Seal Observation Forecast:
Saturday April
19, 2025 Many of the seals that have
been hanging out here for the past three weeks have moved,
but we took advantage of the warmest day since October to
bask on the beach for three hours this afternoon. Low tide is poorly timed
this weekend, and late day seal watches when there is a
big southerly wind are a hit or miss affair. This time of
year, there are a lot of juvenile seals and pregnant seals
around, and these seals hauled out early in the ebb tide
on the tall rocks to provide a dozen seals to see for the
surprisingly few seal seekers who hiked out top Rome Point
today. We might check it out on Sunday afternoon around
5:00, but our seal watching season is quickly winding
down, as Spring gifts us with many other opportunities to
enjoy nature in a variety of ways.
We have removed the Recent Seal Observation Notes page
from this website, and we are making a few additional
changes as well. From now on only the most recent
observation notes will be posted, right here on the Home
page. However, we plan to expand the recent observation
notes below with more visual content, especially on days
when we enjoy some interesting observations. A picture is
worth a thousand words, so scroll down to check it out!
Recent Seal
Observation Notes:
Saturday April 19, 2025 - 35 seals hauled out, 63 degrees, mostly
clear, some high haze, SW 15 to 20+, 17:30
Thursday April 17, 2025 - 66 seals
hauled out, 57 degrees, clear, W 10 to 20 15:30 1 seal
on far rock for 67 seals total As we expected, a lot of
seals moved out of the area during the weekend full moon
tide cycle, but seal observation at haul-out time today
was still pretty good. Fewer seals means a lot less
territorial behavior, and the west wind had a chilly bite
to it that seemed to mellow out the seals and other
wildlife as well. A sign that the seals are on the move is
that juvenile seals and expecting moms-to-be take center
stage, and we spotted well-posed representatives of both
of these seal categories this afternoon. When the light improved,
we could not resist taking a few photos for posterity as
this seal season approaches its end.
First up are the yearlings, who traditionally gather on
the tall rocks just to the right of the white rock. The
young seals shown below have been in these same spots for
the past three weeks, mainly because these rocks are less
desirable for larger seals who can choose to displace the
small seals if they wish. There were more juvenile seals
gathered here earlier, but we think the brisk wind and
abundance of available rocks enticed some of them to move
to more comfortable spots.

One of the young seals that moved off the tall rocks ended
up on the pointy rock today, displaying good balance as it
maintained this position on a windy day.

The haul-out rocks looked like a harbor seal maternity
ward today, as many expectant moms were in clear view with
no crowd around them to block the view. Take a look at
these big-bellied beauties! We have long wondered whether
the offspring of the pregnant seals we see here make Rome
Point their winter home when they grow up.



We have noticed that certain seals favor particular
positions on their rock, and the seal shown below is one
that likes to assume the same profile as the rock. This
seal is well camouflaged when it lays in this position,
invisible to the unaided eye and hard to see even with
good 10x binoculars.

This time of year it is worth
the effort to try to be on the beach two to
three hours before low tide, as the haul-out
time is when the seals are usually most active.
In addition, it is a good practice to arrive
early in the seals' rest cycle to stay a step
ahead of marauding watercraft, which can spoil a
seal watch by chasing the seals from the area. When the seal count at Rome
Point exceeds the 100 seal benchmark, the
haul-out time seal show rivals almost any
wild animal observation you are likely to
see anywhere in North America. The big seal
show has come to town now, and there may
still be great opportunities to see the
seals before they leave town for the summer.
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