Warren Leight said he was taking a walk in West Chelsea when he saw many aiming their cameras at a brownstone building. But it turned out the object they were focussed on wasn’t a tragedy or a celebrity, but a bird that’s rarely seen in the region. His thread on Twitter about the incident has since been shared widely.
“I was surprised, since there haven’t been a lot of celeb sightings during the pandemic,” he wrote about what he thought when he saw the group of people.
As he moved closer, he noticed that the photographers were looking up and pointing at the building’s roof, which made him wonder if there was an impending tragedy.
“Oh no, I thought. It’s a jumper. Or a cat in distress. Or a fire. This year has been so hellish, I immediately assumed more bad news…” he wrote.
I was surprised, since there haven’t been a lot of celeb sightings during the pandemic. As I moved closer, I saw that a lot of photographers and lookie-loos were looking up, apparently pointing to the building’s roof. 2/8 pic.twitter.com/EpDfLhx7Ok
— Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) December 9, 2020
More and more people arrived, with longer lenses, cell phones, even binoculars. 4/8 pic.twitter.com/ekGNAGeuiT
— Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) December 9, 2020
But he then realised the people were all focussed on a rare bird, identified as a Western Tanager, that was hidden among the leaves.
“I asked one photographer if he knew what was going on. In a soft voice he explained that a Western Tanager, a bird seldom seen in New York, had been spotted on West 22nd Street,” he wrote.
I asked one photographer if he knew what was going on. In a soft voice he explained that a Western Tanager, a bird seldom seen in New York, had been spotted on West 22nd Street. “Look closely at the yellow leaf above the thick branch.” 6/8 pic.twitter.com/ZFabz1H2ip
— Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) December 9, 2020
“How lucky I was that a street full of New Yorkers reminded me that if you keep looking up, you might see something rare and wonderful,” he wrote in his last tweet.
He also shared many photos of the bird captured by people on the street. He said the bird was last spotted in the city a few years ago.
How lucky I was that a street full of New Yorkers reminded me that if you keep looking up, you might see something rare and wonderful. 8/8 pic.twitter.com/mM6a1uHiSn
— Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) December 9, 2020
His thread on Twitter got a lot of reactions online with many saying it captured the nature of New York City perfectly.
This is beautiful https://t.co/nNQtLPLV5f
— Kelsey Elise Sparrow (@kelseyesparrow) December 11, 2020
Why did this thread make me cry? Am I okay? https://t.co/IfTGIMdWoi
— Cadence 😛 (@CP_OD) December 11, 2020
And some wholesome content to cleanse the pallette. https://t.co/0P2e8opcKT
— Matt Banks 🍁 (@MLDBanks) December 11, 2020
This👇is such a delightful post. I had to share it. It’s nice to smile about something lovely today. https://t.co/IFmcS3QZKY
— Lucky (@DakiniBliss) December 11, 2020
what a welcome respite from the stress of the pandemic. thank you for the story https://t.co/wgQDKB5xqu
— Jan Perry (@JanPerry) December 11, 2020
The kind of ‘celebrities’ I want to see. https://t.co/RrpMlWurH8
— Lina (@RinatsuChan) December 10, 2020
There is beauty and wonder surrounding us every day, you just have to keep your head up, and eyes open and you’ll find it! 😊 https://t.co/SdpHj43UMk
— Shannon (@DEFendFURiously) December 10, 2020
I just read this to my kids and they were riveted. Big smiles at the end. Thank you for a perfect NYC story.
— 🗽 Liz Gumbinner (@Mom101) December 10, 2020
I can’t love this enough. 2020 has been “for the birds” – but this is for the birds in the best way!
— Kate Miller (@iamkatemiller) December 10, 2020
I feel the moral of the story is Beauty and joy is all around us, you just have to look around. I find it everyday in nature!
— Sharon W. (@srwyn13) December 10, 2020
Thank you so very much for the kind words! Being part of the bird tweeting community we all learn a lot and a way to let each other know what birds we see, when and where. I know I learned a lot for sure! I appreciate Manhattan Bird Alert @BirdCentralPark for keeping us posted!
— Lotus Winnie Lee (@lotuswinnielee) December 11, 2020
Bless you for helping look past the darkness.😄😄😄🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/V6PGyZHxh1
— Greg (@Greg0717) December 10, 2020
