Take 5 | Mass Audubon – Your Great Outdoors

Brace yourself. Serious cuteness incoming.

Seals are a “fan favorite” for wildlife lovers and coastal tourists due in large part to their often playful, expressive nature and adorable fuzziness. Year-round, visitors to the coastal parts of Massachusetts can spot our “resident” Harbor and Gray seals fairly easily. If you’re really lucky you may spy a rarer species such as Harp or Hooded seals although they tend to stay farther north near the pack ice they depend on for pupping. Interestingly, you will not find any sea lions here. Sea lions belong to a different taxonomic family than “true” seals and are not found on the east coast of the United States.

If you’re eager to spot one, many of our coastal wildlife sanctuaries host programs where you can look for and observe seals but here are five cute photos of seals for you to enjoy in the meantime, submitted to our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. The 2018 photo contest is only open until September 30, so submit your great wildlife and nature photography today!

For a lot of Massachusetts folks, summer is synonymous with the Cape. Families and friends have been flocking to the shores of Cape Cod every summer for generations. If this sounds like you, you don’t want to miss out on visiting Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable.

Sandy beaches, butterfly-filled meadows, woodland trails, and farm animals combine to make Long Pasture a unique experience. Gentle, varied trails lead to what some have called a “million dollar view”—with Barnstable Harbor flanked by the dunes of Sandy Neck Barrier Beach. Explore the expansive tidal flats or sign up for a kayak tour, boat cruise, or family nature program.

Whether or not you make it down to the Cape this summer, enjoy these five photos taken at Long Pasture and submitted to our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. The 2018 photo contest is open until September 30, so be sure to submit your beautiful nature photography soon!

Long Pasture © Hong Ren Wang

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Category Archives: Take 5

Take 5: Seal of Approval

Take 5: Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary