CRESLI 2020-2021 Seal Walks and Research at Cupsogue Beach
By: A. H. Kopelman, PhD
CRESLI 2021 Seal Walk Season
26,794 seal encounters at Cupsogue since 2006.
Join us to observe, photograph, and learn about Long Island's seals.
The walks suitable for children and are approximately 1.2 miles round trip and take about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Please be prepared for the weather, i.e., wear warm clothing in layers. Hats, gloves, warm waterproof shoes are recommended, as are cameras and binoculars. Check the weather for Westhampton Beach and assume that the winds will produce wind chill. It’s better to be a more-on, than a less-on, i.e., having more layers than you need is the right thing.
We have received approval from Suffolk County Parks for 26 seal walks at Cupsogue Beach Park for the 2020-2021 season (mid-November 2020 through early May 2021).
Please be advised that our New York State Department of Health (DOH) Covid-19 Safety Plan was submitted and approved by Suffolk County Parks and will be in place for all seal walks.
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Appropriate facial coverings must be warn properly at all times during our walks. Individuals are required to wear facial coverings even when 6' apart.
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Each walk will be capped at a maximum of 40 participants.
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All equipment will be sanitized before and after each walk.
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Telescopes will be replaced with high resolution digital cameras with viewing screen which the public will not be allowed to touch.
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Online donations will be accepted prior to each trip or credit card donations will be accepted at the site via a swipe-based non-contact system, or you can pay by check.
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To limit contact, cash will no longer be accepted.
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Please DO NOT PARTICIPATE IF YOU ARE SICK OR HAVE ANY COVID-19 SYMPTOMS. If you have been in contact with someone who is sick, please wait the 14 day period at home before coming into contact with others. Please Stay Home!
Our 2020/2021 Cupsogue Beach Public Seal walk dates and times are listed below. Contact Dr. Artie Kopelman to arrange additional dates and times during the week for school groups, homeschoolers, and other groups
2020-2021 CRESLI Seal walk schedule, monitoring sessions, & status reports
All photos taken with 600mm lens from safe distances and do not disturb the seals
| Date | Type of trip | STATUS |
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| Sunday November 08, 2020 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 8 Harbor seals hauled-out and 2 swimming
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| Monday November 09, 2020 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 2 harbor seals swimming
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| Sunday November 15, 2020 | SEAL WALK | 3 Atlantic harbor seals on the far northeast end of the seal haulout sandbar in Moriches Bay (secondary haul-out site) and a lob-tailing humpback approximately 500 yards from shore on the ocean side at Cupsogue Beach during the
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| Sunday November 22, 2020 | SEAL WALK | Quick view of a large diving seal. Could not ascertain species.
No photos |
| Friday November 27, 2020 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 36 harbor seals hauled-out on primary area, flushed into the water for unknown reason, the swam to secondary haul-out area far to the northeast
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| Saturday November 28, 2020 | SEAL WALK | Several harbor seals seen during an early monitoring session. ~20 harbor seals hauled-out on secondary haul-out area far to the northeast.
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| Sunday, November 29, 2020 | SEAL WALK | 35 harbor seals hauled-out on primary area
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| Thursday December 10, 2020 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 83 harbor seals hauled-out on primary area
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| Sunday December 13, 2020 | SEAL WALK | Several swimming harbor seals seen during an early monitoring session. ~30 harbor seals hauled-out on secondary haul-out area far to the northeast.
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| Wednesday December 23, 2020 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 83 harbor seals hauled-out on primary area
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| Saturday December 26, 2020 | SEAL WALK | Several swimming harbor seals seen during an early monitoring session and during the seal walk
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| Sunday December 27, 2020 | SEAL WALK | Several swimming harbor seals seen during an early monitoring session. ~45 harbor seals hauled-out on secondary haul-out area far to the northeast.
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| Friday January 1, 2021 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | ~37 harbor seals (~25 hauled-out on secondary area, 2 on rocks, ~10 swimming)
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| Saturday January 2, 2021 | NYS DEC 1ST DAY HIKE | 5 harbor seals swimming
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| Wednesday January 6, 2021 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 171 seals (170 harbor seals and 1 gray seal) hauled out on the primary area
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| Saturday January 9, 2021 | SEAL WALK | 50 harbor seals hauled-out on primary area, 4 on rocks
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| Sunday January 10, 2021 | SEAL WALK | 43 Atlantic harbor seals hauled-out on primary area. We watched as the approach of a duck hunting boat triggered all seals to enter the water. Several hauled out again about 10 minutes later and the same vessel caused them to scatter. The seals willrespond to the sounds of vessels that have disturbed them in the past. Unfortunately, this particular vessel has flushed seals from the sandbar on multiple occasions. We can't wait for duck season to end. While the seals don;t necessarily respond to the sounds of gunshot, they do remember the sounds of vessels and react accordingly.
