Upper West Side Rallies to Save Barn Owl Family After Rooftop Nest Destroyed

A family of seven barn owls nesting atop a West 75th Street water tower became the center of a neighborhood uproar this week after construction crews disturbed their nest during roof repairs. The owls — two parents and five fledglings — had drawn crowds of admirers since first being spotted in early October, marking what birders called the first known barn owl nesting in Manhattan in roughly a century. On Thursday, workers removing the water tower's roof reportedly used a torch near the nest, sending smoke into it. Onlookers alerted authorities, believing the owls, protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, would be left alone. But work resumed Friday, prompting state Sen. Erik Bottcher and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal to rush to the building and demand it stop. Hoylman-Sigal said he contacted state environmental officers to deliver a cease-and-desist order to the construction company, while Bottcher said he reached out to Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office. New York Road Runners also canceled a planned drone show nearby to avoid further disrupting the birds. By afternoon, NYPD and state conservation officers met with workers and repairs appeared to pause. Wildlife advocates, including the Wild Bird Fund and NYC Bird Alliance, are now working with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology to find a replacement roost, as the young owls are not yet able to hunt on their own.