Manhattan Water Tower Roof Taken Down, Exposing Barn Owl Nest

The roof of an Upper West Side water tower came down Thursday, exposing a nest holding a family of barn owls that had drawn crowds to the sidewalk in recent weeks. Enforcement officers from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation arrived at the building after NYC Bird Alliance received reports of activity at the top of the tower. The department's police officers investigated the site and found the roof removed, exposing the nest. They told the building owner to halt demolition of the tower until further notice while the department looks into any potential violations.

Jessica Wilson, executive director of NYC Bird Alliance, reached the roof with the officers after the building's superintendent granted access. No workers were present by then. Wilson saw one barn owl fledgling on a nearby rooftop. Fledglings are not supposed to be out in daylight because barn owls are nocturnal, she said. "It had been disturbed from the nest," Wilson said. She said no other fledglings were visible.

Thomas Obersteiner, who lives on the Upper West Side, said he watched a man with an extension cord climb down from the tower around noon Thursday. The building's superintendent declined to comment by phone. Ownership of the building and who ordered the roof removal remain unclear.

The nest was found weeks ago and drew birders and nature photographers to the street. It is believed to be the first documented case of barn owls nesting in Manhattan in modern history. Barn owl sightings in New York City parks are rare, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. The state Department of Environmental Conservation says New York sits at the northern edge of the barn owl's range and that the population there has declined at an alarming rate.

State Sen. Erik Bottcher wrote on social media that he was outraged by reports that work on the tower destroyed part of the structure that housed Manhattan's first barn owl nest, potentially endangering a pair of owls and several fledglings. He noted that active migratory bird nests are protected under state and federal law. David Barrett, who runs the Manhattan Bird Alert account, said the nest was widely known and "It should never have happened." Barrett said he checked the tower Thursday and saw the roof missing.

Fledglings rely on parents to bring food to the nest because they cannot hunt yet, Wilson said. Without the nest, she said, "we're worried that these barn owl fledglings might not survive." The DEC's investigation into potential violations is open.

Birds have drawn public attention in Manhattan before. Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, died in 2024 after flying around the city following his escape from a zoo enclosure. Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk that nested above Fifth Avenue for three decades, died in 2023.