Wow - A Couple Of Dolphins Spotted In East River Today Swimming Between Roosevelt Island And The Upper East Side
A couple of dolphins have been spotted in the East River the last couple of days and today were seen swimming past Roosevelt Island across from Manhattan Park.
— gigpalileo (@gigpalileo) February 16, 2025
Now the two dolphins are swimming south past 78th Street on the East River, reports @gigpalileo.
— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) February 16, 2025
Watch for them downriver. It's been a thrill to see them!
The pair of common dolphins in the East River are continuing today off 96th St in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/o7kaazPqpi
— ᴄʜʀɪs 🐳 (@chrisstIawrence) February 15, 2025
A pair of dolphins are dazzling New Yorkers with a rare appearance in the water off the Upper East Side, seen in stunning photos and video. FREE TO READhttps://t.co/3YXC6UEcpy pic.twitter.com/Uiypmb5lVl
— UpperEastSite.com (@uppereastsiteny) February 16, 2025
In April 2023, I reported another spotting of dolphins swimming in the East River near Roosevelt Island and former Roosevelt Island resident and an original Roosevelt Island resident Bob Babcock added:
When I worked on the launch of NYWaterTaxi in 97 (my cover letter, describing life on the East river, and seeing the changes over time, secured the job) we saw dolphins in the lower harbor by Governors Island. The Gowanus was still a toxic stew, but the waterways around NYC had greatly improved since we moved to the Island in 1975 when the joke on Barney Miller was the you don’t drown in the East River, you dissolve. Much of the credit for this transformation should go to a Roosevelt Island pioneer and her cadre of environmentalists: Sally Leifer, the first teacher assigned to PS/IS217, was part of the protest to GE’s pollution at Storm King, that led in part to the passing of the EPA. She went on to help establish the first Environmentally-focused public school in NYC. Her friend, Tom Fox, a Ranger at Gateway National Park (who taught us about horseshoe crabs and mollusk beds), went on to found the Greenway Project, to restore the New York City waterfront, which ultimately became Hudson River Park.
So dolphins out your window are courtesy of a long history of concerned citizens working to protect the environment, getting regulation passed, and then continued vigilance. Be a part of it.