A VISIT TO A SEAL COLONY

By Debbie Bulloch



This afternoon, after work, I drove to the coastal town of Carpinteria. Carpinteria is a small, seaside town located between Santa Barbara and Ventura. My plan was to go for a nice, relaxing bike ride along one of the town’s famous beach trails.

The weather forecast for the afternoon called for strong, gusting winds and low temperatures. Like most people, however, I do not completely trust weather forecasts – half the time they are completely wrong and the other half they are somewhat off! This time, unfortunately, the forecast was right. When I arrived at the parking lot the wind was gusting and blowing at about 15 – 20 miles per hour (24 - 32 kph) with occasional gusts in excess of 30 mph (48.2 kph). Temperatures by then had dropped to 55 F (12.8 C), with a wind-chill factor of about 50 F (10 C). The winds that greeted me upon my arrival at Carpinteria are the famous sundowner winds that usually hit this area of the California coast in the late afternoon.

I must admit that I was a tad frustrated at not being able to ride my bike. All day long, while sitting at my desk, I had been daydreaming about getting on the bike and pedaling up and down the coast, with the blue ocean at one side and the verdant mountains on the other side. Now that I was here and ready to ride, the weather was not cooperating. (Riding a mountain bike in gusting, cold winds is not my idea of a relaxing ride.)

But when life hands you lemons you only have one option left: get a bottle of good tequila and make margaritas. Well, I did not have tequila with me so I decided on the next best thing – to go for a hike down to the beach.

A friend had once told me about a remarkable place along the Carpinteria coastline where harbor seals have established a large colony. Remembering what my friend had said about the seals, I decided to go exploring and find the seal colony. To get to the rookery, I followed a footpath that led me down to the bluff, after a short hike I crossed over the railroad tracks and then I walked the rest of the way along the top of the bluff that overlooks the seal rookery below.



(Note: A rookery is a colony of breeding animals. The term is applied to the nesting place of birds, such as crows and rooks, hence the term "rookery." The breeding ground of colony-forming seabirds and marine mammals, such as seals or sea lions, is also referred to as a rookery. In Disney's animated television show, "Gargoyles," the term rookery is used to refer to the place where the gargoyles raised their young.)



When I reached the top of the bluff, I was treated to an amazing sight. Right below me, on a narrow stretch of rocky beach, there were dozens of seals, pelicans, seagulls and other marine birds. The windy conditions had made it difficult for the birds to fly or for the seals to swim - so they all hung out together on the beach, like a bunch of vacationing tourists.







Later that evening I learned that the Carpinteria seal colony has existed for over a century. The rookery at Carpinteria is only one of two such places along the Southern California coast that is readily accessible to the public.

Pacific harbor seals, like the ones I saw today in Carpinteria, are "true" seals: on land, they drag their bodies along, like big blubbery caterpillars; in the water, they swim with their hind flippers. Seals are different from their cousins, the "sea lions" in that sea lions have small ears and front "feet;" on land they walk on all feet/flippers. Harbor seals can live more than 40 years. An adult harbor seal can weigh over 300 pounds. There are a few visible differences between males and females.



(NOTE: Here is a picture of a sea lion taken last year. You can see that the sea lion, unlike the harbor seals, has front flippers. You cannot see them on this picture, but sea lions have small ears, on either side of their heads.)

The harbor seals in Carpinteria usually bear their young in February and March. Few pups are born as early as December or as late as May. The pups usually weigh 12 to 15 pounds at birth. By the time they are weaned, at four to six weeks of age, the pups can weigh 35 to 50 pounds.

Harbor seals feed on fish, octopuses, some crabs, and other bottom-dwelling organisms. They can dive well over 1000 feet and stay down for more than 45 minutes. Harbor seals generally return to the same area year after year. The seals usually live and feed within a day's swim of their colony.

Today’s windy conditions kept me from my plan to ride my bike; the same windy conditions led me to the happy discovery of the Carpinteria seal colony. I guess the lesson here is to learn to be flexible and just ride the wind. Remember that life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

Here is an important note. If you are planning to visit the Carpinteria seal colony (or any other seal colony) remember the following:

Federal law protects harbor seals. They cannot be disturbed in any way; this includes making loud noises, conspicuous gestures or approaching too closely. Disturbing the seals in any way is a felony, punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and/or one year in jail per count.