest was first discovered, which would now make them about three months old. They probably would have continued to use the nest for a couple more weeks—up to another month—before all dispersing by late November. We can’t know the timeline for sure because we don’t know exactly when the owlets hatched and how old they are. This is also an unusual situation and timelines that are typical elsewhere may not apply. Nevertheless, the owlets still rely on feedings from their parents and were not ready to stop roosting at the nest site naturally. They could have been harmed being flushed out of the nest, and they may now experience dangers from roosting outside that they weren’t prepared to handle. While the owlets can fly, they still seem pretty helpless.
Thank you so much to everyone who is speaking out for this owl family, including @bradhoylman, @ebottcher, @galeabrewer, @nycbirdalliance, @wildbirdfund and @NycPlover!
The owls—the adults it seems—are still perching on the remains of the nest occasionally. And many other buildings / structures in the neighborhood. Pictured is one of the adults on a different building in the neighborhood. They have not been observed visiting the nest box yet, but I’m glad one was put out for them just in case.
Some FAQs:
1) Who owns the building / is responsible for the destruction of the nest? The building is a rental, not a co-op or condo. It is reportedly in an ownership dispute and currently under the control of the New York County Public Administrator. They have a third-party property management company taking care of the building. The property managers were reportedly well aware of the owl nest before beginning work Wednesday and Thursday. According to residents, DEC officials visited the building weeks ago and left their contact information. But the property managers decided to do what was described to residents as “scheduled maintenance” seemingly without contacting the DEC. After receiving a stop-work order from the DEC on Thursday, they then resumed work on Friday before receiving a cease-and-desist.
2) Is the destruction of the nest a violation of the law? Yes, it is a violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law. I hope the property managers are investigated and justice is done. CC: @bradhoylman, @ebottcher and @galeabrewer
3) What exactly was the nest? I believe that the nest was simply the middle of the floor of the attic or crawl space under the conical roof of the water tower. Barn owls nest in shallow “scrapes” in cliff recesses, tree cavities, or in the shelter of manmade structures. They do not build nests out of twigs and branches. Twenty years ago, a worker discovered a barn owl nest in a water tower in the Bronx. The access hatch to the water tower had blown off (just like the UWS water tower) and he found a group of owlets huddled together on the floor under the conical roof.
4) Was the repair of the water tower necessary? What should the property managers have done? First of all, the property managers described the work as “scheduled maintenance” and not urgent to residents. However, residents and neighbors report the water tower was in disrepair for a long time. So perhaps it should have been fixed a while ago. (Of course, that would have meant the owls nesting somewhere else.) Once it was clear that a protected nest was in the water tower, the property managers should have consulted with the DEC before working on it. They also should have obeyed the first stop-work order.
5) How old were the owlets? What exactly is the impact? We believe the owlets were about two months old and just beginning to fly when the nest was first discovered, which would now make them about three months old. They probably would have continued to use the nest for a couple more weeks—up to another month—before all dispersing by late November. We can’t know the timeline for sure because we don’t know exactly when the owlets hatched and how old they are. This is also an unusual situation and timelines that are typical elsewhere may not apply. Nevertheless, the owlets still rely on feedings from their parents and were not ready to stop roosting at the nest site naturally. They could have been harmed being flushed out of the nest, and they may now experience dangers from roosting outside that they weren’t prepared to handle. While the owlets can fly, they still seem pretty helpless.
Thank you so much to everyone who is speaking out for this owl family, including @bradhoylman, @ebottcher, @galeabrewer, @nycbirdalliance, @wildbirdfund and @NycPlover!
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It’s possible / probable we saw all of them during the course of the evening but we had five individuals simultaneously. We knew two were adults by their appearance and behavior, including their vocalizations.
The owls—the adults it seems—are still perching on the remains of the nest occasionally. And many other buildings / structures in the neighborhood. Pictured is one of the adults on a different building in the neighborhood. They have not been observed visiting the nest box yet, but I’m glad one was put out for them just in case.
