A Flying Rainbow - Painted Bunting in New York City

New York City is always on the go, at any given day and in any given time you can find something exciting happening here. This time of year, the Christmas decorations usually top it all, but this year a little bird was the symbol of holiday spirit and the best attraction this city had to offer.
On November 29, a birder named Keir Randall, noticed a very colorful bird near Prospect Park's LaFrak Skating Rink. He saw a small bird, at a size of a sparrow, with multiple colors: blue, red, yellow and green. In the New York area it is impossible to find a bird with so many colors. Sure, we have the Northern Cardinal and the Blue Jay, but their bright colors are not to be confused with this rainbow-like visitor.

"When I first tried to photograph it, I was literally shaking so much I had to calm myself down to get the shot", Randall said. The identification of this colorful bird was a no-brainer, it was the Painted Bunting. It is a fairly common species to spot breeding in the coastal southeast and south-central US, but its rarely found in New York.

This beautiful male is one of only 10 birds of this species to have arrived to NYC since 1927, according to data compiled by the New York State Avian Records Committee. This is the first adult male Painted Bunting to ever visit Brooklyn. A female was spotted visiting Brooklyn at 1999.  Since Randall found this bird, every day, at least 100 enthusiasts birders and locals came to see the latest celebrity in NYC.

The first time I went to see this little rainbow, I saw more reporters than birders. Channel 2, Channel 5, reporters and photographers from the New York Times were all surrounded the little celebrity, while the birders took a step back. Some of the reporters interviewed the birders and I overheard some parts of the conversation, including: "People are losing their s--t over this bird" and "It is like a unicorn emerging from the fog". After that day, the news about the most colorful bird in North America were making waves outside of the US and made it all the way to London and even (with a little help from my Hebrew blog) to Israel.

Surprisingly, the flying rainbow didn't care too much about all the commotion around him. He was hopping on the ground gathering food. This is probably his first year of migrating, which can somewhat explain his unusual route.

Even though the reporters got the upper hand on viewing this guy, I defiantly got my fair share of view. Not once, but twice, he flew right towards me and set on a branch in a tree next to me. He made me feel very special. Usually he spends his time on the ground and completely blends in with the autumn leaf colors and vegetation. His favorite spot is the new grassy wildlife habitat by Lakeside Brooklyn, which was once a parking lot.

I took his photo while he was posing on the branch and then when he stood on the fence. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I was admiring his beauty until a Northern Mockingbird decided to chase him away from the scene.
The Painted Bunting is completely oblivious to his beauty and the happiness he brings to people hearts. I got very emotional the first (and second) time I saw him and I wasn't the only one. Although he is of small size he was able to bring people together as if they were one big happy family. Good luck little rainbow, I hope you will find your safe way to Florida soon!
    

Heaven on Earth

One of the reasons I love photographing so much is that wherever I go I find magical moments. Even if the place is crowded, covered with fences or has a terrible weather, I can capture something special. Most of the moments I capture are more beautiful than what I saw in real life. This is because, in reality, there is too much information and a lot of different angles to look at things. However, while photographing , I always choose a focal point as well as an angle. For instance, in the image above, taken at Yosemite National Park, you don't see the dozens of people standing by my side. This is my way of creating heaven on earth.

At Yosemite it was very easy to find little pieces of heaven and every creature I met represented an opportunity. At the park, I photographed two species of reptiles: Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) which pose nicely for the photo and Gilbert's skink (Plestiodon gilberti).

The skink had a beautiful blue tail but the tail was hidden between the rocks. Also, the skink was too illusive, I had to wait quietly for several minutes before I could snap his photo.

The flowering Dogwood tree was a much easier target. But sometimes, when I know the object is immobile, I have less motivation to get an exceptionally good photo of it.

The California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) was less illusive than the lizards and more challenging than the Dogwood tree so I spent a while near the river trying to get a nice portrait of this little fellow. These squirrels seem to be very comfortable around people and they didn't pay much attention while I was photographing them. Actually, two of them got into a fight and ran toward me. Unfortunately, they came so close that I couldn't focus on them with my 300mm lens.

The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is one of the largest animals in the park. It is also one of the easiest animals to spot. They are not shy around people and you can see them everywhere if you just keep an eye for them.

My heaven on earth is made from the creatures I meet and their habitat. This piece of heaven in Yosemite National Park is extraordinary, especially when you look at it through the mirror lake.    

Dance Parade

This year the Dance Parade was awesome! Especially since I got a press pass and I could walk alongside the dancers. Once again, I had a hard time choosing between two lenses: the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and the Canon EF 300mm f/4L. It was a lot easier to take the photos with the Sigma but soon after the parade started I switched to Canon.  

Before the parade started I had some great opportunities to photograph the preparations: practicing, assembling gear and resting. The huge frog vehicle was a must for me. It came inside a yellow truck and they needed almost ten men to carry it out from there. The place was surrounded with some more interesting looking vehicles: a wolf like bike, two giants ponies, a purple bus and a furry little green car.

The scene was very colorful and festive, As soon as the ribbon cutting ceremony was over, the parade started marching on Broadway and 21st. I caught this cute girl popping her head out from the bus's window and went to look for my favorite act.

During the preparations I saw a Japanese act of two girls covered with the cherry blossom, hanging out with a golden man. They were fantastic and I immediately declared them as my favorites. Although I have been twice to the Sakura Matsuri festival I have never seen anything like it before.

Another one of my favorites was a pink-haired girl riding on a gigantic "My Little Pony". The pony was so big that I had a hard time capturing all of it. Finally, I snapped a photo with my cellphone.

As for real animals, at the beginning of the parade, I saw Oswaldo Gomez, also known as Ms. Colombia, with her African grey parrot named Rosita. Also, I saw two dogs walking in the parade, one of them was a Chihuahua named "Little One". I was told that Little One never missed a dance parade in the city.

The parade was fun as well as exhausting. By the end of it I could barely walk let alone carry my 300mm lens. I packed everything, took the city bike and headed to recharge myself at Shake Shack. See you all at the next Dance Parade :) 

Holi Hai

Spring in the city means not only blossom, warm weather and the change of wardrobe, but also the arrival of festivals, many different, colorful festivals. From Sakura Matsuri that celebrates the cherry blossom and the beginning of spring to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Holi Hai is one of those festivals and it is a celebration of colors.

Yes! People of all ages buy colors made from natural ingredients and throw them at each other. The event is free but in order to transform to a walking-rainbow, buying colors is a must. The colors were sold at the event and one could either stand in a huge line at the entrance or immediately buy some colors near the stage. Obviously, like all good New Yorkers, most people preferred to stand in line.

I was worried that the color powder that is thrown up in the air will harm my camera, so I wrapped my camera with waterproof bag. I knew that people in this festival usually wear white shirts so I wore a black shirt to signal that I'm not interested in the rainbow transformation.

The performances on stage got the full attention of the crowd and I found a perfect spot on a bench near the stage. I focused on photographing interesting and colorful people in the crowd. My main challenges were the bright sun and finding a clear, unobstructed view. Although I used two lenses - Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and Canon EF 300mm f/4L, my best photos from the event were all taken with the 300mm.

At the end I did get dirty, my shirt and my backpack got some unavoidable colorful patches. Surprisingly, the best thing at this festival was not the colors but the people; they were happy, joyful and welcoming and I enjoyed spending time with them!