A Manhattan barn-owl nest — the first ever recorded outside Central Park — was destroyed by construction crews Friday despite a state stop-work order, triggering outrage from birders and elected officials.
The five fledglings and their parents had already survived one assault on their home, a water-tower rooftop at West 75th Street and Central Park West, before workers returned to finish the job hours after being ordered to halt. The Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed crews first exposed the nest while dismantling the tower, prompting DEC police to intervene and investigate potential violations.
Laura Lincks, a NYC Bird Alliance volunteer, learned of the second destruction Friday and did not hold back her disgust. “I felt like someone stuck a knife in my gut and twisted it,” she said to The Post that day. She had already made her feelings about building management plain: “Are you living under a rock, or are you just being an a–hole? I think the latter.”
The owls had become neighborhood celebrities since moving into the water tower earlier this month, drawing birders to the Upper West Side to glimpse the rare sight. David Barrett, who runs the popular X account Manhattan Bird Alert, confirmed the nest’s significance as the first Manhattan recording outside Central Park. “I was outraged because it was well known that the barn owls were nesting there. It’s not a secret,” he said.
State law protects barn owls and makes destroying an active nest illegal. The Department of Environmental Conservation had acted Thursday, sending investigators including Jessica Wilson, executive director of the NYC Bird Alliance, to climb the water tower and assess the situation. “The work that happened today definitely disturbed them even more,” Wilson said Friday. She added: “These birds were vulnerable and sensitive to begin with. … For the building to knowingly tear down this nest is shocking and a federal crime.”
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal witnessed Friday’s renewed demolition and attempted to intervene directly. He and state Sen. Erik Bottcher banged on the apartment-building entrance demanding workers stop, but construction continued until DEC officers evacuated the crew at 12:30 p.m. And served the property owner a cease-and-desist order. “I’m beside myself with outrage. Whether it’s administrative incompetence or lines being crossed or a lack of communication, we’re now at the same point we were yesterday,” Hoylman-Sigal fumed.
A tenant of the building called the management company “horrible.” The building super declined to comment when approached by The Post.
The saga began when construction workers started dismantling the water tower, exposing the nest and putting the young bird family in danger. The initial outcry was immediate, with the beloved owls having drawn devoted observers to the neighborhood. Even after the first trauma, the family had returned to the site — though experts warned the second attack could greatly impact their health.
The controversy has already had broader ripple effects. Out of caution for the vulnerable owls, the New York Road Runners canceled a drone show planned over Central Park.
The DEC investigation into potential violations is ongoing.