"The barred owl had attracted a devoted following of New Yorkers, drawn to her elegant feathers and fearlessness toward people."

"Barry the Barred Owl, whose majestic presence and unusually extroverted demeanor made her a beloved Central Park celebrity, died early Friday in a collision with a Central Park Conservancy maintenance vehicle.

She was most likely just over a year old based on her feather color, according to Robert DeCandido, known as “Birding Bob,” who has guided bird walks in Central Park for more than 25 years. Birding experts had realized in recent months that Barry was female.

Over the last year, as Barry made a home for herself on the branch of a hemlock in Central Park’s Ramble, she developed a cultishly devoted following of birders, photographers, joggers and other New Yorkers who came to depend on her for cheer and comfort during a year of grief for New York City."

Emma Goldberg reports for the New York Times August 6, 2021. [2]