Harbor Seal Rookery on the Sonoma Coast
by Kathleen Bishop
Title
Harbor Seal Rookery on the Sonoma Coast
Artist
Kathleen Bishop
Medium
Photograph - Photography, Digital Art
Description
Fine art nature photograph capturing late afternoon sunlight warming baby Harbor Seals and their mothers (Phoca vitulina) as they sleep on the beach in a protected seal rookery along the Pacific Ocean in Sonoma County, California. These darling pinnipeds have hauled out just above the tideline after a day in the water to sunbath and rest on the sandy beach. These marine mammals are federally protected so their beach is off limits to humans and their pets during calving season. That allows the mothers and their pups to rest and nurse after foraging in rough seas. Harbor seals’ pregnancy lasts nine months, but the fertilized egg does not begin to develop for two months, aligning birth dates to the same time each year. This seal colony returns each year to pup on the beach in a protected cove. Harbor seal pups are born along the Northern California shoreline in late April and early May and suckle for about a month before being weaned. Fine art prints available for sale. ©Kathleen Bishop 2014.
Uploaded
May 23rd, 2014
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