Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Summer on the beach

Adult males are resting and molting on the beach, to the delight of summer travelers. Yesterday, one spent hours bobbing in the surf just in front of a rock, calling impressively. We speculated that the rock provided some echo, reverberating so that he sounded louder to himself. He certainly enjoyed that spot.






Most rest placidly on the beach. The weather has been perfect, sunny but not hot, light breeze but not windy.















National Geographic Television has a documentary about Humboldt Squid, a favorite elephant seal prey, Dangerous Encounters: Cannibal Squid, http://www.shallownation.com/2010/07/28/national-geographic-dangerous-encounters-cannibal-squid-video-photos/. I was out of town for the initial showing July 30, so I'll catch up with it soon.


Several very small individuals were on the beach near the adult males. The young of the year, the pups born in January which left on their first migration in March, return to the beach in September. These were so much smaller that I'd hesitate to describe them as juveniles. Perhaps some have already completed that first migration and are on the beach for their rest, called the Fall Haul-Out.

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