Central Park Accidentally Offed Its Celebrity Bird
Photo: Mikissh/YouTube Last October, a barred owl showed up in the Ramble, the woodsy section of Central Park just north of the lake, and crowds of birders gathered at its preferred hemlock tree like it was a hot new bakery. At a time when many in the city turned to birding and the urban outdoors, Barry, as people called the owl, became part celebrity, part mascot — the most recognizable bird in the park since the Hot Duck of 2018. Barred owls aren’t uncommon, even in the city, but unlike the snowy owl that thrilled birders in Central Park for a time before moving on,...