Tag Archives: seals

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Wildlife

Elephant Seals in Surf

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Elephant Seals in Surf
Two young elephant seals sparring in the surf at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Elephant Seals in Surf. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two young elephant seals sparring in the surf at Point Reyes National Seashore.

This pair of young elephant seals was part of a larger group hanging out along the beaches inside the bay at Point Reyes National Seashore. The group was on a beach at the bottom of a steep hillside, so they were protected from human intrusion not only by law but also by terrain. I watched them for some time as they cavorted (or whatever it is they do) on the beach and in the shallow shoreline water.

While I can claim no expertise in elephant seal behavior, this pair appeared to be conducting a mild version of the often-violent sparring that goes on between the huge adult males. They position themselves face to face, then raise their heads with mouths agape and pointed toward the sky, sometimes pushing their necks into one another and occasionally biting.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Harbor Seals

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Harbor Seals
A group of harbor seals hauled out on a beach at Point Lobos State Reserve

Harbor Seals. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. January 1, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of harbor seals hauled out on a beach at Point Lobos State Reserve

When I was very young, shortly after my parents moved the family from Minnesota to the San Francisco Bay Area of California, we used to periodically visit Point Lobos on the Monterey Peninsula, located at the very upper boundary of what some call the Big Sur coast. We were fascinated by the ocean itself and by the strange life we could find in the tide pools, by the birds on “bird island,” and by the rugged cliffs. I especially remember one small and pristine beach we often visited, in a very narrow cove and accessed by a steep stairway. I also recall that there were “seals,” but I don’t remember seeing a lot of them — somehow they weren’t really on my radar.

I have continued to visit Point Lobos for decades now, and I eventually became more away for the marine mammals that frequent the place. I learned where they hand out, and I found certain overlooks from which I could observe them. I figured out that not only had I been less than aware of these creatures, but that they come in colors! I have no idea how I missed that, but I recall the it may only have been a decade ago when I understood that the harbor seals are really quite beautiful — as you can see in this photograph, their mottled fur ranges from black to white-tan to somewhat blue. On a recent winter visit I found that little beach my family visited was now closed, and that a large group of these animals had made it their own.

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 and Amazon.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Young Elephant Seals

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Young Elephant Seals
Young Elephant Seals

Young Elephant Seals. Coastal California. February 18, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of young elephant seals along the California coast

Back in mid-February we took a day to make a very long looping drive from the San Francisco Bay Area down to almost Morro Bay and then back up the coast highway along the Big Sur coastline. The plan was to both visit the elephant seal areas near the southern end of this drive and to also look for landscape photography opportunities. Starting out early in the morning, it looked like the rainy weather to our north might not follow us south… but we were wrong. It was cloudy the whole way down, and when we arrived at this coastal elephant seal “nursery” it rained intermittently. Sometimes rain can be wonderful for landscape photography, but somehow this rain wasn’t quite playing out that way, so we focused on the wildlife instead. (Later, the weather did offer up some very interesting light as the weather began to break further up the coast.)

The area where I photographed these elephant seals is a well-known one right along the highway and, as expected, there were quite a few other people there to get close up looks at these impressive creatures. At this time of year there are large bulls, nursing mothers, young animals (that appear to me to be more or less adolescents), and nursing pups. Compared to certain times of the year when the bulls are jousting and fighting, things seemed rather calm. For the most part the seals seemed to largely be lounging around on the sand. We walked the opposite direction from the large crowd and found some good overlooks from which the seals could easily be photographed with long lenses. In places there were groups of these younger animals clustered closely together, presenting an image that seemed anthropomorphically “cute.” But don’t be fooled – these are pretty tough creatures that seem to lead a tough and challenging life.

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

Elephant Seal and Rock, Water’s Edge

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Elephant Seal and Rock, Water's Edge - An elephant seal lies near a rock at the edge of the surf, Point Reyes National Seashore, California.
An elephant seal lies near a rock at the edge of the surf, Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

Elephant Seal and Rock, Water’s Edge. Point Reyes National Seashore, California. June 24, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An elephant seal lies near a rock at the edge of the surf, Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

The elephant seals have made what seems like a largely successful recovery along the California coast, and they are now found in quite a few places. I photographed this one and some of its fellows while doing landscape photography at Point Reyes – the actual point, not just the generic park – in late June. They are big beasts and while it is possible to make a “cute” photograph of an elephant seal, especially a young one, they seem like quite tough creatures. To begin with, their environment is not always exactly benign. In addition, they spar. Males have a challenge ritual that is fairly often observed. They face off, raising their upper bodies as high as possible, and then they slash and bite at one another. The result is not always pretty, at it isn’t at all unusual to see them bearing some very horrifying wounds from these battles.

This one, however, looks quite peaceful. (The fighting action was taking place just off shore and out of the range of the camera in this shot.) As I paused along a less windy section of the trail along the bluffs, hoping to find some shelter while I switched lenses, I heard the distinctive sounds of the elephant seals coming from the base of the bluffs. Looking over the edge into a small cove, I saw a group of them laid out along the beach. Soon they began to move about, and some headed straight for the water. This one went just a bit beyond the wave line, and then simply lazed about and let the water wash over.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer 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.