This is too cute!
New Yorker Cailin Anne was just having her morning coffee, minding her own business when she spotted three (!) dolphins swimming at the East River waterfront in Greenpoint, Brooklyn today (Tuesday, March, 23)!
NYC Twitter promptly jumped on with excitement, causing her videos to go viral. “It was so majestic and humbling in a way!” she said of witnessing the beautiful sight from nature. “Still can’t believe I saw them!”
Dolphins, in the East River. What. pic.twitter.com/Lxakfkz9Oz
— Cailin Anne (@cailinanne6) March 23, 2021
— Cailin Anne (@cailinanne6) March 23, 2021
Though whales and sharks have been spotted in NYC waters before, dolphins appear to be rather rare! According to Bloomberg, in 2013 there was sadly one trapped in the infamous Gowanus Canal, in 2012 there was one that washed up on Rockaway Beach, and there was also one spotted a few months later in the Hudson River. So, not too often! Still, on iNaturalist, a site for self-recording observations in nature, there have been other sightings off Brooklyn from as recent as August 2020.
The NY DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) states that: “Bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, pilot whales, and Risso’s dolphins can often be seen off the south shore of Long Island. Sightings of bottlenose dolphins are the most common since they live closer to shore in coastal waters like harbors and bays. The majority of dolphin sightings occur in the warm summer months when the water is productive.”
featured image source: Video Screenshot, @cailinanne6