Some FAQs:
1) Who owns the building / is responsible for the destruction of the nest? The building is a rental, not a co-op or condo. It is reportedly in an ownership dispute and currently under the control of the New York County Public Administrator. They have a third-party property management company taking care of the building. The property managers were reportedly well aware of the owl nest before beginning work Wednesday and Thursday. According to residents, DEC officials visited the building weeks ago and left their contact information. But the property managers decided to do what was described to residents as “scheduled maintenance” seemingly without contacting the DEC. After receiving a stop-work order from the DEC on Thursday, they then resumed work on Friday before receiving a cease-and-desist.
2) Is the destruction of the nest a violation of the law? Yes, it is a violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law. I hope the property managers are investigated and justice is done. CC: @bradhoylman, @ebottcher and @galeabrewer
3) What exactly was the nest? I believe that the nest was simply the middle of the floor of the attic or crawl space under the conical roof of the water tower. Barn owls nest in shallow “scrapes” in cliff recesses, tree cavities, or in the shelter of manmade structures. They do not build nests out of twigs and branches. Twenty years ago, a worker discovered a barn owl nest in a water tower in the Bronx. The access hatch to the water tower had blown off (just like the UWS water tower) and he found a group of owlets huddled together on the floor under the conical roof.
4) Was the repair of the water tower necessary? What should the property managers have done? First of all, the property managers described the work as “scheduled maintenance” and not urgent to residents. However, residents and neighbors report the water tower was in disrepair for a long time. So perhaps it should have been fixed a while ago. (Of course, that would have meant the owls nesting somewhere else.) Once it was clear that a protected nest was in the water tower, the property managers should have consulted with the DEC before working on it. They also should have obeyed the first stop-work order.
5) How old were the owlets? What exactly is the impact? We believe the owlets were about two months old and just beginning to fly when the nest was first discovered, which would now make them about three months old. They probably would have continued to use the nest for a couple more weeks—up to another month—before all dispersing by late November. We can’t know the timeline for sure because we don’t know exactly when the owlets hatched and how old they are. This is also an unusual situation and timelines that are typical elsewhere may not apply. Nevertheless, the owlets still rely on feedings from their parents and were not ready to stop roosting at the nest site naturally. They could have been harmed being flushed out of the nest, and they may now experience dangers from roosting outside that they weren’t prepared to handle. While the owlets can fly, they still seem pretty helpless.
Thank you so much to everyone who is speaking out for this owl family, including @bradhoylman, @ebottcher, @galeabrewer, @nycbirdalliance, @wildbirdfund and @NycPlover!
The owls—the adults it seems—are still perching on the remains of the nest occasionally. And many other buildings / structures in the neighborhood. Pictured is one of the adults on a different building in the neighborhood. They have not been observed visiting the nest box yet, but I’m glad one was put out for them just in case.
Some FAQs:
1) Who owns the building / is responsible for the destruction of the nest? The building is a rental, not a co-op or condo. It is reportedly in an ownership dispute and currently under the control of the New York County Public Administrator. They have a third-party property management company taking care of the building. The property managers were reportedly well aware of the owl nest before beginning work Wednesday and Thursday. According to residents, DEC officials visited the building weeks ago and left their contact information. But the property managers decided to do what was described to residents as “scheduled maintenance” seemingly without contacting the DEC. After receiving a stop-work order from the DEC on Thursday, they then resumed work on Friday before receiving a cease-and-desist.
2) Is the destruction of the nest a violation of the law? Yes, it is a violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law. I hope the property managers are investigated and justice is done. CC: @bradhoylman, @ebottcher and @galeabrewer
3) What exactly was the nest? I believe that the nest was simply the middle of the floor of the attic or crawl space under the conical roof of the water tower. Barn owls nest in shallow “scrapes” in cliff recesses, tree cavities, or in the shelter of manmade structures. They do not build nests out of twigs and branches. Twenty years ago, a worker discovered a barn owl nest in a water tower in the Bronx. The access hatch to the water tower had blown off (just like the UWS water tower) and he found a group of owlets huddled together on the floor under the conical roof.
