NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – New York’s birdwatching community is mourning the loss of Barry, a barred owl who seemed to relish the spotlight in Central Park over recent months.
A vigil is planned for Monday evening under Barry’s favorite tree, near the Boathouse in the Ramble, following her death last Friday morning.
Photographer Eric Balcanoff described his first encounter with Barry in Central Park as “magical.”
“Seemed very curious, would look us in the eyes and stayed there for a very long time,” he said.
And since that fateful night last winter, Balcanoff said spotting the surprisingly social owl became a daily ritual for him and so many other devoted birders.
Balcanoff said the owl brought him joy, comfort and stability through a difficult stretch that included unemployment.
“Barry got so many of us, myself included, out of the house after a tough year,” he said.
Balcanoff, a wedding and portrait photographer by trade, became interested in birding through Barry.
The news of her death Friday left him in disbelief. The Central Park Conservancy said in a statement that an owl had “made contact” with a truck driven by a maintenance crew. She may have been swooping down to catch prey.
“There’s so many of us who felt that we deserved a little more of an explanation,” Balcanoff said.
He said he sees the trucks speeding all the time, though the conservancy insists the vehicle wasn’t going over 15 mph.
“All of the feelings are running through me—devastation, numbness, anger,” Balcanoff said. “You feel like there’s a select group of people who will understand when you’re mourning over an owl.”
While Barry may be gone, Balcanoff said the friendships she created aren’t going anywhere.
“There are so many people who have made connections and bonded through Barry,” he said.
For anyone looking to donate in Barry’s memory, Balcanoff and others recommend the Wild Bird Fund, which cares for orphaned or sick wild animals in New York.
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