As I was crossing the swing bridge on Rt. 6 on a walk across to Fairhaven this afternoon, something caught my eye in the water to the north of the bridge. It turned out to be a harbor seal lolling in the water right next to the pilings that protect the bridge when has swung open to shipping. We have seen seals near the hurricane barrier, but this seal was in the middle of the busy part of the harbor. I watched it for awhile in the binoculars.

It stuck its nose up into the air, looking as if it were snuffing in a huge breath, then ducked under water. I thought it was gone, and walked on; but it surfaced again and seemed to look right at me with its big dark eyes. I watched it come up and go down a few more times, until it went under with a splash of its tail, disappearing behind some pilings. I walked on, thinking: New Bedford is lucky to have large wild mammals in the heart of the city.