4) Was the repair of the water tower necessary? What should the property managers have done? First of all, the property managers described the work as “scheduled maintenance” and not urgent to residents. However, residents and neighbors report the water tower was in disrepair for a long time. So perhaps it should have been fixed a while ago. (Of course, that would have meant the owls nesting somewhere else.) Once it was clear that a protected nest was in the water tower, the property managers should have consulted with the DEC before working on it. They also should have obeyed the first stop-work order.
5) How old were the owlets? What exactly is the impact? We believe the owlets were about two months old and just beginning to fly when the nest was first discovered, which would now make them about three months old. They probably would have continued to use the nest for a couple more weeks—up to another month—before all dispersing by late November. We can’t know the timeline for sure because we don’t know exactly when the owlets hatched and how old they are. This is also an unusual situation and timelines that are typical elsewhere may not apply. Nevertheless, the owlets still rely on feedings from their parents and were not ready to stop roosting at the nest site naturally. They could have been harmed being flushed out of the nest, and they may now experience dangers from roosting outside that they weren’t prepared to handle. While the owlets can fly, they still seem pretty helpless.
Thank you so much to everyone who is speaking out for this owl family, including @bradhoylman, @ebottcher, @galeabrewer, @nycbirdalliance, @wildbirdfund and @NycPlover!
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David Lei retweeted
Upper West Side barn owl perching briefly on the roofless water tank that its family used to call home.
Last night @davidlei and I observed five owls in the area. The adults briefly landed on the water tank…Cont’d
Last night @davidlei and I observed five owls in the area. The adults briefly landed on the water tank…Cont’d
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David Lei retweeted
🦉UWS BARN OWL UPDATE: Two adult owls were spotted last evening feeding at least one fledgling owl on another building in the area according to @nycbirdalliance. The adults flew back to the water tower several times. Hope remains that owl fledglings will survive and Manhattan’s most celebrated new residents will continue to make their home here.
I’m extremely grateful to the @NYSDEC for installing an owl box on the Upper West Side and continuously monitoring Manhattan’s first recorded family of barn owls in modern history after their nesting area was illegally destroyed by the thoughtless building management company at 15 West 75th Street, which must held accountable under the law.
The State and City should be commended for working closely with advocates, birders, @nyrr and local elected officials to help ensure that the barn owl family is protected. OWL FOR ONE, ONE FOR OWL
I’m extremely grateful to the @NYSDEC for installing an owl box on the Upper West Side and continuously monitoring Manhattan’s first recorded family of barn owls in modern history after their nesting area was illegally destroyed by the thoughtless building management company at 15 West 75th Street, which must held accountable under the law.
The State and City should be commended for working closely with advocates, birders, @nyrr and local elected officials to help ensure that the barn owl family is protected. OWL FOR ONE, ONE FOR OWL
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It’s the shrieking of the owls that brought them to the attention of the public, of course. And public interest and advocacy is now helping to protect them after what happened to their nest.
Barn owl shrieks are often described as eerie, startling, even frightening. As a birder, they are music to my ears though.
We were relieved to see all the fledglings gather and be fed by their parents Thursday night. And we are continuing to monitor them at night to understand how they are doing.
Thank you if you left a comment to one of my recent posts. I’m still reading and replying to them all!
Barn owl shrieks are often described as eerie, startling, even frightening. As a birder, they are music to my ears though.
We were relieved to see all the fledglings gather and be fed by their parents Thursday night. And we are continuing to monitor them at night to understand how they are doing.
Thank you if you left a comment to one of my recent posts. I’m still reading and replying to them all!
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It’s the shrieking of the owls that brought them to the attention of the public, of course. And public interest and advocacy is now helping to protect them after what happened to their nest.
Barn owl shrieks are often described as eerie, startling, even frightening. As a birder, they are music to my ears though.
