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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We're going to try to end on a lighter note now, even though it also involves a death. We're going to open our phones for your eulogies for Flaco the owl, or Rover the eagle, or your stories of your relationship with any other bird celebrity so to speak. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. If you missed the news, the late Eurasian eagle owl who captured the hearts of New Yorkers after he escaped the Central Park Zoo last February, Flaco, died over the weekend.

The Wildlife Conservation Society says the cause of death was an apparent collision with a building. There are policy questions around that. In his year of freedom, Flaco was often spotted in Central Park's North Woods. I have one personal story which is only that I was walking around in that area last year and saw a crowd gathered, and I was like, "Why is this crowd here in a fairly remote part of Central Park?" Somebody coming out of the crowd said, "Oh, they see Flaco." That kept happening and kept happening.

Who among you listening right now was ever in one of those crowds that would spot Flaco and hang around to watch Flaco? 212-433-WNYC. Now, in death, his fans turned a large tree in those woods into a memorial. According to the West Side Rag, one of the cards left at the bottom of the tree read, "You moved us all. We loved you so much." In the last 10 minutes of our show today, who else wants to eulogize Flaco. How about Rover the Bald Eagle, also a Central Park fixture, who died last Monday apparently after being struck by a vehicle on the West Side Highway?

People marveled as he hunted in Manhattan and Brooklyn. A tweet, also quoted in the West Side Rag, said, "He brought me so much joy. My heart is broken." On Rover the eagle, or Flaco the owl, or any other bird celebrity in your life, what do you want to say as eulogy for those two just to describe the joy you get from watching certain birds who, maybe, you've only seen once or have seen over and over again in our urban landscape? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

There is also a petition, I understand, to erect a statue of Flaco in Central Park. At last count, it was approaching 1,000 signatures. Give us a call. Your eulogies for Flaco or Rover. What bird do you like watching even in our built environment of New York City and vicinity? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. We'll take your calls right after this.

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. A look at all these Flaco stories and somebody who even wrote a haiku for Flaco. We will get to you, Ross in Brooklyn, but David on the Upper West Side, you're up first. David, you're on WNYC. Hello.

David: Hi. I was just telling your-- The person that filter the calls that I actually was lucky enough to have Flaco on our water tower in our building- I live on 86th Street between Central Park and Columbus. -a couple of times, and there were several other times where we were all DMing Manhattan Bird Alert, which is a popular Twitter handle. It was fun to see people try to figure out which corner Flaco was on, which water tower, and just to see people coalesce around something non-political right now.

Brian Lehrer: David, thank you for that story. Kate, also on the Upper West Side. Hi, Kate, you're on WNYC.

Kate: Hi. The Sunday before last, I was walking my dog down 86th Street. I live at 21. I'd heard this hooting for the last couple of nights, and I thought, "This is crazy that a kid--" Anyway, I realized it was Flaco. There was- I now can't remember his name. -a guy who has been [sound cut] and monitoring him photographically, and he had a big wide-lens camera. I watched Flaco with him for 15 minutes on the building opposite. I took photographs, and he was magnificent and beautiful. I can't tell you how [sound cut] I feel.

Brian Lehrer: Kate, thank you very much. Thank you for describing the experience and the beauty. Anna in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Anna.

Anna: Hi. Thanks so much. Since Flaco never made it out to Brooklyn I didn't get a chance to see him in person, but I have family in Sweden where-- Just one of the areas where these owls are native. My uncle had formerly been part of an effort to repopulate the owls in the area of Sweden where he had a home. They had, I think, two injured parents who could not be in the wild because of their injuries, but every year, they would release their children into the wild.

We got to be part of it one year, and I got to hold one of those owls in my arms like it was a baby and look into those orange eyes. They're huge animals, but they're so light. Obviously, by design. The guy from the organization showed us how to hold onto their feet and pinwheel your arm, and you just let them go, and they fly off into the wild. Honestly, it was just one of the most profound experiences of my life to be part of that for these owls.

I think, because of that, was particularly drawn to Flaco's story and would send my uncle information about it. He was very sad that he didn't have a wife, so to speak. I was just so devastated to hear-- It was such an amazing story and the pictures in The Times on his one-year anniversary were just incredible. Anyway, so just it brought back that memory for me.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Anna. Thank you very much. Thanks for that wonderful description. All these odes to Flaco. Even describing the experience, Anna did it, previous caller did, of some of the physical experience of why it was so moving to be in the presence of that owl or others like him. All right, Ross in Brooklyn, you're up for your haiku. You're on WNYC. Thanks for calling in.

Ross: Hi. I write a lot of haikus. Yesterday, I wrote one for Flaco. I'll recite it now.

[poem]

Flaco the brave owl

From high up in a live oak

We all watched you poop

[laughter]

He did. It was great.

Brian Lehrer: A haiku with a laugh line at the end. Not a big windup, and you stuck the landing on your laugh line. All right, thank you very much. Oh, as may this caller, Bob in Rego Park, who has a Flaco afterlife fantasy. Is that right, Bob?

Bob: You got it, Brian. Hey, Brian, what's up? It goes like this.

Flaco escaped from the zoo

To witness the human condition

He will return as mayor of New York City

Be a vegan and love the animals,

the pigeons, and especially the rats,

with great respect and great reverence

Brian Lehrer: Is he a Democrat or a Republican in this scenario?

Bob: Independent [chuckling] because he has an immortal soul.

Brian Lehrer: Beautiful, Bob. Thank you very much. Oh, here's a former colleague in Central Park at the moment. Bill Swersey who used to work at WNYC. There's a lot of photography, right, Bill?

Bill Swersey: Yes. I'm riding my bike. I was told I had to pull off to the side, but I'm-

Brian Lehrer: Yes, you do.

Bill Swersey: -on my bike just out on this sunny day. I'm right near the memorial. I'm approaching it right now. During the pandemic, I became one of those birding photographers. I was a photojournalist for many years and never had much of an interest, and like many others realized that, all around us, if you stop and look, there's this amazing wildlife. Even here in the city.

Of course, I saw Flaco quite a few times. Not as many times as my friend David Lee but quite a few times. I do describe the crowd,and there was a bonding of people who had the chance to witness something so extraordinary. Especially a bird that's not native to North America.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. Bill, I'm going to leave it there so I can sneak one more person on, and it's going to be Hank in Fort Lee who, I think, has an event or activity, tip for people who are grieving Flaco. Hank, you're on WNYC. Hi, we have 20 seconds for you.

Hank: Hi, Brian. For those who are feeling sad and want to be face-to-face with great raptors and great owls, you can take a drive out to Millington, New Jersey to the Raptor Trust which is a convalescent home and a rehabilitation facility for birds. They also take thousands of pigeons and doves every year to rehabilitate them. It's a phenomenal place out in the great swamp.

Brian Lehrer: Say again. Where exactly is it?

Hank: It's in Millington, New Jersey, and it's called the Raptor Trust.

Brian Lehrer: Hank, thank you very much, and thanks to all of you for your eulogies for and remembrances of Flaco the owl. Stay tuned for All Of It.

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