Thread by @davidlei

Flaco, the escaped Eurasian eagle-owl, perched on the Naumburg Bandshell last Friday night. Extreme opinions have been expressed about him. On this subject and others, perhaps we should behave more like owls: patiently watch and wait. (1/15)

#birds #birdwatching #nature #birdcpp

The question of Flaco’s continuing freedom is moot with the zoo suspending its efforts to capture him again. I was able to observe their efforts to attract him with playback last Thursday night. He was responsive vocally but seemed to fly away from it more than towards it. (2/15)

They tried and it didn’t work. Any continued use of loud, sustained playback could be more harmful to sensitive birds in the park than Flaco would be as a novice hunter. Flaco might one day be a threat to sensitive birds but he isn’t today. (3/15)

It’s doubtful to me that Flaco will be a threat to sensitive birds anytime soon. And it’s not a given he will ever become a threat to them either with easy prey (i.e. rats) so abundant. (4/15)

Prey is so abundant in the park that the the non-breeding owls visiting or living here have been in close proximity to each other without apparent conflict. We recently had two great horned owls and a barred owl hundreds of feet apart in the Ramble. (5/15)

Is freedom dangerous for Flaco? Some concerns others have raised that I want to address based on my observations to date: 1) he is imprinted and doesn’t know to avoid humans; 2) he may be involved in a vehicular collision; and 3) he is at risk for rodenticide poisoning. (6/15)

1) After his post-escape visit to a Fifth Ave sidewalk, the only evidence he is imprinted is that he is relaxed around crowds of observers. He still flushes from encroaching humans as well as wildlife (squirrels, jays, etc.). Partly why the zoo staff couldn’t catch him. (7/15)

2) Vehicular collision is my biggest concern. However, the CP Drive is closed to unauthorized vehicles, which reduces the odds of an accident. Flaco has not been seen leaving the park or swooping low over the Drive. He flies high and is seen hunting in enclosed fields. (8/15)

3) Rodenticide poisoning is a risk shared by all Central Park raptors. Perhaps Flaco is at more risk if his hunting skills are limited to catching rats at the moment. But the CP Conservancy is not using rodenticides in the park. (9/15)

The risk is from poisoned rats coming into the park from outside. Rodenticide poisoning happens here but is far from given. Our native raptors have succeeded well in recent years. We should worry about rodenticides for them before we worry about rodenticides for Flaco. (10/15)

I’m not a scientist but I understand that the scientific method is to observe and collect data before forming theories—let alone conclusions. Flaco’s case has few precedents and no one can confidently say what will happen. Again, all moot anyway bc he’s evaded capture. (11/15)

Flaco has surpassed expectations, including my own. When I first saw him the night of his escape, I assumed he would be captured quickly. He wasn’t but he seemed so sedentary at first that I expected him to get hungry sooner than later and be caught in a bait trap. (12/15)

His confidence grew. His flight skills improved dramatically. Most importantly, he learned to hunt. Now he has expanded his range and explored far to the north, even going undetected some days. (13/15)

I am happy to see Flaco, an innocent creature thrust into a difficult situation, succeed against the odds. Flaco is not currently a zoo animal, so please discourage people from treating him as such—if you are comfortable. (14/15)

Curious passersby—non-birders—have been observed encroaching on him, loudly chit-chatting around him or hooting at him. If you are comfortable doing so, please consider gently letting them the appropriate etiquette around owls. Otherwise enjoy! Flaco sure is beautiful. (15/15)