NYC officials halt demolition of water tower housing rare barn owl nest

Workers removed the roof of a water tower on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Thursday, exposing a nest of barn owls that had become a local sensation. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ordered the building owner to halt demolition of the structure until further notice. The agency is currently investigating potential violations of state and federal laws that protect active migratory bird nests.

The barn owl family was discovered weeks ago and drew crowds of residents and photographers to the street. It is believed to be the first documented instance of barn owls nesting in Manhattan in modern history. Jessica Wilson, executive director of the NYC Bird Alliance, said she saw one fledgling on the roof of a nearby building after the tower roof was removed. She noted that barn owls are nocturnal and that fledglings should not be out in the middle of the day.

Wilson stated that the bird had been disturbed from the nest and that no other fledglings were seen. The NYC Bird Alliance received reports of construction work at the top of the tower on Thursday morning. When Wilson arrived, no workers were present, but enforcement police from the state Department of Environmental Conservation had also arrived. The group accessed the roof with the permission of the building's superintendent and confirmed the roof was missing.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said its officers investigated the area and found the roof removed, exposing the nest. Thomas Obersteiner, an Upper West Side resident, said he saw a man with an extension cord climbing down from the water tower around noon on Thursday. The building's superintendent declined to comment when reached by phone. It is not yet clear who owns the building or ordered the removal.

New York State Sen. Erik Bottcher said he was outraged by reports that construction work destroyed part of the structure housing Manhattan's first barn owl nest. He stated that the work potentially endangered a pair of owls and their several fledglings. David Barrett, a Manhattan-based birder who runs the social media account Manhattan Bird Alert, said the nest was well-known and written about widely. Barrett observed the water tower on Thursday and confirmed the roof had been removed.

Barn owl sightings in New York City parks are very rare, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. New York is at the northern fringe of the barn owl's range, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation said the population has declined at an alarming rate over time. Wilson said fledglings depend on their parents to hunt for them because they do not know how to hunt yet. Without the nest, Wilson added that the group is worried the barn owl fledglings might not survive.