Hooooo’s there?
Vandals freed Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl, from the confines of the Central Park Zoo last February.
In the months since, the avian escapee has gone on an aerial tour of Gotham. He’s recently been spotted in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side and all around uptown. Some New Yorkers have been obsessively tracking him.
“I’ve been looking regularly for Flaco,” said Jacqueline Emery, a 45-year-old associate professor of English at SUNY Old Westbury who lives on the Upper West Side.
Most recently, she spotted him just after 5 pm. Tuesday poised above two Central Park West apartment buildings: 241 Central Park West and 5 W. 86th St.
“I heard him hooting and he was on [the one] building very briefly, then he flew to the cage on top of the building on West 86th Street,” Emery recalled. “Those are his spots.”
She noted that the bird of prey, whose species is typically found in mountainous areas and forests across Asia and Europe, seems to be straying more from the park.
“This is his new behavior now, what we’re seeing,” she said. “He’s no longer roosting in the park, or even trees as far as we know. He’s using human-made structures: air conditioners, window ledges and fire escapes, particularly ones on the inside of buildings.”
Fellow Flaco-watcher David Barrett agrees.
“He’s choosing buildings, enclosed courtyards and backyards as a place to rest during the day,” said the 59-year-old who runs the Manhattan Bird Alert account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“That’s significant because it’s different than what he’d been doing previously: resting in trees, mostly in Central Park.”
David Lei, 35, is concerned about Flaco’s new flight patterns. The Midtown real estate investor and avid birder, who specialized in owls, first saw Flaco in a tree outside The Plaza hotel the night he escaped.
He went on to observe him throughout Central Park — around its 20-acre lake, Hallett Sanctuary, Hecksher Ballfields, The Mall, North Woods, North Meadows and a compost heap near East 104th Street — on numerous occasions. Now, he worries about what Flaco might encounter in the urban jungle.
“My biggest concern is secondary rodenticide poison,” Lei said. “That risk is higher outside the park because of the use of rat bait boxes outside residential and commercial buildings.”
Central Park Zoo officials did not return messages seeking comment.
Barret thinks Flaco likely left the park because he’s been bothered by bolder and more aggressive birds such as red-tailed hawks, American crows and blue jays. As recently as September, he seemed to favor a large oak tree in Central Park.
These day, like any New Yorker, he’s looking to mingle.
“He’s probably looking for a mate,” Barrett said.
- Oct. 20: Oak tree, near East Drive at 104th Street, Central Park
- Nov. 6: Kenkeleba House Garden, 214 East 2nd Street; Flaco hadn’t been spotted for more than a week when he surfaced in this East Village garden
- Nov. 6: East 3rd and Avenue B: Flaco left the garden for an East Village apartment building
- Nov. 9: Grand and Lewis Streets: The owl was spotted on an air conditioner in the East River Houses.
- Nov. 15: 5th Ave at 93rd/94th streets, near Central Park: Yum! Flaco spit up some undigested prey while atop an air conditioner
- Nov. 16: 5th Ave at 90th Street
- Nov. 17: The Mount, Central Park: The bird made an appearance at the city’s massive compost heap
- Nov .18: 5th Ave at East 106th Street
- Nov. 19: Central Park Loch: Flaco relaxed near the narrow waterway, sleeping peacefully before flying away at sunset.
- Nov. 20: 85th Street and West End Avenue
- Dec. 1: 82nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue
- Dec. 2: 86th Street and Columbus Avenue: The escapee spotted was on a water tower atop the building
- Dec 2: 86th Street and Central Park West: Clearly an Art Deco fan, Flaco perched himself high atop the iconic high-rise building
- Dec 3: West 86th Street and Columbus
- Dec. 4: Riverside Drive and West 86th Street
- Dec. 5: 241 Central Park West