Photos: Seal takes a break atop dock at home in Norfolk

NORFOLK

It was some time around 4 p.m. Wednesday when the Pannetons noticed the stranger in the back yard of their Larchmont home.

Relaxing on their small floating dock on the Lafayette River was a small gray seal that appeared to be sunning itself.

At first, Elaine Panneton assumed it was a river otter.

In their five years in the Lexan Crescent home, Panneton, her husband and three children, haven’t seen a seal. About once a year, they see dolphins. They once saw a shark that appeared to be about 5 feet long.

“We’re pretty thrilled,” she said this morning.

The seal lounged on the dock for a while Wednesday – just long enough for Panneton to shoot a few photographs – then slipped back into the river.

About 6:30 a.m. today, the family noticed their visitor had returned.

This time, the critter lolled on the dock until shortly after 8 a.m.

A seal had perched atop Walter Stryker’s dock along the river on Wednesday, but it was unclear if it was the same seal that stopped by the Panneton’s yard.

Experts from the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team say it’s not unusual this time of the year for seals to get out of the water to rest and get warm. Earlier this month, they wrote in a news release that harbor seal sightings are expected to increase along the coast, particularly on beaches.

Residents should keep their distance and keep pets away from the seals. If a seal appears to be stranded, residents should call the response team.

Panneton said they may decide to call the seal, “Sunny.”

“It would be nice to know if it’s a boy or a girl,” she said with a laugh.

To report a stranded seal, call the stranding response team’s 24-hour hotline at (757) 437-6159.