Ready to help visitors understand the wildlife and natural phenomena of Point Reyes National Seashore in winter.
Scenes from the Beach
Bull elephant seal vocalizing
© Julie Kliger 2025
Docents at Work
More Reading
Elephant Seals
- Media article: The Two Ton Lifeguard that Saved a Young Pup (New York Times, 2/7/2024)
- Scientific paper: Sarah Codde, Sarah Allen and Mat Lau in Marine Mammal Science: An observation of potential altruism by a male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) based on what they saw at our own Point Reyes.
- VIdeo: Sarah Squared (PBS) (3 min)
- Video: Roxanne Beltran, UC Santa Cruz Slugs and Steins series lecture (87 min)
- Media article: Scientists discover the real-life impacts of northern elephant seal bottleneck (Phys.org, 2/21/2024)
- Media article: Elephant seals, once nearly extinct, find new habitats (Marin Independent Journal, 1/23/2024)
- Video: Battle Between Two Male Elephant Seals (BBC) (3 min)
- Media article: How Terrestrial Turds Lead to Marine Maladies Diseases from land animals are killing marine mammals at an alarming rate. Can we stem the flow of feces? (Hakai Magazine, 1/2/2024)
- Scientific paper: Foraging behavior and age affect internal transfer of mercury to northern elephant seal pups (Scientific Reports, 2/6/2024)
- Media article: Inside Elephant Seal Pups’ Race to the Depths While northern pups dive right in, their southern cousins take their time. (Smithsonian Magazine, 1/16/2024)
- Scientific Paper: Lifetime reproductive success of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) (Canadian Journal of Zoology 9/17/2019)
Whales
- Media article: Whale song mystery solved by scientists (BBC News, 2/21/2024
- Web page: Today's Whale Count from Point Vicente (American Cetacean Society, LA)
Lighthouse
- Web page: Visit the Point Reyes Lighthouse - Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) (15 min)
- Web page: Lighthouse History at Point Reyes - Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) (10 min)
- Web page: The Historic Point Reyes Lighthouse brochure (20 min)
- Video: Point Reyes Lighthouse 150th Anniversary Celebration: Carola DeRooy Davis Interview (8 min, 38 sec)
- Video: The Lighthouse Today (6 min, 51 sec)
Lifeboat Station
- Web page: Lifeboat Station History at Pt. Reyes (US National Park Service)
Management plan and settled agreement
Find Out More
Of course, it’s best to see us and the wildlife in person!
You can find a docent at Drakes Beach seven days a week, January to April.
Looking ahead, consider joining the Docent team. Watch the Point Reyes National Seashore volunteer website for a recruitment announcement in the fall of 2025.
Point Reyes Winter Wildlife Docents await you.
Drakes Beach, Inverness, California 94937, United States