2026 NYC Dance Parade

I had the pleasure of attending the 20th Annual Dance Parade in the East Village this last Saturday. It's always been one of my favorite events because it brings together people showing off their incredible creative and athletic skills. It's a joyful event, welcome to all.

Here are a few highlights seen along St Mark's Place near 1st Avenue. 

You can see more photos from this year's event on my Flickr page.

 

Previously:

2025 

2024 

2022 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

2015 

2014 

2013 

 

I wasn't able to see the entire parade, so I may have missed it (please correct me if I'm wrong), but I did not see any of the South American groups that normally participate. They are usually a huge draw for the event and always put on a great show. My heart aches that they were not able to be here.

A few Spring bird sightings

The last several days have been great for birdwatching around the city as spring bird migration is at its peak. As of today, Central Park has recorded 143 species for the month of May.

I have a ton of photos yet to process, but here are a just a few springtime observations.

An American Robin collecting nesting material: 

Male Red-Winged Blackbird scoping out some cherry blossoms:

Nashville Warbler diving after insects:

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher also taking a dive:

Purple Martins claiming their nesting gourds for the season:

Yellow-Throated Warbler hunting for insects:

A Prothonotary Warbler bringing the sunshine on a dreary day in Prospect Park:

Eastern Phoebe on the lookout for insects:

Male Belted Kingfisher watching over Newtown Creek:

And, an old pile of dead leaves...

Oh, wait, it's a Chuck-Will's Widow on her nest demonstrating some incredible camouflage.

 

 

American White Pelicans on parade

A quick Tompkins Square hawk update: We have 3 chicks! I'll have more details next week. 

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Until then, it's only early May, but I'm declaring my Bird of the Year to be the American White Pelican. I've had a lot of quality time with them this year and have loved every minute of it. The result is a gazillion photos, so here are a few until the next installment.

I previously posted about what a pelican can do with its giant bill here, here, and here.

See how long their primary feathers are.

This gaggle of pelicans fixate on a Double-Crested Cormorant who scopes the area for fish. Both species take advantage of each other while fishing. I observed cormorants scavenging after the pelicans, as well as the pelicans following the cormorants to try and steal their catch.

I saw similar behavior with this Great Egret who took advantage of the pelicans as they corralled fish into a corner of this lake. The egret would quickly nab any fish that got pushed into its path.

Once the pelicans scooped up all the fish from the back end of the lake, they'd retreat and stage the whole maneuver all over again.

The thing that fascinates me about these guys is how they move so synchronously, and silently. 

There were 100+ pelicans present on this day, but you wouldn't know it if you kept your eyes closed. For such huge birds, the only noise they made was splashing when they landed in the water or tussled over food.

 

These photos don't convey the sheer size of these birds. Their wingspan is almost twice as wide as I am tall, and they have the second-largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California Condor. 

There's something so serene about watching these pelicans float around in the water. I found watching them to be a great way to de-stress.

They always seem to be facing the same direction.

Being so big, taking off from the water is a big production. The pelicans need a long runway and a lot of strength to achieve liftoff.

As I said, I have a gazillion White Pelican photos, so there will be more posts. And I haven't even finished processing photos of Brown Pelicans, so I look forward to sharing those as well.

 

 

Enchanted by Wood Storks

When the opportunity to hang out with Wood Storks comes along, I take it. Look at this beauty!

I hear people say they're ugly, but I think Wood Storks are beautiful. And they're really cool to watch. This group spent an afternoon by the side of a lake preening and enjoying the sun.

This one kept a close eye on me.

These birds are nearly as tall as me, so I can't help but be impressed with their presence.

I caught this stork flying with a fish (carp?) in its bill.

This is a different individual without a fish.

In flight, these birds are stunning with their long bill and legs, and huge black and white wings.

At sunset, I watched several storks drop in to spend the night. It's nice to know they're out there, silently watching over the wetlands.