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New York's latest celebrity bird, the snowy owl, has been spending most of its time in Central Park.
But yesterday the rare avian, which before its first Manhattan sighting in January hadn't been spotted in New York City in 130 years, was seen in Harlem.
Followers of the popular bird-watching Twitter account Manhattan Bird Alert were alerted to the snowy owl's presence in Upper Manhattan yesterday with a retweet announcing, "The Central Park SNOWY OWL gave a rare daytime view minutes ago atop a building in Harlem."
The original post, by Twitter account Hiker's pictures, included a video of the owl perched on the edge of a roof with the question, "Is this the #snowyowl what my son just filmed up in Harlem?"
The parent of the Harlem bird-spotter went on to detail the precise location: "It was filmed on between 120th and 121st Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton. Pretty much in the middle of the block."
Manhattan Bird Alert explained in a later tweet: "This is the first we have seen of the Central Park SNOWY OWL during daylight hours since January 27. Though she hunts in the park every night, she clearly has chosen to spend days elsewhere. These owls are known to rest on roofs."
The account also discouraged any birders from heading uptown: "The images we shared earlier today were taken from a building that is not publicly-accessible. If you want to see the SNOWY OWL, come to the Central Park North Meadow at night."