We were relieved to see all the fledglings gather and be fed by their parents Thursday night. And we are continuing to monitor them at night to understand how they are doing.
Thank you if you left a comment to one of my recent posts. I’m still reading and replying to them all!
Barn owl shrieks are often described as eerie, startling, even frightening. As a birder, they are music to my ears though.
We were relieved to see all the fledglings gather and be fed by their parents Thursday night. And we are continuing to monitor them at night to understand how they are doing.
Thank you if you left a comment to one of my recent posts. I’m still reading and replying to them all!
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My heart breaks for the parents of the UWS barn owl nest. You don’t get the first barn owl nest in Manhattan in modern history without them, of course. They already overcame so much adversity to hatch and rear five owlets before the nest was destroyed.
Cont’d
#birdcpp
Cont’d
#birdcpp
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As noted in a previous post, the adults were circling around the water tower for a while after dark last night and continuously making “kleaking” calls. Maybe for 30 minutes or so. This is a type of call they use to signal a food delivery to the young and I think they were trying to corral them back together, which they were ultimately able to do.
I took this photo of one of the parents a couple of weeks ago. We think it may be the mom because of her large size relative to all the other members of the family. She’s such a beautiful bird.
What chance does nature have in the city if we can’t even protect our most beautiful and charismatic wildlife?
People have asked us how they can help.
First of all, if you live in the neighborhood, keep an eye out for injured owls. They will be roosting on windowsills, ledges, air conditioners, etc., which is normal. If the owl is hunched over and / or still stationary more than an hour after sunset, there may be a problem. Call the @wildbirdfund.
Second, this is a great time to support organizations such as @nycbirdalliance, @wildbirdfund and @NycPlover, who are doing so much to advocate for and protect birds in the city.
Third, one way to help these owls and other birds of prey in the city long-term is to support the curtailment of rodenticides. The widespread use of rodenticides is not working to control the rat population but is devastating our birds of prey. Make your voice heard by signing the rodenticide petition at the link in my bio.
Finally, keep up the outrage. This situation is not yet resolved. Building management attempted to do further work on the water tower today before being stopped. And the building’s property managers still need to be held accountable for what they did. This will also be a lesson learned for property managers around the city that they can’t disturb active nests, something they should already know but will definitely know now with all the attention this story is getting.
I took this photo of one of the parents a couple of weeks ago. We think it may be the mom because of her large size relative to all the other members of the family. She’s such a beautiful bird.
What chance does nature have in the city if we can’t even protect our most beautiful and charismatic wildlife?
People have asked us how they can help.
First of all, if you live in the neighborhood, keep an eye out for injured owls. They will be roosting on windowsills, ledges, air conditioners, etc., which is normal. If the owl is hunched over and / or still stationary more than an hour after sunset, there may be a problem. Call the @wildbirdfund.
Second, this is a great time to support organizations such as @nycbirdalliance, @wildbirdfund and @NycPlover, who are doing so much to advocate for and protect birds in the city.
Third, one way to help these owls and other birds of prey in the city long-term is to support the curtailment of rodenticides. The widespread use of rodenticides is not working to control the rat population but is devastating our birds of prey. Make your voice heard by signing the rodenticide petition at the link in my bio.
Finally, keep up the outrage. This situation is not yet resolved. Building management attempted to do further work on the water tower today before being stopped. And the building’s property managers still need to be held accountable for what they did. This will also be a lesson learned for property managers around the city that they can’t disturb active nests, something they should already know but will definitely know now with all the attention this story is getting.
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David Lei retweeted
An adult barn owl checking out what remains of the home where she and her mate successfully hatched five owlets. The fledglings were forced to leave as their nest was callously destroyed yesterday and find other more exposed places to roost. Cont’d
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One of the UWS barn owl fledglings roosted in the open yesterday after its nest was destroyed. This young, inexperienced bird didn’t know to conceal itself and was mobbed by songbirds all day. Thankfully all five fledglings were later accounted for.
