Yesterday, Odiorne Point had a slightly unusual visitor.
A smallish harbor seal (I’m pretty sure it was a harbor seal. They’re common. And we weren’t getting close enough to be any more certain than that.) was chilling out on the snowy lawn. Sorry about the semi-crappy pictures - we were staying pretty far away from him and my camera doesn’t have enough zoom.
People kept asking if he was okay, if this was normal, if he was a regular to the park, and so I give you Abby’s Quick-and-Dirty Guide to Seals on Land.
- Is it moving?
- Does it appear to be alert?
- Is it doing the “banana pose” (head and tail up)
These are all good signs. Harbor seals, especially young ones, frequently haul out onto shore to take a break from swimming. When they get hungry (or scared), they’ll scoot back into the water. If you see a seal that does /not/ appear healthy and alert, call someone (local police are a good bet; they don’t often have the training to care for these animals, but they usually know who does). Otherwise, stay 50-100 yards away from the seal, don’t make loud noises, don’t bring your dog (some people have no goddamn clue), and watch until you get bored.
The seal we were watching yesterday was spinning in funny little pirouettes.
(Check out that banana pose.)
He seemed to be napping for much of the day - picking his head up to look at the people watching him, and then laying it down again.
He was still there when we left last night.