Just when the barred owl (and the other barred owl) began to feel comfortable with their newly acquired fame, one of their relatives has made its first 2020 appearance in Central Park.
Central Park and Manhattan’s first LONG-EARED OWL of the year, now in the pines immediately west of and down the steps from Belvedere Castle. pic.twitter.com/LwWYHZmWZx
— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) December 15, 2020
Manhattan Bird Alert says that the barred owl is the larger of the two birds, so it won’t need to fear its long-eared rival.
According to one bird enthusiast’s website, “Long-eared Owls are an infrequent winter visitor to Central Park, seen at least once in most years. They appear most often in January and February in search of prey, usually after areas to the north have been covered with deep snow.”
So maybe it heard about the snowstorm.
Here are two videos of long-eared owls spotted in Central Park during previous years:
Come on owls: Eat those mice and rats! Manhattan is an endless free buffet for you. Bring your friends!
I watched a Falcon catch and eat a rat in Riverside park on Sunday, Karen H…… we need to train them as an army against the rats.
Believe me, you don’t need to train them. Just need to make them welcome.
These people need lives. Not the birds — the people.
Slugging rats is a great NYC tradition. In the early 1940s my mom used to go to Brooklyn just to slug rats. If people enjoy the owls and hawks getting in on the game, where’s the problem?