Harbor Seal Gallery

	Curiosity This young seal was swimming in the shallow waters between high tide and low tide at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon. Yaquina Head is my favorite place to watch seals along the Oregon coast. They will swim in fairly close, and their curious nature means you won't go unobserved. It's a difficult place to shoot on a sunny evening, since the setting sun is in front of you, so on this day I arrived at sunrise. This picture was taken shortly after the sun's rays had first crossed over the high cliff walls, most of the other areas around the beach were still in shadow.
	Big Yawn An adult lets out a big yawn on an early morning in March 2005. He had a fairly choice perch, off by himself but elevated above many of the other rocks. He was able to sun himself longer than the younger seals around him, who were several feet below him and had to yield their spots to the incoming tide.
	Sound Sleeper Things can get a little dramatic when the tide comes in, so it helps to be a sound sleeper that isn't easily distracted by the sight and sounds of crashing waves. This adult suns and sleeps as long as possible in the early morning hours before slipping back into the ocean.
	Early Riser I don't like to get up early, so I was pretty impressed with myself when I woke up early enough to be at Yaquina Head at sunrise. When I got down to the beach, though, some of the harbor seals were already out swimming around in the water, making my early rising not quite so impressive. Because of the high cliffs, the rising sun hadn't yet lit up the waters where this seal was swimming.
	Once More Into the Breach This adult decided to start his morning early and not wait for the incoming tide to reach his high perch. He shuffled off his sunny spot, down past the mussel beds and into the shadows at the water's edge.

A young harbor seal at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon

Bottom of the Pecking Order

When you're a young seal, you're at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to places to perch and rest. You end up in the lower perches, the first places to get covered by the sea as the tide comes in. While this young seal didn't get a choice spot on a sunny March morning, in another month new pups will be born and he won't be at the bottom of the order anymore.

When I was growing up we had our own bottom of the order spot: the dreaded middle seat in the station wagon, the one with the big transmission hump where your legs should be. When my younger sisters were born, there was finally someone with even shorter legs to take my place.

Wave Goodbye

This picture was taken about a third of a second after the one above, right as an incoming wave crests over the perch and is starting to envelop the seal, looking as though its going to push him off into the cold surf.

In case you're wondering, the wave didn't budge the seal. Even at a year old the little guys are quite experienced at not getting pounded by the rising surf.

	Now How Do I Get Down? With the tide out, these harbor seals at Seal Rock State Park on the Oregon coast were quite a ways out of the water. The rock is isolated by itself with a sharp drop off, it is only accessible to them when the tide is in.
	Unfazed One thing that always amazes me about watching harbor seals swim is how easily they manage themselves even in the strong currents and crashing surf near the shore's edge.

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