By Dominic Taylor-
A snowy owl has been spotted in New York’s Central Park for the first time in 130 years.
Reports of a snowy owl sighted on Wednesday began circulating on social media in the Big Apple. Bird-watching Twitter account Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) first sounded the alarm, writing, ‘A SNOWY OWL, a mega-rarity for Central Park, is now in the middle of the North Meadow ballfields.’
Last seen in 1890, the sighting became a crowd-gathering event in the park, with photos and videos of the raptor flooding in online.
Paul Sweet, the collection manager of the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History, said the last recorded sighting of a snowy owl in Central Park dates back to 1890.
Several people gathered at Central Park on Wednesday morning to watch the large white owl as it mingled with other birds.
Tweets with photos of the amazing owl have been spreading like crazy with, thousands of likes and shares. This one is great for instagram lovers. One user
Another tweeted, ‘An unforgettable experience seeing this snowy owl in Central Park today. Love its feathery feet. Shots capture one of the many times it was being harassed by a Red-Tailed Hawk.’
The birder behind the Manhattan Bird Alert account explained to the outlet how snowy owls ‘breed in the Arctic Tundra and travel south in November. They do so for reasons that are not entirely understood, but likely move to find more abundant prey’.
Crowds gather to observe and take pictures of snowy bird: Image Brook Johnson
They added, ‘Some years bring few owls, some many. The move is called an irruption. In the last decade snowy owls have been regular, annual visitors to the area, most commonly Long Island’s south shore. The ocean expanse halts their flights. And the owls like to hunt on beaches, so it works out. Jones Beach and Breezy Point are two common ones.’
Others shared images of the owl, described as ‘not moving an inch’ despite an invasive crow flying around it. Most people were simply delighted to potentially witness a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ sight.
Manhattan Bird Alert added, ‘It is extremely unlikely that we will ever see another snowy owl in our lifetimes in Central Park. Remember, the last one was over 100 years ago. Though more people observe birds now. But *this* particular snowy owl could be back tomorrow. I will be looking for it. As will many others.’