It’s about halfway through the breeding season for Northern elephant seals and Drakes Beach is the epicenter of the action. It’s a mix of snores at one extreme and bloody fights at the other. The enormous battle-weary alpha males snooze to save energy when everyone is behaving but that wasn’t the case during my last visit.

lena zentallFebruary 26, 2025Winter Wildlife Docent, Elephant Seal

First day as a Winter Wildlife Docent

All the rumors are true. The Winter Wildlife Docent program is an outstanding volunteer opportunity! With three days of training completed in the fall, I was feeling mostly ready to start volunteering on my first shift on January 25th.

lena zentallJanuary 29, 2024Elephant Seal, Winter Wildlife Docent

Elephant Seals takeover Drake's Beach

A combination of very high winter tides and the January government shutdown allowed more than a hundred Northern Elephant Seals to claim the ice plant-covered highlands of Drake’s Beach as far as the parking lot.

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