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| Tuesday January 12, 2021 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | ~10 harbor seals swimming
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| Thursday January 14, 2021 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | 22 Atlantic harbor seals, some new and others not seen in quite a while at Cupsogue Beach. Disturbances caused seals to only haulout on the far NE area of the sandbar. Swimming seals were near shore. 17 seals hauled out and 5 swimming.
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| Thursday January 21, 2021 | SEAL MONITORING SESSION | ~7 harbor seals swimming. Once again, the expected haulout wasn't there. We assume that significant disturbance must have happened prior to our presence. By this date last year we had almost 1200 seal encounters in 14 trips. So far for this season, we've only had 802 seal encounters in 22 trips. We surely hope that the some of the disturbances will end with the end of duck hunting season. We implore all to be vigilant about NOT DISTURBING RESTING SEALS. Give seals their distance! If they react to you in any way it's time for you to STOP what you're doing, DROP down to be less visible, and LEAVE
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| Saturday January 23, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION and SEAL WALK | The recent trend of limited haulout numbers continues with just 6 seen prior to our seal walk. None were present during the seal walk.
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| Sunday January24, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION and SEAL WALK | 6 harbor seals ( 2 on rocks and 4 swimming) seen prior to our seal walk. 6 harbor seals were seen swimming suring our walk. On our way back, some of us were treated to views of a resting snowy owl
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| Tuesday January26, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION | 20 harbor seals ( 6 on rocks and 14 swimming)
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| Thursday February 4, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION | 186 harbor seals hauled out on the primary area
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| Saturday February 6, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION and SEAL WALK | 176 harbor seals hauled out on the primary area
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| Wednesday February 10, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION | 68 harbor seals. 9 hauled out on rocks, 15 swimming, 44 hauled out on secondary area at the eastern end of the sandbar
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| Wednesday February 17, 2021 | MONITORING SESSION | 78 harbor seals hauled out on the primary area of the sandbar
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| Saturday February 20, 2021 | SEAL WALK | 43 Atlantic harbor seals hauled out on sandbar in area used through 2006
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| Sunday February 21, 2021 | SEAL WALK | 65 Atlantic harbor seals hauled out on sandbar in area used through 2006
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| Wednesday February 24, 2021 | SEAL WALK for Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library | 195 Atlantic harbor seals hauled out on sandbar in area used through 2006
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| Saturday, March 6, 2021 | 6:00 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Sunday, March 7, 2021 | 7:00 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Saturday, March 20, 2021 | 6:00 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Sunday, March 21, 2021 | 6:45 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Saturday, April 3, 2021 | 6:00 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Sunday, April 4, 2021 | 6:45 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Sunday, April 18, 2021 | 6:00 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
| Saturday, April 24, 2021 | 10:45 AM | NO LONGER TAKING WAITLIST REQUESTS |
| Sunday, May 2, 2021 | 6:00 AM | WAIT-LISTED |
REGISTER FOR THE SEAL WALKS BELOW
Submitting your reservation will not take you directly to a system for paying your deposit.
- 50% down payment in advance (or Pinniped Pass, an all season pass, see below) are the only ways to secure your space(s) on any seal walk. Payments can be made via https://www.cresli.org/common/donations/donate.cfm?clientID=12000.
- Remainder payments can be made via check or credit card at the walk check in.
Statistics for the 2019-2020 seal season at Cupsogue
- 3771 seal encounters (3750 harbor seal and 21 gray seal) this season during 43 CRESLI seal walks and monitoring sessions. Harp seals and gray seal pup have been seen on the ocean side beach as well. A truncated season, but one of our most successful.
- 87.70 ± 8.77 (s.e.) seals per sighting overall (n=43)
- 102.22 ± 8.53 (s.e.) seals per undisturbed (i.e., hauled-out; n=37)
From our colleagues at NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic:
If you see seals on the beach, use the Rule of Thumb while watching seals to make sure you are giving them enough space.
