First Person
A Great Bird Fell
Dear Ann,
Staying up late scrolling last Friday night, I was among the first New Yorkers to get the New York Times push notification that Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl had died in an apparent collision with a building on West 89th Street, over by the Hudson River.
I am so sad.
I also know that there are far far worse things happening in the world, without respite. These are dark, fearsome times. Perhaps that’s why it was such a balm to be able to check in daily with Flaco’s publicists, aka Central Park wildlife photographers, to see what he was up to.
Flaco was the most photogenic creature on two talons. In the days before his death, he was spotted feeding on his first pigeons—like many of his fellow New Yorkers, he had given in to the temptation of delivery.
In my full-on mourning for the bird Amy Sedaris called “our guy,” I’ve collected a few select articles about him. It’s the best bird writing you’ll read this week, with glorious images. (New York Times links are gift links.)
New York Mourns Flaco, Ed Shanahan (New York Times)
Like Many a Hero, Flaco the Owl Made His Choice, Carl Safina (New York Times)
The Ballad of Flaco, the Outlaw Who Learned to Fly, Michiko Kakutani (New York Times)
The Year Flaco the Owl Roamed Free, Ed Shanahan (New York Times)
Mourning Flaco, the Owl Who Escaped, Naaman Zhou (The New Yorker)
And finally, the poem When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou gives comfort that only wise and beautiful words can give.
Flaco, we hardly knew ye. But you gave such joy.
Love,
Kay
P.S. I’m still planning on knitting Sólbein as my Flaco Tribute Sweater. Plot twist: MDK Field Guide No. 26: Moss has inspired me to use Plotulopi instead of Léttlopi, for more fluffy-owl lightness. And I also have a Japanese knitting book on its way to me so that I can attempt a Flaco version of Erika Tokai’s tender, funny scarf.
Image: Freeman Alley mural by Calicho Arevalo
What a lovely tribute to a fallen hero. We read very little of soaring these days. This sort of Iccarus story (but without hubris) was such a relief from all the other news. I was shocked and saddened by this loss. My heartfelt condolences.
Whoever set Flaco loose thinking they were trying to save him, actually contributed to his death. How ironic.
I know Kay so very sad. Thank you for the links. I guess if I were a bird I would have rather spent a year flying free than many years in a cage.
Even though i live far from you,in England, i feel your pain,what a beautiful bird.I am lucky enough to live in a rural area, and am surrounded by the sound of Tawny’s on some nights,and there are Barn Owls too.Sadly we can only protect our special feathered and furry friends to a degree,but let’s love them while we can!
Yours,Margie Clark.
Thanks for the tribute. I am privileged to live in one of the Upper West Side buildings where Flaco hung out. My neighbors and I spent several evenings watching him, listening to him and taking pictures as he made our territory his, perching on nearby parapets and water towers. Two nights before his fatal collision with a building two blocks away, I heard him hooting endlessly on the roof above my apartment, maybe looking for love, or for dinner, or merely celebrating freedom. We miss him.
What wonderful memories.
I was so sorry to read about the death of Flaco – his twitter following was huge, and the photographs were always wonderful. I’ll have to save your linked articles for bedtime reading, when the state of my eyes won’t matter.
When people started suggesting crowdfunding a statue of Flaco for Central Park, I wondered if crowdfunded improvements to the owl habitat at the zoo might be an alternative tribute.
It occurred to me after posting this that it might sound like a slam at the Central Park Zoo; it is not. I don’t know enough about the CPZ to even have an opinion about it. My thought was just that many – if not most – captive animals could benefit from improvements to their quality of life in many – if not most – zoos.
Trust an owl….great collection of reads. Thank you. Another feathery-themed lopi suitable pattern is Merikotka. Charts are clear. In Finnish. Translates easily w some common knitsense experience on Lopis.
I was so sad to hear of his passing… We were planning a family trip to bird Central Park this spring and hope to catch a glimpse of Flaco during our visit. His death brings up two important topics that birds face: window strikes and wildlife photography ethics.
Window strikes needlessly kill so many birds each year. For more information please visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology web site:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/#
There is a lot of research and science behind their recommendations- sorry to say, the cute stickers that many put on their windows do not work. A really easy fix is to use a simple highlighter pen to DIY grid at home.
Wildlife photography is another area that deserves some attention… Too many times birds are stressed and harassed just so one can get ‘the’ photo. Here are some great guidelines from Audubon:
https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography#:~:text=Avoid%20causing%20unnecessary%20disturbance%20or,of%20birds%20without%20disturbing%20them.
Kay, thank you for the links to the articles – looks like I might have missed a few of them… I ♥️ the idea of a sweater in his honor! I have been on the fence to sign up for the Bang Out a Sweater event, but this has convinced me to sign up
It’s always special when my passions – birding and knitting come together.
