Eastern Screech-Owl
Megascops asio

Over a decade ago, the New York City Parks Dept. re-introduced about 20 Eastern Screech-Owls to Central Park (I forget the exact year or number of birds). While it may be debatable as to the historic presence of this species in the park, there is no doubt that the birds have done quite well, with only a few lost to urban hazards, and the rest enjoying plentiful rodent prey, and breeding regularly in recent years. In April of 2005, I saw reports of a trio of young owls being seen quite readily in the northern end of the park. I indeed found the birds quite easily, nestled in an evergreen along a busy roadway, with both parents keeping careful watch from a few feet away.

Oftentimes the best way to find owls is to observe the behavior of other species, who occasionally mob the roosting owls, seeing them as potential predators. On this occasion an aggressive Blue Jay flew in to give the fluffy young owls what-for; the trio seemed quite unperturbed, merely blinking their eyes a bit in the face of the ruckus.

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