Great news! It is gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pupping season, and Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge is using a HD camera to give scientists insight into this event. It isn't easy to observe events that happen during Maine's worst weather conditions, and this camera means that scientists can observe seals during the whole pupping season from the comfort of their computer screen and without disturbing these 300-pound pinnipeds. Seal Island has the second largest gray seal colony in the United States, and is not too far from Hurricane Island (although Google Maps wouldn't give me directions...I suppose they are still working on their inter-island transit time). You can read more about gray seals here. Speaking of seals, if you want to come out to Hurricane Island for our Maine SEAL program, I promise you will get to see seals lounging on the ledges to the East of Hurricane Island!
This is a still still taken on January 15. Click the image to visit the video feed which broadcasts live starting at 10am every day.
