Birth of a Harbor Seal, as photographed by Jeannie Claypoole

Three weeks ago Jeannie Claypoole was observing Tidepool Rookery on The Sea Ranch. She saw a Harbor Seal that seemed very antsy. Sure enough, she was about to give birth. Below you will see the baby just appearing, looking like a round ball.

I find this photo quite wonderful as it shows another Harbor Seal taking interest in the birth. The Gull is waiting to perform its job - it will consume the afterbirth.

 And below the pup is out and the mother is taking her first look at her young one.

 There is a final photo in this series and it's posted on the Independent Coast Observer's web site under On-Line Features, Sightings photos. It shows the pup and mother  bonding - a very sweet sight.
Here's the link to the ICO: www.mendonoma.com

Thanks to Jeannie for allowing me to share her wonderful photos with you here.