State gives barn owls new nest after callous workers destroyed old one on NYC water tower

These owls got some new digs.

A group of barn owls who’s nest in Manhattan was recently torn apart by a construction crew — enraging locals and sparking a state probe — have been given a new home.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation on Saturday said they erected a new nesting area for the clan after the careless demolition of their former digs, which were in a water tower on top of a building on West 75th Street and Central Park West.

Construction crews demolished a barn owl nest located atop an Upper West Side building this week. Anke Frohlich/ankefrohlich.com

“To protect any barn owls at the site, an alternative roost location (i.e. owl box) was installed under the direction and oversight of DEC,” the agency said in a statement to The Post Saturday that included a pic of the new wooden, birdhouse-like nesting area.

The department “is committed to protecting native wildlife and ensuring their safety and well-being” and “continues to monitor the site of an active barn owl roost near a water tower on West 75th Street, Manhattan,” the statement added.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have since installed this “alternate roost location” for the beloved owls. Credit: Obtained by NY Post

Construction crews first wrecked the owls’ nest while dismantling a water tower on the Upper West Side building earlier this week, and DEC police ordered demolition to stop so the agency could investigate potential violations. 

But just hours after being slapped with the stop-work order Friday, the construction crews restarted their work and continued to wreck the nest.

It is illegal to destroy an active barn owl nest as the species is protected by state law.

The owls — who have been likened to neighborhood “celebrities” since moving into the rooftop earlier this month — survived the initial trauma and had since returned to the site.

Construction crews resumed work on the tower at West 75th Street and Central Park West Friday, despite a state order. Stephen Yang for NY Post

However, experts fear the second attack could have dire consequences.

“The work that happened today definitely disturbed them even more,” said Jessica Wilson, executive director of the NYC Bird Alliance said Friday.

Barn owl nests in the Big Apple are incredibly rare — with the Upper West Side nest being the first ever recorded in Manhattan outside of Central Park.

Hours after being slapped with the stop-work order Friday, construction crews launched a second callous attack on the nest. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

The nocturnal birds commonly nest in human-made structures, usually beginning in April and May, when the young fledglings prepare to disperse and establish their own home ranges.

By August or November, most young barn owls will have left their nests and cemented their own homes.

It is illegal to destroy an active barn owl nest as the species is protected by state law. Anke Frohlich/ankefrohlich.com

Once the fledglings naturally separate from their parents, they will either find a new home within the borough or flock to nearby areas and join other barn owl populations. 

The Upper West Side property owner was served a cease-and-desist order Friday and out of caution for the vulnerable state of the owls, the New York Road Runners — the organizers behind Sunday’s marathon — canceled a drone show over Central Park.

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