Tuesday 12/27/22  41 seals hauled out, 34 degrees, W to SW 5 to 10, clear, 1530. 4 seals on far rock for 65 seals total.

Another good seal day for this holiday week, good seals, good seal watching families, and good light for the scope. We stayed late into the afternoon to watch large, late-arriving seals lumber onto barely exposed rocks. It seems that certain large seals have gotten into the habit of showing up late in the ebb tide and taking up stations on rocks that are slightly submerged. These seals are content to rest while still in shallow water, as opposed to high and dry, as long as wind driven waves do not irritate them. This is just one of the subtle behavior changes that we have noticed after observing the seals for over 20 years. Some seals always behaved this way on occasion, but more seals are definitely doing this more frequently now, and we paused to speculate about what factors may be influencing the behavior pattern shifts that, while subtle, are significant enough to have come to our attention. The behavior described is only one example of the ways seal behavior, as well as other aspects of the natural environment at Rome Point, is gradually changing as the years pass.

Monday 12/26/22  61 seals hauled out, 27 degrees, SW 5 to 10, clear, 1415. 5 seals on far rock for 66 seals total.  

Much improved seal observation today with plenty of seals and friendly seal seekers, as well as good light for the spotting scope. The seals were hauled-out in force early and many of them stretched, scratched, and shifted position repeatedly before they settled down for their heavy rest. At 1425 most of the seals in the center area flushed for no apparent reason, and we got to watch them get re-settled after they determined that there was no real threat present. When the seals return after one of their false alarm flushes, there are generally some territorial issues to sort out, and the sight of the seals hauling out on the exposed rocks always amuses everyone who gets the opportunity to see this through the scope. By 1515 there were 55 seals on the rocks, and most were sleeping soundly as they enjoyed their remaining afternoon naps undisturbed.

Sunday 12/25/22  32 seals hauled out, 27 degrees, SW 15 to 10, clear, 1315. 5 seals on far rock for 37 seals total. 

Another puzzling seal watch today, as the seals gradually arrived a few at a time during the two hours we spent on the beach. We thought perhaps the seals had been flushed before we got there, but I believe it was just another slow seal day for reasons known only to the seals. Usually the day following stormy weather will be a time for the seals to get some much-needed rest, and the seals that did show up generally settled quickly into nap mode as if they were weary. However we were surprised both by how late in the ebb tide that they trickled in one or two at a time, and by the low seal count. Perhaps there are not a lot of seals in the area right now for some reason, or maybe the storm messed up their feeding pattern, but for whatever reason it was a slow seal day. We have not been to Rome Point for about a month, and our most recent seal observations have been relatively unimpressive in terms of numbers of seals and interesting behavioral observations. It will be interesting to see what the seal situation looks like on good weather/tide days this week and beyond, as we will have opportunities to visit Rome Point more regularly as we move into the winter season.