Family of barn owls on the Upper West Side captivates New York City birders

A family of barn owls has been spotted on the Upper West Side.  Birders are heading uptown after dark to get a look.  The owls have become the talk of the Upper West Side.  “Residents of the surrounding block began hearing loud noises at night, loud raspy screeching noises. And that alerted them there’s something going on,” birder David Barrett said.  Barrett runs the Manhattan Bird Alert account on X. He photographed two adult barn owls, and up to six adolescents.

They’ve nested in the hole of a water tower near 76th Street and Central Park West.  Owls are nocturnal, so birders have been flocking up to the site at night, hoping to catch a glimpse.  “It’s amazing. Five owls. Nobody’s seen five owls before in New York City,” birder Po Mang said.  “It’s a truly special experience … that people can come out to a public space like this and look at these owls at night,” Barrett said.  According to New York City’s Parks Department, barn owls are an extremely rare sight. Experts say it’s the first time barn owls are known to have nested in Manhattan.  “The presence of a nest right in the middle of the country’s biggest city is really exciting,” Jessica Wilson of the New York City Bird Alliance said. 

Wilson said owls eat mice and rats, which exposes them to risk.  “Rats in New York City are often poisoned by rodenticide, meant to kill the rats. But actually what it does is kill the predators that feed on those rats. And if barn owls are eating several rats a day, they are likely to fall prey to this horrible death,” Wilson said.  The young owls have started taking test flights around the water tower at night as the parents hunt for food. For now, that gives New Yorkers one more reason to stop, look up, and be amazed. 

Source: Family of barn owls on the Upper West Side captivates New York City birders – CBS New York

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

NYC man spent weeks suffering from cyclosporiasis: “My body would not allow me to eat food”

man bowing down

There have been 517 reported cases of the parasitic infection cyclosporiasis across New York state since May, and nearly 400 of them are in New York City, health officials say. It comes as United States health officials investigate outbreaks across the country. “I was having a lot of pain” Chase Strangio, an attorney from Queens, says he spent weeks suffering from the illness. “Felt really lethargic, nauseous, had a low-grade fever, had diarrhea,” he said.

When he began experiencing these symptoms back in May, he thought he had a stomach virus, but as the days progressed, he didn’t see any improvements. “My body would not allow me to eat food, and it even reached the point where drinking water was challenging,” he said, “and I was having a lot of pain.” No one in Strangio’s family got sick, but many friends he had lunch with a week prior did.

“The common ingredient we were able to discern was either a lettuce or a cilantro,” he said. Research led Strangio to request a stool test, which came back positive for Cyclospora, the parasite which causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis. Strangio said he was put on an antibiotic, and he’s now feeling much better. Doctors stress handling produce properly Cyclosporiasis cases have been identified in 34 states since May 1.

In New York City alone, there are 374 cases. “This is three times the amount of our typical rate of Cyclospora infections,” City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet confirmed a specific source for this outbreak, but past outbreaks have been linked to various produce such as raspberries, leafy greens, onions, basil and cilantro.

“The actual parasite lives on the outside of those fruits and vegetables,” Martin said. “And so we’re working with our colleagues at the federal government and at the state to identify, is there one retailer or wholesaler upstream that is particularly causing this.” Mount Sinai South Nassau Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Aaron Glatt says it’s not about avoiding fruits and vegetables, but handling them properly.

“Cooking them or making sure that they’re washed well should be adequate,” he said. “If people are just going to eat junk food, that has its risks too … And I think having a well-balanced diet is something that’s very important.” Doctors also stress this is not spread from person to person. It can take up to two weeks for symptoms to appear, and the CDC says they can last longer without treatment. If you think you are infected, seek medical care.

Source: NYC man spent weeks suffering from cyclosporiasis: “My body would not allow me to eat food” – CBS New York

A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows.
Proverbs 18:6

Bears out of Middlebury tree

A mama bear and her two cubs are out of a tree after being stuck for 2 days. The Middlebury Police Department says a mama bear and her two cubs are stuck in a tree…

Keep reading

Hunted for Following Jesus

In some communities, Muslims who leave Islam to follow Christ face rejection, threats, violence, and even death because of their faith. For Muslim-background believers, choosing to follow Jesus can place their lives at serious risk.…

Keep reading

Finding Refuge in God During Life’s Storms

When life feels like it’s falling apart, God remains your safest place. Even when everything shakes, His strength never does.  Bible Verse:God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will…

Keep reading

Great Value and Trader Joe Fruit Recall

October 02, 2026. Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., San Carlos, Chile expands its previously initiated recalls on July 3, 2026 and September 3,2026 recall of frozen organic IQF blueberries and berry blends to include…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Flash flooding, stormy weather returning to NYC, New Jersey

Stormy weather and flash flooding are expected to return to the New York City and New Jersey area on Friday. It’s a First Alert Weather Day for isolated downpours, scattered flash flooding and isolated severe thunderstorms across the region. The day starts off partly cloudy and muggy with temperatures around 70 degrees. Showers and storms will develop in the afternoon into the evening.  CBS News New York Communities in both states have been on edge about the severe weather threat, which comes days after storms inundated neighborhoods and even caused the roof of a BJ’s Wholesale Club to collapse in Ocean Township, New Jersey.  The weekend is looking great. 

CBS News New York There will be sun and clouds on Saturday, with a chance of a stray shower. Sunday is looking even better with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 80s for both days.  The region may experience its second heat wave of the summer in the middle of the week, with temperatures over 90 degrees possible. Rainfall totals on Thursday Some of Thursday’s highest rainfall totals were recorded in New Jersey, where there were also storm damage reports.  Here’s how much rain fell in different parts of the area:

  • Kendall Park, NJ — 4.91 inches
  • Keansburg, NJ — 4.35 inches
  • Dayton, NJ — 4.12 inches
  • Skillman, NJ — 3.44 inches
  • JFK Airport — 0.11 inches

Source: Flash flooding, stormy weather returning to NYC, New Jersey – CBS New York

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Romans 7:7

Jesus: Kind Yet Fierce Against Injustice

In this video, he will dismantle the myth of the “pacifist Christ” and show you who Jesus actually was; gentle with the broken, merciless toward evil, and utterly unconcerned with fitting modern expectations…

Keep reading

Powerful earthquake shakes Panama

A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 has struck Panama, according to the US Geological Survey. Local media are reporting structural damage in some parts of the country. Some casualties are…

Keep reading

Somalians Turn Minnesota Into War Zone

Peaceful Minnesota has become a terrifying scene for its residents. Minnesota nice has become a deceitful badge of horror. The saftey they once had is gone. Source: Somalians Turn Minnesota into a Warzone

Keep reading

The Shepherd’s Duty: Protecting the Flock

 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and tell them, even the shepherds, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed…

Keep reading

Plague in Russia?

Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and introduce new disease-control measures…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.