On March 8, 2025 there were at least three different demonstrations in downtown Manhattan. After photographing the protest at the Tesla dealership in the Meatpacking section, I went to Union Square to cover the end of the International Women’s Day protest. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in support of women’s equality in a demonstration that lasted over three hours.
On March 8, 2025 a crowd of several hundred people gathered at the Tesla Dealership to protest Elon Musk’s actions in the Trump administration. The protest was peaceful, but a small group of people rushed past police lines into the showroom and were quickly arrested. There was no violence.
With the threat of significant Federal funding cuts to major scientific and medical institutions across the country, people rallied in multiple cities to support science. At the rally in Washington Square Park, two Nobel Prize winning scientists addressed the crowd of mostly young researchers whose futures and careers are in danger.
On January 17, President’s Day, protests against the Trump administration took place in all 50 state capitols. In New York City, thousands marched to Washington Square Park to protest near the great arch memorializing our first President.
After a tumultuous year, a look back at the photographs that feel most meaningful. I chose images that express beauty, hope, or public events where people came together to celebrate.
In St-Rémy en Provence, the Transhumance celebrates the annual passage of sheep from the valleys to their summer grazing grounds high in the surrounding mountains. After the procession of the bewildered sheep running through the village streets, hungry French spectators descent on the open air market and the restaurants and bars to continue the celebration in the way the French know best. The Transhumance is considered part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of France and always takes place on Pentecost Monday, a national holiday in May.
In the spring, a pair of Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) chose to build their nest on the facade of the New York Athletic club, some of Manhattan’s most expensive real estate. Here the female is resting above the nest and the symbol of the NYAC, a winged foot.
The 53d annual New York Marathon was run today through the five boroughs of New York City on a sunny day with ideal temperatures for the 50,000 runners. For one day, the city comes together in celebration and joy to cheer on runners from every state and country, of all ages and abilities, who have the tenacity to run 26.2 miles/42 kilometers through our streets.
Ghosts, goblins, and politics are all part of the beloved annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. The creativity and beauty of the costumes never fails to amaze and the marching bands are terrific. This year’s theme was Meow (Cats), reflecting political commentary in this presidential election season.
This year the blog went to St. Remy en Provence, France on a very special occasion: every year on Pentecost Monday, the Fete de la Transhumance is celebrated on the streets of the town. On this day, by tradition, the sheep are herded from their winter pastures in the lowlands up to the mountains for the summer to the delight of the townspeople. The Transhumance is also celebrated in Switzerland when cows are taken up to the Alps for the summer. These festivals are considered part of the Patrimoine Culturel Immateriel en France, or Intangible Cultural Heritage. It’s also a market day in the town and the crowds of mostly local people spend the rest of their holiday in the restaurants, brasseries, and plazas enjoying the fine spring weather and good meals.
Women in traditional dress head the procession
Next come the donkeys. They are not for show; they graze with the flock and are fierce protectors against wolves in the mountains, much more effective than the small sheepdogs.
The stars of the day arrive led by their shepherds.
It’s a river of sheep. The announcer with the microphone warned the spectators to stay on the sidewalks, and this is why.
The sheep are freshly shorn before the summer. Their wool is soft and highly prized and their milk is made into cheeses whose denominations (certifications of origin) are as closely regulated as wine.
Protests against the Israeli attack on Gaza have continued for months and the protesters built an encampment of the Columbia University campus. The encampment was forcibly removed by the New York City Police Department after the president of the university, Nemat (Minouche) Shafik, asked them to enter the campus which is private property. Over 100 student protesters were arrested. The resulting outrage among faculty and students has resonated nationwide. The encampment was set up again the next day.
April 21, 2024:
April 26, 2024:
The story sped around the world. A male Eurasian Eagle-owl named Flaco, bred in captivity and confined in a small cage in the Central Park Zoo for the first thirteen years of his life, was suddenly freed when a vandal sneaked into the zoo at night and cut the wire on his cage. At first the drama centered on whether he would be recaptured, but he eluded nets and traps set by zoo workers. Then the city held its breath for a week until Flaco hunted and killed his first rat, proving that he was capable of survival outside the zoo. Controversy raged in New York about whether the zoo was to blame for his escape and whether he should remain free. He was a weak flier at first and crashed into branches as members of the New York birding community followed him day and night. Soon he became a confident and strong flier and a competent hunter, and the city fell in love with him. His story was captivating: a caged bird somehow becoming free and learning to survive on his own. For one year, expert photographers like David Lei, Jacqueline Emery, Anke Frohlich, and others documented Flaco’s behavior and habits. But the city is a hostile environment for birds in general and raptors like owls in particular, and after spending an entire year as a free bird, Flaco abruptly crashed into a building and was found dead on the ground. The city mourned. A memorial at one of his favorite trees in Central Park on Sunday, March 4 attracted hundreds of mourners who left tributes around the tree and heard from speakers. Children’s drawings and letters, heartfelt letters from adults inspired by his story, flowers, stuffed owls, and votive candles surrounded the tree. The ceremony was live-streamed around the world and covered by local media, all for one beloved and unique owl.
Photographer Jacqueline Emery addressed the crowd
A mourner is nearly overcome with emotion
Photographer David Lei, well known bird photographer who documented Flaco’s year of freedom, read a moving tribute
David Lei’s photograph of Flaco on the grass was the centerpiece of the tribute
DeborahShapiroPhotos 