What Would We Do Without Barry the Central Park Owl?


“Friends became friends at a time when we couldn’t see them easily,” said creative director and photographer Meredith Pahoulis. “It was a gift – it came at the perfect time. From freezing cold winter nights to warm summer nights, it was always there and I always knew where I could see it.”

Molly Eustis, a stage manager who found herself unemployed when theaters closed, affectionately described the owl as a small round “potato” with an incredibly cute “cinnamon roll face” perched on a tree. Seeing him for the first time in December was a magical moment: “This lonely owl is in Central Park in the middle of the city, in the snow, on the solstice, when I feel like a lonely person about a year after the pandemic, I am jobless and unable to travel to see my family for vacation for the first time in my life. ”

For me, Barry’s sudden death brought back memories of that sense of loss that I felt as a kid reading all those sad animal books like “Charlotte’s Web”, “The Red Pony” and “Old Yeller” and that so many children read today. About Hedwig’s sudden death in the last Harry Potter novel. If such books underscore the cruel cycle of life, Mr. Barrett observes that Barry’s death reminds us that many “birds are short-lived.” An estimated 50 to 70 percent die in their first year. And even after that, bird deaths are high. But we don’t usually see them die,” he said. Rather, they “die in uncertainty”.

Jenifer P. Borum, a writer and teacher who is sick with Covid, said following Barry in Central Park helped her regain her strength. “Barry’s act of flying through our lives brought out the best in us,” he said. “We severed ties with him. Our group consisted of people who would otherwise not be able to socialize.” The night of the seizure sounded like it was “starting to fall apart and it made me sad”.

But he hopes the next owl will bring the group and future owl watchers together.

“We will look for it in the eyes of the next owl. Though no owl can ever be compared.”

Michiko Kakutani is the author of “Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread”. Follow him on Twitter: @michikokakutani and on Instagram: @michi_kakutani



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