This time of year is the perfect time to visit Monterey California if you like to see seals. Harbour seals have their young in the Spring like many mammals in the Northern Hemisphere and relax on the beaches with them. The city fences off the beaches with the help of the Hopkins Marine Life Refuge and Stanford University to protect these creatures.
A baby seals goes for a snack. I am not sure when they were born but baby seals are fairly large compared to their mothers and it must take a lot out of mommy so rest is essential.
Seals are noisy, they bark and yap, you can probably hear them before they hear you, but they probably don't want you shouting at the seals or honking horns. The seals are on the other side of the fence down the cliff.
Seals weren't just on one beach they were on a few in this area. Some beaches are for tourists and some are for seals. They definitely don't want people walking their dogs down here or harassing these peaceful creatures.
There were many people taking photos as the Spring in Monterey is lovely and attracts tens of thousands of tourists. The water is always cold and is why these seals are fat, they need a thick layer of fat to stay warm in the North Pacific Ocean.
Much of the shoreline is protected, not that you can get down to it because of cliffs. There are many parks in this area of California about a two hour drive South of San Francisco. It is one of our favourite places in USA.
The seals enjoy this place too. Their populations are recovering after hunting and a collapse of their prey. 100 to about 50 years ago the fishermen living in Monterey caught and canned so many sardines that the seals had little to eat. Now the numbers of seals are increasing and the population looks sustainable.
These photos were taken last May before we got a decent Camera, now I'd love to go back in a few years with a good lens and enjoy the wildlife in Central California once again. Thank you for reading and Have a nice week.
All photos were taken with an iphone 15 pro or an s22
