Pedestrians and drivers passing through Sunset Park’s Third Avenue may not notice Kelvin Diaz as he climbs stories high on wobbling scaffolding covered with layers of plastic wrap onto the pillars of the Gowanus Expressway bridge. As he ascends, the bridge shakes with traffic, emitting loud clunks of metal hitting metal.
“Sometimes when a truck passes by, I feel like the bridge is falling on me,” Diaz said.
He’s not a thrill seeker, but he is on a mission. Inside the bridge, adult and newborn pigeons are dying and Diaz is going to save them.
A group of pigeons flew next to the Gowanus Expressway, Brooklyn, New York City, on April 28, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
In August 2022, preparation started on the Gowanus Expressway renovation project to replace deteriorating components and repaint the 4-mile-long stretch of highway that runs through Sunset Park.
Almost immediately after the work, Diaz noticed pigeons were being trapped inside the bridge. “I knew then that it was going to have a significant impact on all birds living in Gowanus,” Diaz said.
Diaz, who grew up in Sunset Park, said he has “a big passion for all birds.” While he shares his home with a pet parrot, he has also visited the pigeons near the bridge daily. Diaz feeds them and removes nets from their feet when they become trapped.
He profoundly admires these birds, citing their intelligence and ability to survive even in harsh environments. He believes pigeons are often mistreated and looked down upon, which has motivated him to act. Unfortunately, others have been attempting to deter the pigeons from the area, with one person going so far as to pour engine oil into the seeds that Diaz had left out for the birds.
Kelvin Diaz sealed his protective suit with duct tape. He is about to climb up onto the bridge pillar of the Gowanus Expressway in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. April. 1, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
Diaz said that the construction team also came at night and used wooden planks to block the holes in the bridge pillars where pigeons were nesting, trapping them in a contained space with no access to light or food. Other pigeons were unable to find their way out due to tarps blocking their escape routes.
As a result, the pigeons can become trapped for weeks, often dying from starvation or dehydration.
“They were being ambushed,” Diaz said.
A newborn in a nest on the Gowanus Expressway bridge pillar, Brooklyn, New York City, on April 28, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
Kelvin Diaz, a Brooklyn resident, climbs up the scaffolding left by the construction team looking for trapped pigeons behind the aluminum planks under the Gowanus Expressway in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. April. 1, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
The construction company subcontracted to perform the blasting and painting job isn’t trying to hurt the pigeons, Diaz said. On one occasion workers even helped Diaz rescue a bird that was perched too high for him to reach. But the company has its own safety protocols and must install the barricades in order to prevent lead paint dust from spreading beyond the site.
Kelvin Diaz inside a construction site under the Gowanus Expressway in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. April. 1, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
Still, Diaz hopes that the construction team can provide an escape route for the pigeons. He said leaving a gap between the tarps can help.
“It is difficult because they have so many people with different opinions,” Diaz said.
Some pigeons that Kelvin DIaz rescued from the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn. New York City, USA from Aug. 2022 to April. 2023. (Courtesy of Kelvin Diaz)
Diaz estimated that he had rescued more than three hundred birds since last August. He freed healthy adults once he got them outside the tarps. However, about half of the pigeons he rescued were newborns or young birds that had not yet learned how to fly or feed themselves. Some others were dehydrated and starved and needed further treatment to recover.
He’s brought more than fifty birds to the Wild Bird Fund, the only wildlife rehabilitation center in Manhattan since the beginning of 2023. But the fund is “completely overwhelmed,” said Catherine Qualye, the social media director of the WBF, and asked Diaz to only bring in newborns or injured birds.
The Fund is equipped to treat around 250 to 300 animals at once, but they already have approximately 350 animals before the nesting season of other birds, which runs from April to August.
Kelvin Diaz practice feeding a pigeon he rescued with corn and peas. West 87th St. Park & Garden, Manhattan, New York City, USA. April. 16, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
Pigeons that Kelvin Diaz have rescued from the Gowanus Expressway. West 87th St. Park & Garden, Manhattan, New York City, USA. April. 16, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
Since pigeons are not protected by federal law, no rehabilitator license is required to take care of them. Refusing to give up, Diaz drove as far as Yonkers and Long Island to drop off healthier pigeons to local volunteers who could take care of them.
Eugene Oda, a rehabilitator living in Queens, offered his insights and taught Diaz how to take care of the pigeons before volunteers could take them in. They gather at a small community garden in Manhattan on Sunday afternoons. Oda laid out his cages, scales, and some corn, showing Diaz step by step how to feed the nestlings and treat them for common diseases.
“It takes commitment and some craziness to become a rehabilitator,” Oda said. “I see it in you.”
A pigeon resting under the bridge of Gowanus Expressway, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. April. 23, 2023. (Credit Hongyu Liu)
Diaz plans to keep on his rescue mission until the end of the construction, which, Diaz estimated to be about the fall of 2023. Still, he finds the number of pigeons overwhelming.
“It’s hard to play the superhero, doctor, and transport all at the same time,” he said. “I just want to see the flocks again after the renovation.”
A group of pigeons flew next to the Gowanus Expressway, Brooklyn, New York City, on April 28, 2023. (Credit: Hongyu Liu)
About the author(s)
Hongyu Liu is a data journalist and M.S. student at Columbia Journalism School.