1) Close one eye.
2) Make a thumbs up and hold your thumb so it's in line with your vision and the seal.
3) If you can see the seal from behind your thumb, you are too close so back up!
https://www.facebook.com/NOAAFisheriesNEMA/photos/a.1841106822794035/2588783844692992/
Don't forget to contact your local stranding network 631-369-9829, or our regional hotline 866-755-6622, if you think the seal needs help!
2019-2020 SEAL SIGHTINGS AT CUPSOGUE with photo links
| Date | Status | Type of trip |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 23, 2019 | 5 Harbor seals swimming
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Saturday, December 7, 2019 | 90 harbor seals hauled-out on main sandbar, including some old-timers back for their 16th year
| SEAL WALK |
| Sunday, December 8, 2019 | 70 seals seen at 8:30 AM were spooked off the haulout by a slow moving vessel within 2 minutes. By the time we arrived at 10:00 only about 10 were seen swimming
| SEAL WALK |
| Monday, December 17, 2019 | 96 harbor seals hauled-out on main sandbar,
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Saturday, December 21, 2019 | 103 seals were hauled out on the main sandbar during an e arly monitoring session, but once again had been spooked off the haulout while we were away. When we arrived at 10:00 only 8 hauled out rocks. PHOTOS UNAVAILABLE | SEAL WALK |
| Sunday, December 22, 2019 | 113 harbor seals were hauled out on the main sandbar during our early monitoring session. Unbelievably, yet again, they had been flushed from the haulout by the time we returned 2 hours later.
Surprisingly, we found 30 seals hauled out on a distant sandbar northeast of the usual haulout (secondary haul-out site). With patience, we were ultimately watch 30 additional harbor seals haul back onto the main haulout site!
| SEAL WALK |
| Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | 127 harbor seals were hauled out on the main sandbar
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, January 05, 2020 | 102 harbor seals were hauled out on the main sandbar
| SEAL WALK |
| Friday, January 10, 2020 | 25 harbor seals hauled out on their secondary region of the sandbar, utilized when disturbed from the main area
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, January 12, 2020 | 73 harbor seals (70 on seals were hauled out on the main sandbar and 3 on rocks)
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Saturday, January 18, 2020 | 87 harbor seals (78 on seals were hauled out on the main sandbar and 9 on rocks)
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| Sunday, January 19, 2020 | 64 harbor seals (61 on main sandbar and 3 on rocks)
| SEAL WALK |
| Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | 137 harbor seals (130 on main sandbar and 7 on rocks)
Prior to a seal walk for the Saxon Middle School of Patchogue, @DrArtieK photographed and took video of 137 harbor seals hauled out (130 on the sandbar and 7 on the rocks) at Cupsogue. With the school group, we stopped at the newer parking area just to get a glimpse of the seals from a distance. We watched in disbelief as an airplane (C-FBKB of Kenn Borek Air Limited) flew over the seals and spooked all into the water. The plane continued to fly over the area repeatedly and we were able to get clear photos to send to the authorities
| SEAL WALK FOR SAXTON MIDDLE SCHOOL (PATCHOGUE) |
| Friday, January 24, 2020 | 17 harbor seals (12 on rocks and 5 in water)
Prior to this seal monitoring session, @DrArtieK noticed a guy in a wet-suit eastward down the road to the parking with his dog (light colored lab). Dr. K. had a bad feeling that the seals were gone. The man got in his car and drove down to the area where we take people to view seals, he loaded his paddleboard and drove past. Of course the seals were not on the sandbar and about 12 were on the rocks with about another 5 swimming. Dr. K. didn’t see him spook the seals, but knew he had done so (he's done it repeatedly).
Harassment is defined by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) essentially as any action that causes a marine mammal to significantly alter its behavior. Folks, if you ever see someone purposefully or regularly causing harassment, please try to capture it on video and contact me (ahkopelman@cresli.org). I will share with you the contact information for NOAA Fisheries and NYSDEC Police enforcement agents.
We are so lucky to live in a place where we have 19 species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and 5 species of seals (pinnipeds).
Let's share the waters with them in peace.
