NYC Wildlife

Taking a break from birds for a minute to highlight some of our urban critters. NYC is a tough place for any animal to live, so these guys deserve some recognition for finding their own way in this challenging environment.

This is a little Opossum in Tompkins Square Park. I have no idea where it came from or where it went after it left this tree.

Look at those toes!

And the teeth!

 

I think it was just yawning. After a few minutes, the Opossum made a face-first vertical descent.

These guys are good to have around as they eat all the nasty things like rotting food, carrion and insects. 

Oh, hello!

Another animal who has a varied diet is the Striped Skunk. I saw my first one ever in Queens, and this pair below in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Green-Wood is also home to this guy, the Groundhog. 

Unlike the Opossum and Skunk, Groundhogs are strictly herbivores.

We're all familiar with this little character, the Gray Squirrel. They come in a variety of coat colors and can be found in almost every NYC park. I think the ones in Tompkins Square are the most amusing. 

 

I mean, what other critter chillaxes like this? 

Chick pics to take you into the weekend

Here are some Red-Tailed Hawk chick pics to take you into the holiday weekend. These guys are about five weeks old and are starting to transform from fuzzy little white bobble heads into "tweens" with dark wings and tails. 

They're still very fuzzy and cute, though. 

This is Mom Amelia keeping close watch over her little guys a few days ago.

Mom feeding her chicks:

Finally, all three chicks visible:

All of the above photos were taken with a telephoto lens from very far away, and have been heavily cropped. The whole hawk family appears to be doing well and things are progressing as expected.

 

More to come. 

3 chicks for Tompkins Square red-tailed hawks

As previously noted, the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawks hatched three chicks in April. The whole family appears to be doing well, and there are a lot of people keeping an eye on them to look after their well-being. The chicks are about a month old now and are just starting to grow feathers on their wings and tails. 

 

Below are some photos from the last couple of weeks. All of these were taken with a telephoto lens from a long distance, and have been heavily cropped. 

 

This is Mom Amelia with one of the chicks as the other two sleep. 

Dad arrives on the branch at the upper left.

Dad on the left, Mom on the right.

After Dad departs, two of the chicks stand up.

A little wing flapping:

Mom with one of the chicks:

A week earlier:

All three chicks are visible with two sitting up and one laying down on the left.

Amelia feeding the wee ones:

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.