State officials install replacement nest for displaced Manhattan barn owls

New York State officials installed a temporary roost location on Saturday for a group of barn owls on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The New York Post reported that the action follows the destruction of the birds' previous nest by construction crews. [1]

The former nest was located inside a water tower on top of a building at West 75th Street and Central Park West. According to the New York Post, the destroyed nest housed five fledglings and belonged to a rare local population of barn owls. [1]

The destruction of the nest angered local residents and sparked an investigation by state authorities. The state Department of Environmental Conservation stated that an alternative owl box was set up under its direct oversight to protect the birds at the site. [1]