Año Nuevo State Park, Pescadero: The Blood Triangle
Past the gate, we entered the restricted zone and walked past the “Wild Elephant Seals – Stay Back 25 feet” sign. Michael started the tour by asking me if I knew the meaning of Año Nuevo. Since I just got back from South America, the familiarity of places called ‘Punta something’ and the Spanish conquistadores’ lack of creativity for naming a place according to the date of its discovery, was still fresh in my mind. He then went on to explain about the history of the place. La Punta de Año Nuevo was named on January 3, by a chaplain for the Spanish explorer Vizcaino, commissioned to map Alta California. Grizzly bears populated the area then. The grizzly bears are gone now, but there are animals that come in the night, like gray fox, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, Western Harvest mouse and bugs.
We
continued
to walk
the
dirt
trail
between thickets
of short
willow bushes
and
grass.
Earlier,
I noticed
the
preserved lupine flowers
on display
at the
marine observation
center.
Apparently,
they
grow in the area too,
but
not in bloom
at this
time
of the
year.
Eventually,
we
made
our way
to an observation
platform,
where
I was
able
to see
the
cave
and
a partial
view
of the Año Nuevo Island. It
was
low
tide
and it seemed we could wade across the waters to get to the island.
But
Michael said
it
is dangerous
to cross
the
sea to get
to the
island.
A
kayaker died
from crossing the
area,
he
was
attacked
by a white shark.
Pointing to the
sea, he
said,
“That area
is littered
with white sharks.”
The
presence
of sharks
in the
water
and
the
animals
that
come
in the
night
earned
this
place the
name
‘The Blood Triangle’. Suddenly,
a black vulture flew
overhead.
Michael said that
a variety
of birds
like cormorant, terns and
vultures, ravens, pelicans, etc. could be found in the area. I learned
that
Año Nuevo State Park is an excellent
Birding destination
and
visited
by bird watchers from all over the world. Although the main reason for my visit was to see the elephant seals, I was pleasantly surprised to find the
bio-diversity in the State Park - a gem
of a place
so
close by.
Año Nuevo State Park is a Natural
Preserve established
to protect
biological,
ecological
and
cultural
values
of the
California coastline and
significant
wildlife habitats,
including
sensitive
native
plants
and
intertidal ecosystem. Today,
it
is one the
largest
elephant seal
breeding colonies
in the
world.
One can observe
elephant seal
all
year
round,
but
the
best
time
to visit
is between December and
March – the
elephant seal
breeding
season.
Docents are available
for
guided
visit
during the
breeding season.
The Elephant Seal Experience
We left the dirt trail to continue up the sand dunes where Michael gave me a lot of informative facts about the elephant seal: The breeding season begins in early December when the first males (bulls) arrive. They range from fourteen to sixteen feet long and weigh up to two and a half tons. In late December, the females begin to arrive and form "harems". They’re much smaller than the males, they average ten to twelve feet in length and weigh 1,200 to 2,000 pounds. “Let me tell you about new science,” said Michael as he pointed to "a map showing how far the seals travel and how deep they dive" sign.
Scientists/marine biologists are able to record the diving depth and
distance traveled by a seal from the GPS that's glued to the seals
head. (The GPS is glued and not implanted by surgical procedure so as
not to harm the animals). Michael demonstrated the elephant seals falling-leaf-spiraling style of diving that allow them to dive for 20-40 minutes to a depth of 1,000 to 2,000 feet in search of food: rays, skates, squid, and small sharks.As we walked towards the beach, I spotted my first elephant seal, a sleeping guy. I thought he was dead. Michael explained that elephant seals sleep to conserve energy. They could go on for days without food. He talked about the sound that each type of elephant seal makes. Soon I heard a deep drumming/gurggly sound coming from the beach. “It’s from the male elephant, the male threat call,” said Michael. And boy, there’s nothing like seeing them in action as we reached the observation platform. I was treated to a live show – a high drama full of intrigue: The males battle on the beach for dominance and to protect their harems, pelicans going after the milk from nursing mothers, and ravens waiting for placenta from a very pregnant seal so close to giving birth. You have to see it to believe it. That said, let me just share this one-of-a-kind experience through the following photo essay.
#1. Elephant Seals are so named because of their large size and long hanging noses (on the males). These large animals spend most of their lives at sea, the females come to the beach to give birth, and the males battle on the beaches for their harems.
This guy is the oldest as can be observed from the wrinkly skin. He is the king of the beach with more than 20 harems.
#2. They fight to establish dominance (Michael compared it to a military battle) . The successful bull does much of the breeding. They start to learn how to fight at an early age. Pictured below are young males, around 2 1/2 years old.
This guy is the oldest as can be observed from the wrinkly skin. He is the king of the beach with more than 20 harems.
#2. They fight to establish dominance (Michael compared it to a military battle) . The successful bull does much of the breeding. They start to learn how to fight at an early age. Pictured below are young males, around 2 1/2 years old.
#3. A bull surrounded by harems. Behind the bull are two females nursing their pups. The pelican is after the milk from the nursing females.
#4. Pictured here is a very pregnant seal. She will give birth to a ‘pup’ anytime soon. The ravens are waiting to feast on the placenta.
#5. The female seals appear to look dead or just lying on the beach because they get so weak from from nursing and fasting (they lose about 10 pounds from 1 feeding alone). About three weeks after giving birth, the female is ready to mate. Gestation period takes about 7 months. They go back to the sea to feed off the coast of Northern Washington and Vancouver Island in British Columbia and do not appear on land again until mating season. They cannot give birth at sea because the pups are unable to swim, they drown. Meanwhile, the pups become ‘weaners’ after four to six weeks and able to feed off the coast.
NOTE: All photos by the author
- Año Nuevo State Park is located in San Mateo County, approximately 60 miles from San Francisco, 25 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 25 miles north of Santa Cruz on HWY 1.
- Guided tours/walks are offered during the breeding season (December through March) and can be booked days in advance and no later than one day before arrival. It can be booked online
- Cost of the walk is $7.00 per person
- Parking fee range from $10.00 to $100.00 depending on the vehicle type.
- The walk lasts for 2.5 hours and is somewhat strenuous 3 mile hike over dirt trail, sloping terrain and sand dune. There is a boarded pathway for physically challenged individuals, but you have to call and make arrangement ahead of time.
- No pets are allowed.
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