Photograph and text by Susan McLean
From the April 2023 issue

After seeing my very first seal at Cape Henlopen about five years ago, I now make a point to try to photograph these amazing winter visitors along our beaches. I’ve been lucky enough to capture images of some in the water as well as resting on the beach, but my most amazing seal experiences have come from attending Delmarva Birding Weekend’s Bird and Seal Tours that run a few times each winter.

The tour I attended last March recorded more than 200 harbor and gray seals (like those above) along the outer wall by the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse and on the nearby breakwaters. Our beaches are home to so many amazing animals, but the seals that visit in the colder months are some of my favorite.