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Carpinteria Harbor Seal Rookery
updated: Dec 24, 2011, 9:15 AM
By David Powdrell
If you get a chance to saunter down to the seal rookery in Carpinteria, do it.
The mothers are resting comfortably waiting to give birth in the next several
weeks. The beach is closed to the public from December 1 to May 31, but
watching from above on the Carpinteria Bluffs works great. Best bet: Bring
binoculars, leave your dogs at home and quietly take in the magic.
A couple of facts per the Sierra Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenains: There's
a 9-11 month gestation period and the pups will be roughly 18-26 pounds at
birth. They'll be between 29" and 40" in length.
If separated for any reason, mom recognizes her pup by the pups call "maaaa" and
the pups smell.
The pups will stay with mom for about 4 weeks.
There are some great volunteer docents that patiently watch over the mothers and
pups from the cliffs. They meticulously take head counts at certain hours and
make sure the moms and pups aren't disturbed. The docents are chalk full of
great information and love sharing it.
Directions: Highway 101 to Bailard Avenue. Turn towards the beach, park and
hike out to the cliffs.
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