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Update - Friday April 25, 2025 Many of the seals that have been hanging out here for the past month have moved on, and we have been directing our time and attention this week to all manner of Spring chores and activities. This weekend, Sunday starting around 11am thru the afternoon should be good for seal observation, especially if the wind is straight out of the west as currently predicted. Our seal watching season is quickly winding down, as Spring gifts us with many other opportunities to enjoy nature in a variety of ways. The water temperature hit the 50 degree benchmark this week, and that is a sure sign that any day we spend at Rome Point over the upcoming week could be our last outing until Fall.
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.