bkfrogma: Morning at Pier 17, South Street Seaport. Meeting friends from Sebago for an Audobon tour of NY Harbor
bkfrogma: We left our kayaks at home this time - here comes our ride, NY Water Taxi Seymour B. Durst
bkfrogma: Checking out the birds along Governor's Island.
bkfrogma: Statue of Liberty
bkfrogma: Passing Red Hook - Art Trees, and the Waterfront Museum, downtown Manhattan in the distance
bkfrogma: Next stop, Erie Basin. First seal sighting here - only it was a seal-shaped piling doing an excellent impersonation.
bkfrogma: Scotty Sky, one of a very small number of tankers still around in NY Harbor. I got a nice shot of 2 more together later on in the trip.
bkfrogma: Not a great picture, but it's a Red-Necked Grebe
bkfrogma: Parking Lot of Broken Dreams
bkfrogma: Obligatory skyline shot!
bkfrogma: Tugs and barges in the anchorage at the Bay Ridge Flats
bkfrogma: Bochem Ghent fueling, just north of Staten Island
bkfrogma: Bay Ridge Eco Dock
bkfrogma: Swinburne and Hoffman Islands
bkfrogma: Brants and Canada geese off of Hoffman. Swinburne and the West Bank Lighthouse beyond.
bkfrogma: Harbor heron nests on Hoffman Island
bkfrogma: A juvenile bald eagle flew right over out boat!
bkfrogma: Mol Efficiency. I was here for the birds and seals but I enjoyed watching the harbor traffic, too.
bkfrogma: Approaching Swinburne. This is the island favored by the seals.
bkfrogma: Looking back - Hoffman, Verranzano Narrows Bridge and the city beyond
bkfrogma: Nadir had told us to keep our eyes peeled as we approached, and sure enough, here was our first actual seal sighting - and it was a big one!
bkfrogma: Circled the five little heads that were visible at this moment. There were a whole bunch here, and very active!
bkfrogma: Checking out the area.
bkfrogma: The harbor police on Det. Robert Parker were out doing some seal-watching too.
bkfrogma: And here were a bunch of seals hauled out!
bkfrogma: Diving seal
bkfrogma: Moving closer to the basking seals.
bkfrogma: Another one in the water - there were so many!
bkfrogma: Basking seals again -
bkfrogma: Another swimming seal - looks fat and healthy, doesn't it?