Thank you For this Kay. I read every article and love the people in New York City valued Flaco for everything that he was. I also read Maya Angelou’s poem for the first time and I’m stunned. Thank you for that as well.
I’m with you. When I got that push notification from the grey lady it was so sad – with all that is going on in the world, Flaco was a quiet, small joy to read about. And written about he sure was.
That owl touched so many.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why Flaco meant so much to us. So many New Yorkers were just heart broken. Life in the city is wonderful and terrible and hard. Flaco was one of us. The perfect avian embodiment of “If you can make it there …”
He let us soar. Thank you Flaco.
Kay – I thought of you immediately when I heard the news. That these majestic creatures move in our world is a wonder. Thank you for focusing us on that wonder, though it was too brief.
You introduced us to this amazing creature. I’m so sorry.
In Canada, flap.org advocates and educates on how to prevent bird collisions with buildings. The site also tells how to revive a fallen bird, if it’s possible.
The site also tells how to protect birds from home and cottage collisions and what’s needed to protect birds on new and existing buildings.
We could do so much more to make wildlife safe from human builds.
All so beautiful…
And I am grateful for the time Falco had to spread his wonders. I do want to say, that I heard on NPR yesterday, that Falco did not have any head injuries (not saying that tall buildings are not to blame for many bird deaths), and he had not been hooting for the last 2-3 nights, indicating that he may have been facing a life-threatening illness.
Thank you for sharing the articles and poem!
The official cause of death is “acute traumatic injuries” to his body, but not his head. The last celebrity owl in NYC, Barry the Barred Owl, died in 2021 after colliding with a vehicle but it later turned out that she had a potentially lethal amount of rat poison in her body from eating rats who had been poisoned. This probably interfered with her flying ability. Since Flaco colliding with a building in a familiar area where he had been roosting it is possible something similar happened to him, or that he was ill from a disease, but testing on tissue samples isn’t finished yet.
Beautiful tributes for a beautiful bird. Thank you for sharing him with us this year, Kay, because Flaco’s story didn’t get as much coverage in other parts of the country. Hopefully his life will inspire many others to be more concerned about the wildlife around us.
Thank you for sharing this! Carl Safina, definitely got it right in his tribute…may we all be a little bolder in life and experience a little more freedom…
New Yorkers can be a tough crowd, but if you capture their hearts, their minds, and their imagination, the sky’s the limit.
Godspeed Flaco. May your spirit continue to soar.
Even here in the midwest, I feel in love with Flaco! (My kids did too.) We loved seeing photos of him on instagram and imagining what his life was like in the city. Thanks for these beautiful stories and tribute. A great bird indeed.
(*fell!)
Thanks for sharing your tribute and the others as well.
I was sad when I read the news too. I am happy that Flaco was able to fly free even if was for A short time.
Although I live across the country, I too am mourning the loss of Flaco.
Thank you. I have been following Flavo from afar ever since first reading about him here. I was devastated when I saw the reports of his death the other day. It was like a light went out. He will be remembered with joy and live. But right now I am very sad.
I read this in the Times the other day, and I was deeply saddened. And I thought of you, Kay! Wondered if you had started that Solbein.
I’m in tears! Again! I cried when I heard it the first time, and now again!
How do I join the bang out a sweater group?
I just learned about Flacco a few weeks ago. The Times wrote a story about him at the one year anniversary of his freedom. I am from the SF Bay Area but felt connected to this wild bird. I cried when I found out now just a few weeks after learning about him that he is gone. And now gosh darn it crying myself to sleep reading your piece and all the other pieces written about him. Good night all and fly free Flaco.
Kay,
Thanks for sharing this wonderful tribute! I can’t wait to see the sweater you’re planning in Flaco’s honor!
Thank you for posting this and for the links. I didn’t know Flaco had died. And I’m very sad, not because I had an idea of him standing for something, just that he existed, and was out there flying around, making his way in the park. I wish a different situation could have been worked out for him earlier. I used a few tissues over the factual, intimate details of his autopsy. He brought joy to so many. I hope he experienced some also. He will be remembered. A tribute sweater would be lovely, birding, knitting, and heart combined.
I have taken inspiration from your choice of solbein! And stash yarn on hand that screamed “FLACO” when it popped out of the tote!
Wish I could send you a photo of the work in progress!
Thanks for the suggestion
Thank you for the links to the Flaco coverage. I am moved by how powerful an influence he had on his fellow New Yorkers.
I was enthralled by his adventure & his magnificence, cherishing posted stories & photos. I have saved some beautiful pictures & now see him every day on my ipad lock screen.