Cont’d
#birdcpp
Cont’d
#birdcpp
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Can you imagine how frightened this poor owlet and its siblings were when they were all flushed out of the nest? It’s a miracle none of them appeared to be injured in the ordeal.
These birds were probably due to start dispersing in the next couple of weeks anyway but they’ve been forced to do it early and now they will need to quickly learn how to find a good, concealed roost every day. Otherwise they will be harassed by song birds and crows nonstop. Or worse, they could be attacked by red-tailed hawks, who are perfectly capable of taking a young barn owl.
I don’t blame the workers, who were just doing their job. They probably didn’t know they were sent to a famous barn owl nest. And they may not have known the difference between barn owls and any other kind of bird they may encounter regularly.
And I don’t blame the building’s residents or superintendent, who seem to loved the owls being their neighbors.
The work was ordered by the building’s property managers and they are responsible for what has happened.
These birds were probably due to start dispersing in the next couple of weeks anyway but they’ve been forced to do it early and now they will need to quickly learn how to find a good, concealed roost every day. Otherwise they will be harassed by song birds and crows nonstop. Or worse, they could be attacked by red-tailed hawks, who are perfectly capable of taking a young barn owl.
I don’t blame the workers, who were just doing their job. They probably didn’t know they were sent to a famous barn owl nest. And they may not have known the difference between barn owls and any other kind of bird they may encounter regularly.
And I don’t blame the building’s residents or superintendent, who seem to loved the owls being their neighbors.
The work was ordered by the building’s property managers and they are responsible for what has happened.
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David Lei retweeted
What was lost: one of the UWS barn owl parents checking on their nest a couple nights ago (above) and doing the same with what little remained of it tonight (below). After a stressful day and early evening, the family reunited and all owlets were accounted for.
Cont’d
#birdcpp
Cont’d
#birdcpp
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What was lost: one of the UWS barn owl parents checking on their nest a couple nights ago (above) and doing the same with what little remained of it tonight (below). After a stressful day and early evening, the family reunited and all owlets were accounted for.
Cont’d
#birdcpp
Cont’d
#birdcpp
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We believe that only the owlets have been roosting in the nest recently. When the work to remove the roof of the water tower began this morning, the owlets were flushed out and had to roost on neighboring buildings.
After dark, the parents came in and circled around the water tower making “kleaking” calls for quite a while. The parents use these vocalizations to signal a food delivery to the young. I think they were alarmed / stressed by the destruction of the nest, which they probably did not witness from wherever they were roosting, and were trying to corral their owlets back together.
Towards the end of the night, five owlets lined up near the water tower to be fed. This is the most likely number of owlets, meaning they were all thankfully accounted for.
After dark, the parents came in and circled around the water tower making “kleaking” calls for quite a while. The parents use these vocalizations to signal a food delivery to the young. I think they were alarmed / stressed by the destruction of the nest, which they probably did not witness from wherever they were roosting, and were trying to corral their owlets back together.
Towards the end of the night, five owlets lined up near the water tower to be fed. This is the most likely number of owlets, meaning they were all thankfully accounted for.
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We believe that only the owlets have been roosting in the nest recently. When the work to remove the roof of the water tower began this morning, the owlets were flushed out and had to roost on neighboring buildings.
After dark, the parents came in and circled around the water tower making “kleaking” calls for quite a while. The parents use these vocalizations to signal a food delivery to the young. I think they were alarmed / stressed by the destruction of the nest, which they probably did not witness from wherever they were roosting, and were trying to corral their owlets back together.
Towards the end of the night, five owlets lined up near the water tower to be fed. This is the most likely number of owlets, meaning they were all thankfully accounted for.
After dark, the parents came in and circled around the water tower making “kleaking” calls for quite a while. The parents use these vocalizations to signal a food delivery to the young. I think they were alarmed / stressed by the destruction of the nest, which they probably did not witness from wherever they were roosting, and were trying to corral their owlets back together.
Towards the end of the night, five owlets lined up near the water tower to be fed. This is the most likely number of owlets, meaning they were all thankfully accounted for.
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