1st: Manhattan Barn Owls Nest Exposed as Water Tower Roof Is Removed
State officials ordered a halt to work on the Upper West Side structure after the discovery of the first modern-era barn owl nest in Manhattan.
By Michael Bennett ·
The roof of a water tower on the Upper West Side was removed on Thursday, exposing a nest that housed a family of barn owls. This structure, located atop a building, had become a local landmark after the birds were discovered weeks ago. Crowds of residents and nature photographers gathered in the street to watch the owls, marking what is believed to be the first time barn owls have nested in Manhattan in modern history.
Jessica Wilson, executive director of the NYC Bird Alliance, said she received reports of construction work at the top of the tower on Thursday morning. When she arrived at the building, no workers were present. Wilson accessed the roof with the permission of the building’s superintendent and found that the section where the owls had been nesting was gone. State Department of Environmental Conservation enforcement officers also arrived and investigated the site.
Wilson observed one barn owl fledgling on the roof of a nearby building after the removal. She noted that the young bird was out in the middle of the day, which is unusual for a nocturnal species. "It had been disturbed from the nest," Wilson said. "We didn’t see any more fledglings."
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed in a statement that its police officers investigated the area and found the roof of the water tower had been removed, exposing the barn owl nest. The officers instructed the building owner to halt demolition of the water tower until further notice while the department investigates potential violations. The building’s superintendent declined to comment by phone, and it is not immediately clear who owns the building or ordered the removal.
Thomas Obersteiner, a resident of the Upper West Side, said he saw a man with an extension cord climbing down from the water tower around noon on Thursday. The incident has drawn criticism from local officials and birding experts. State Sen. Erik Bottcher posted on social media that he was outraged by the reports that the work destroyed part of the structure. He added that active migratory bird nests are protected by state and federal law and that there must be accountability when these protections are violated.
David Barrett, a Manhattan-based birder who runs the social media account Manhattan Bird Alert, said the nest was incredibly well-known and widely written about. "It should never have happened," Barrett said after observing the water tower on Thursday. Barn owl sightings in New York City parks are very rare according to the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation. The state Department of Environmental Conservation notes that New York is at the northern fringe of the barn owl’s range and that the population has declined at an alarming rate over time.
Barn owl fledglings depend on their parents to hunt for them because they do not know how to hunt yet, Wilson explained. The parents bring food to the nest for the young birds. Without the nest, Wilson added, "we’re worried that these barn owl fledglings might not survive." The removal of the roof leaves the status of the remaining owls uncertain as the state continues its investigation.
