Patricia Gonzalez is an avid wildlife photographer and long-time NYBG visitor.

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They say good things happen to those who wait. Such was the case this year, when our resident great-horned owl pair had not one, not two, but THREE chicks! This was a big deal, as the last time there was a nest was back in 2017, when the parents decided to set up shop in the old red-tailed hawk nest in the right cornice of the Mertz Library.

This year’s adventure began in early April when NYC Parks Department staff informed me about owlets. I headed down after work and lo and behold, three fluffy faces were peering down at their brave new world.

I would check in on them every day after during the morning before work and during my breaks. It was wonderful to see so many of my colleagues enjoying these adorable fluffballs.

They fledged during the last week of April, and that was when the fun began. The fledglings stayed in the area by their nest for a few weeks before moving further into the Garden. Visitors would come in groups, toting binoculars in the hopes of spotting them. The birds put on quite a show. Sadly, one of them didn’t make it after a run-in with a red-tailed hawk. But the other two healthy owls have since followed their parents further into the woods of NYBG.