California elephant seals...
at the Piedras Blancas Rookery near San Simeon
Great pictures! Did you visit Hearst Castle while you were in the area?
Thank you for posting. Many of us never see them up close and personal.
You hit the mother load...never seen so many.
Aren't that many of these gigantic creatures in one place amazing? The Elephant Seals stay on the beach during mating/calving season and do not eat. Swims are just short trips out into the surf to cool off. In February-March, the adults begin to leave, the Males swim up to the Aleutians, the Females out to Hawaii. The Pups are left alone, without any guidance, training, ext on how to survive in the open ocean and hunt food.
Mike M wrote:
at the Piedras Blancas Rookery near San Simeon
Holy smoke! Great capture, Mike. That's an unbelievable number of elephant seals. I especially like the last image.
Ohhhhh, so wonderful .... thank you.
westitzer
Loc: Central California coastal area
I live about 45 minutes from this place. Go over every winter to see them. Unbelievably noisy! Interesting to watch the bulls battle it out!
westitzer:
It is a full sensory experience: sights, sounds, smells. I think they are fascinating. I could spend hours there.
Mike M.
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