You never know who you’re going to meet on the Hudson River. That’s where we met our photographer/kayaking friends, Michael and Julie, of Albany, last October. Today, they write about their new friend—a little harbor seal who seems eager to take up kayaking herself. Michael (of the Nikon D7000 plus 70-300 zoom) guest-blogs and, of course, owns all photos here. 🙂

MK: A harbor seal, on the Hudson?! She showed up near Coeymans, NY (close to Albany) maybe three or four weeks ago. We think she’s a she, anyway, based on her small size—otherwise we’re just guessing. Julie and I missed the “paddle of discovery” but we’ve been in hot pursuit ever since, with four encounters, each slightly farther south, the last being near Coxsackie, NY.

MK: Her right eye is clouded. Much speculation as to the cause…Julie’s ophthalmologist thinks it might be a scar.

MK: She certainly does not appear to be in distress! She’s very playful around our boats. She reaches for dangling handles & paddle blades, snaps the perimeter rigging on our decks, and almost climbs onto our hatch covers! When she dives underwater, there’s no telling where or when she’ll pop up again.

MK: On Sunday, she spent a half hour with us; yesterday, sadly, only a few minutes. And today (11/10) she did not appear at all. I hope she’s on her way back to the coast.

Yep, seal-watching season is back, and we’re clapping our flippers with excitement! See where they’ve popped up previously on 2G3K. And check out more of Michael’s incredible wildlife photography here!