Every year since I have moved to Long Island, I have spent New Year’s Day at Jones Beach. It was not really intentional, but it has become a tradition of mine. The park puts on a free seal walk at Field 10 as part of the New York State Park Department’s First Day Hike program. For this hike you walk along Jones Bay and watch the seals swimming along the beach. Employees of the Energy and Nature Center are around to help guide you along and answer any questions you may have. If you are interested in a seal walk they have several throughout the season. Long Island is most frequently visited by Harbor Seals (also called Common Seals) and Grey Seals. You can find more information about Long Island’s seals here.
After the seal walk my friend and I went to the Coast Guard Basin and then to the West End. The weather wasn’t the best so we basically had the place to ourselves. It was a great way to start off the year!
** I will admit that I am not great at identifying seals. I think these are all Harbor Seals but there is a chance that some are Grey Seals.
