Tag Archives: rookery

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Southern California

A Seal’s Life

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A Seal's Life
An elephant Seal naps on a Southern California beach.

A Seal’s Life. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An elephant Seal naps on a Southern California beach.

Before posting this photograph I considered a few other possible titles. Perhaps “Zzzzzzz.” Or, “Ah!” Anyone who has ever closed their eyes and fallen asleep on a warm beach can imagine the feeling. (Though, in truth, this beach was not particularly warm. But I digress.) This particular specimen lay among a group of at least hundreds of elephant seals at a well-known Southern California “elephant seal rookery.” The great majority of them were engaged in “activities” that were more or less the same as what you see here.

I think this is, however, a bit misleading. These creatures, who seem quite awkward and even a bit out of their element on land, are prodigious hunters. From what I hear they are also quite at home in the water and might even be described as graceful when they are swimming underwater. But like lions (or so it seems to me) their lives, at least at this stretch of beach, seem to consist of short intervals of activity separated by long periods of lounging around.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Elephant Seal Nursery

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Elephant Seal Nursery
Elephant Seal Nursery

Elephant Seal Nursery. Piedras Blancas, California. January 31, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The elephant seal nursery at Piedras Blancas, California

A virtual blanket of elephant seals spreads across the beach just above the waterline at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal “nursery.” During the winter months these large and impressive animals come ashore to give birth and to breed, and after a strong recover during recent decades their numbers have increased greatly, to the point that it is not possible to find them in a number of locations along the Pacific Ocean coast, and not just in those set aside specifically for them.

A still photograph like this one lies at least a little bit, or perhaps just tells a bit less than the full truth. The scene looks very static, with almost no sign of animals doing anything other than lying prone in the sand. In fact, there does seem to be a lot of “sunbathing” going on here! But there is activity. The babies and juveniles are sometimes found huddled together in groups, occasionally cuddled up next to one of the adult females, and quite often nursing. Occasional territorial disputes arise, and they often seem to be settled by some noisy bluffing and baring of teeth. (The battles between large males are a different story, and they can be quite violent and even bloody.) Occasionally one of the seals move up onto the beach or leaves it for the water — if you look closely you can probably spot a few on the move in the photograph.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Elephant Seal Vocalizing

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Elephant Seal Vocalizing
Elephant Seal Vocalizing

Elephant Seal Vocalizing. Piedras Blancas, California. January 31, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Elephant seal vocalizing, Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery

The Piedras Blancas elephant seal “nursery” is a well-known place to observe these great animals, especially during the time of year when they come ashore here to give birth. This is most certainly not the only place where the elephant seals come ashore now that their numbers have recovered, but it is one of the most accessible, being literally only feet away from the Pacific Coast highway. A short trail along the edge of the low bluff above the beach allows you to safely watch the action from a very short distance.

At times portions of the beach are virtually filled with elephant seals, often packed tightly together — large adult males who may be lounging around or fighting to establish dominance, females who are often nursing their young, and the juveniles who are born on this beach. The sound (and the smell, but I’ll leave that to your imagination!) of all these animals is quite something, including sounds that might be described as screams, howls, barks, and the almost mechanical sounding guttural calls of the largest males.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Elephant Seal Family

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Elephant Seal Family
Elephant Seal Family

Elephant Seal Family. Piedras Blancas, California. January 31, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Baby elephant seal and its mother, Piedras Blancas

I spent some time photographing at the elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas, California at the end of January, but I let the image files sit for a few months before going back and looking at them with fresh eyes. The rookery at Piedras Blancas is special for several reasons. Not that long ago the elephant seal popular was terribly depleted on the west coast, but they have made a tremendous come-back in recent years, and now the Piedras Blancas rookery is one of the places where these huge animals are easy to see. During the breeding/birthing season they haul out on this beach (and many others that are less accessible) that is right off of the Pacific Coast Highway, making it very easy to observe them.

At times the beach is literally covered with these creatures — the huge males, the smaller breeding females, and the newborn babies. The sound is amazing, and I doubt that I can offer any real description in words. You have to hear it. The big males make guttural sounds that seem almost mechanical. The babies howl and whine. Most of the time they lie almost still on the sand, but every so often something sets them off and pairs will engage in mutually threatening behavior, especially some of the males who are apparently trying to establish dominance. The little scene in the photograph belies all of that action, as an elephant seal pup rests next to its mother’s curving body.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.