Bergdorf’s, Central Park: Flaco the escaped owl takes a tour of Manhattan

New Yorkers delighted by sightings of Eurasian eagle owl, but staff at the zoo it fled worry about its prospects of survival in the wild

David Barrett was at the gym on Thursday night when the first reports began to trickle in: there was an owl on the sidewalk of 5th Avenue, just south of Central Park.

A longtime resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side, and an avid birder since 2010, Barrett, 59, is used to receiving breaking news tips about birds. As the proprietor of the popular Twitter account Manhattan Bird Alert, he receives and transmits a steady stream of information about bird sightings, as well as photos and videos taken by a network of contributors around the city.