March 6, 2014 - We have lately been burdened by work, deterred by the weather, and buffeted by the cold wind, all of which, in combination with treacherous trail conditions have served to make our visits to Rome Point few and far between.   Our only recent visit was last Saturday, and the seal watching was pretty good with 60 seals hauled out; that is, until a couple of paddleboarders showed up and chased the seals away.  Today, we noted the intensity of the high noon sunshine, and with the coming of daylight savings time this weekend there are finally subtle hints of spring in the air.  Unfortunately, the tide timing for the upcoming weekend is not good, with the best chance for good seal observation fairly early (before 10:00 AM) on Sunday morning.  Its just a matter of time before seal watching takes a turn for the extraordinary, with large numbers of seals making for the best seal watching of the season.  Seal seekers should check in here regularly to find out when the action at Rome Point picks up; the Recent Observations link will dish the latest details about what the seals are up to, so be sure to check that page when you visit the website.  See you on the beach soon!  

Check out this link to see video that highlights the territorial behavior that harbor seals exhibit when the rocks get crowded, taken Rome Point on March 10 and 11, 2013.  Seal Action March 2013

This link will take you to a live Grey seal webcam in Maine, it is fun to check this site from time to time, you never know what you might see.  Be forewarned: once you start watching live nature webcams, it gets a lot harder to get anything productive done.  Grey Seal Pupping Cam

Some of our seal watching friends have shown an interest in sharks; we found this website dedicated to tracking great white sharks that have been tagged with GPS satellite transponders. Ocearch Shark Tracker  Our favorite shark is the legendary Mary Lee, she's a 16 foot, 3500 pound beauty that was tagged off Cape Cod in 2012.

Seal Video is On-line Now!!
We have posted some short seal videos to Youtube for your seal watching amusement.  Seal Pup Follies was recorded in Maine in June 2012 and contains several interesting interactions between seal pups and adult seals.  Linebelly Rising is a short clip showing the Rome Point kingpin climbing to the top of his favorite pointy rock. 
Video Links:
Linebelly Rising   1:09
Big Seal Day 2011 2:06, 111 seals on the rocks in Spring of 2011
Seal Pup Follies  4:44, Seal pups in action in Maine
Rome Point Seals 2011 6:55, Seal watching highlights from 2011

---

    Welcome to the Internet home of the Rome Point harbor seal colony in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.  This web site is the place to learn where, when, and how to observe harbor seals from the shore of the John H.Chafee Nature Preserve at Rome Point, located in North Kingstown, RI.  Rome Point is the best place in southern New England to observe large numbers of wintering harbor seals from shore. Since 1999, I have had the pleasure of enjoying more than 500 seal walks and sharing close-up views of the seals through my spotting scope with at least 7000 friends, neighbors, and seal seekers from all over the world.  Rome Point is one of Rhode Island's most spectacular natural treasures; on a good day the seal watching experience rivals any wildlife sightings you are likely to observe in most US National Parks.  

   This web site is a guide to having a successful and fun seal watching hike at Rome Point.  The information presented here will enable you to locate and responsibly observe the seals.  This site is published as a public service by amateur naturalists on a volunteer basis.  Thanks for visiting Romepointseals.org!