We had a big colony of seals living just off where we were staying. The first night we didn't have a clue what that eerie sound was, all sorts of howls and squeals, so it wasn't till morning that we saw about 40 seals, all sizes and colours balancing on the rocks in the harbour, soaking up the sun. You can definitely see why the ancient mariners believed in mermaids and weird sea creatures and harpies with the sounds that came out of these beautiful creatures, especially when it was all foggy and incredibly spooky.
All blissfully happy basking, until the tide started rising again and the groans and grunts and cries of disgust and shock when the cold water started to lap at their sides and cover their flippers hanging off the sides. It was generally the big daddy of them all that lasted right till the end as he had the largest and highest rock, and he wouldn't let anyone else dare try to get on with him, even going as far as pushing a few off just to make sure they all knew who was in charge.
Having enlarged the drawing, these are very nice studies of seals -really engaging. On Orkney we see seals most days of the week, they like to follow along, watching, when I walk the dogs on the beach, though I haven't really experienced their more 'acoustic' side. Nice picture.
ReplyDeleteLovely seal studies, and I really like the watercolour of the lighthouse in your previous post, loving the vibrant colours!
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