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, January 26, 2020 | 105 harbor seals on main sandbar
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, February 02, 2020 | 157 harbor seals on main sandbar
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Saturday, February 08, 2020 | 31 harbor seals hauled out during a monitoring session prior to the scheduled seal walk. These seals were exceedingly nervous and most appeared to have recently left the water. The behavior was most-likely the results of prior harassment. 20 harbor seals were hauled-out when we arrived later for the seal walk
| SEAL WALK |
| Sunday, February 09, 2020 | 60-80 harbor seals hauled out during a monitoring session prior to the scheduled seal walk. Just before we were ready to document the haulout with photos, a single-engine propeller plane flew south of the haulout area just over the ocean. The moment these seals heard this plane in the distance, all of them jumped into the water. Once again, this behavior was most-likely the results of prior harassment by the same aircraft. 16 harbor seals retuned to the sandbar 25 minutes later. 1.5 hours later, 6 harbor seals were eventually found swimming near the near-shore rocky haulout area during our seal walk after 25 minutes after we arrived.
| SEAL WALK |
| Monday, February 10, 2020 | 78 harbor seals on main sandbar
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | 133 harbor seals on main sandbar
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, February 16, 2020 | 142 harbor seals on main sandbar
| SEAL WALK |
| Monday, February 17, 2020 | 177 seals (176 harbor seals and 1 juvenile gray seal) hauled out during a monitoring session prior to a scheduled seal walk for Stony Brook University MAR395. Once again, a single-engine propeller plane flew south of the haulout area just over the ocean. The moment these seals heard this plane AGAIN in the distance, all of them jumped into the water.
This time we were able to capture the plane's # and though social media were able to find out whom to contact regarding the plane owners and the flying school who's training flights have been causing the seals to flush. We hope that theyv are able to effect changes in where or when they fly.
| SEAL WALK for Marine Mammals Research Techniques course at Stony Brook Southampton |
| Saturday, February 22, 2020 | 138 harbor seals hauled out
| SEAL WALK |
| Sunday, February 23, 2020 | 110 harbor seals hauled out
| SEAL WALK |
| Monday, February 24, 2020 | 124 seals (123 harbor seals and 1 juvenile gray seal)
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Thursday, March 5, 2020 | 201 seals (200 harbor and 1 juvenile gray) prior to a walk for the Greenport Elementary School 5th grade.
Amazingly there were 218 seals (217 harbor and 1 juvenile gray) when we arrived
| SEAL WALK FOR GREENPORT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 5TH GRADE |
| Saturday, March 7, 2020 | 30 harbor seals
Wild, windy, and high water levels
| SEAL WALK |
| Sunday, March 8, 2020 | 182 seals hauled out (1 gray seal and 181 harbor seals) prior and during our seal walk. Once again, as we watched, a private vessel got too close to the seals and 94 seals were spooked into the water. Come one folks, we can do better.
The incident was captured on video and the vessels ID # was sent to the authorities for violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
| SEAL WALK |
| Sunday, March 16, 2020 | 30 seals swimming
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, March 18, 2020 | 192 seals hauled out (1 gray seal and 191 harbor seals).
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, March 24, 2020 | 152 seals hauled out (1 gray seal and 151 harbor seals).
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, March 27, 2020 | 149 seals hauled out (1 gray seal and 148 harbor seals).
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Saturday, April 4, 2020 | 104 seals hauled out (1 gray seal on the ocean side and 148 harbor seals on the sandbar).
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, April 12, 2020 | 3 harbor seals seals swimming in Moriches Bay and 1 gray seal pup hauled out on the ocean side
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Thursday, April 16, 2020 | 76 seals hauled out: 4 gray seal pups and 70 harbor seals on the sandbar in the bay. On the ocean side, 1 sub-adult gray seal and 1 gray seal pup hauled out
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Tuesday, April 28, 2020 | 8 seals hauled out: 3 gray seal pups and 5 harbor seals on the sandbar in the bay.
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, May 3, 2020 | 28 seals hauled out: 3 gray seal pups and 25 harbor seals on the sandbar in the bay.
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
| Sunday, May 7, 2020 | 25 seals hauled out: 2 gray seal pups and 23 harbor seals on the sandbar in the bay.
| SEAL MONITORING SESSION |
Massive seal haulout at Cupsogue, February 2, 2020. 157 seals from CRESLI_ Inc. on Vimeo.
Season passes for unlimited seal walks are available
More information on past seal walk results