Last time we published a roundup of recent coyote sightings, we included a reader photo from 36th and Hinds. After that, Marvin Music sent photos of what he thinks might be the same one – above – often seen, he says, near his home in the 33rd/Hinds area, though seldom in daylight. And now, it’s time another roundup – starting with two sightings came in barely an hour apart this afternoon. First, from Katy:
Approaching the intersection of 41st and Dawson just a few minutes (4:10 pm sunday) ago I startled a coyote, who turned north on Dawson and trotted along the sidewalk nearly the full length of the block. I glanced away to grab my camera and he/she turned up into one of the yards for cover. My husband swears he saw a coyote with two older pups in the neighbor’s yard about a month ago… These sightings are happening in the middle of the day. We have some folks in the neighborhood that choose to leave feed out for feral cats…I’ve seen raccoons also feeding on those porches. Perhaps these things in turn attract the coyotes… who knows…. I am assuming they will avoid people, but again, who knows. Slightly unnerving.
From Trina:
Just wanted to let you know I saw a coyote in our neighborhood. It was on 26th Ave SW between 100th st and 99th st. Let people know to keep their pets inside!
Ahead, four other sightings from the past week: Read More
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Orcas are a beautiful sight in any weather – but their presence in West Seattle waters during the Monday sunset was just over the top. Earlier, we showed you community-contributed photos; now, photos by WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams, who also was out with the whale-watchers, here south of Alki Point:
Some watched from the water:
And the centers of attention did not disappoint:
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At Lowman Beach, people strained to keep the orcas in view until it was too dark to see:
The question now – will we see the whales again tomorrow?
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Let us know if you see them – and we’ll share the news. (Thanks to those who provided updates today, including Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail.)
First of two rounds of orca photos tonight, as they put on a show right up till (and past) sunset – these photos are contributed by WSB’ers. Top photo with the kayaker is courtesy of Mike Scharer. Next, by Gary Jones:
Also by Gary, this view with Alki Point Lighthouse in the foreground:
With the setting sun, next one is from David DeSiga:
ADDED 9:23 PM: Another Gary Jones photo with a breaching orca:
By all accounts, these are “southern residents” – the orcas that spend most of the time between the San Juans and south Puget Sound. (added) And here’s a view from David Hutchinson at Constellation Park south of Alki Point:
4:33 PM: We’ve been tracking reports all day that orcas were headed in this direction – spotted in the North Sound, then off Ballard’s Golden Gardens Park – and now Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail says they’re headed southbound toward Alki, albeit slowly. With a couple hours left till sunset, you might have a chance at a sighting!
6:19 PM UPDATE: Thanks for the updates (via the comments) – they really did make it this far south! (See our newer reports with photos.)
Bryan photographed that coyote in his back yard near 36th and Hinds, where he says it’s showed up the past two days. That’s one of four sightings we’ve received in the past five days, including:
*13th and Cloverdale (same area mentioned during last week’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting), last Friday morning. Amy writes, “I was walking home from dropping my kindergartner off at Highland Park Elementary. I was heading west on Cloverdale and saw the coyote on the corner of 13th and Cloverdale.”
*Also in Highland Park, last Thursday. Erin writes, “Saw a coyote … run across our backyard that borders the greenbelt in Highland Park. After clapping loudly to scare it away, I realized there was a second one off in the woods in a different direction.”
*From the Fairmount Ravine area, Jennifer sent in a “found cat” note last week – after, she said, “I just had a coyote chase a young gray cat into my yard. … He sat down across the street from my partner and yawned at him this morning when he interrupted the cat chase by going out to get in his car.”
We report periodically on coyote sightings not in the interest of hysteria, but in the interest of neighbors reminding neighbors that they live among us. For answers to questions such as “what do I do if I see one?” and “what do I do to encourage them to keep their distance?” the state’s Living With Wildlife: Coyotes infopage offers thorough advice. Archived coyote reports published on WSB can be found here; the map we published earlier this year, to show all the places WSB readers have reported sightings since 2007, can be seen here.
That’s Skittles the seal pup, nicknamed by Seal Sitters, who spent much of this past week trying to protect the too-thin pup while s/he tried to rest along Alki-area shores. The last update from Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey noted that Skittles was resting on an offshore platform/raft as night fell on Thursday. And that has led her to put out this reminder:
We would like to stress that people need to stay away from the two platforms when seals are resting there. We are getting increased reports of harassment, forcing the pups at times to abandon the rafts. Seal Sitters wants to remind everyone that disturbing a marine mammal – whether on shore or in the water or on a platform – is a violation of federal law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is considered a disturbance or “take” if you so much as wake up a pup. Please stay 100 yards away when possible. Our hotline has been flooded with calls about kayakers, paddle-boarders and boaters in motorized craft getting to close. We have advised people to email us photographs of anyone who is close enough to disturb these resting seals and we will forward them on to NOAA’s Office for Law Enforcement for investigation. Alki Kayak has been very proactive in telling rental clients to stay away from any pup on shore or on the rafts. We hope that kayakers and paddle boarders will help spread the word among themselves to stay back.
These pups DESPERATELY need rest to survive. They are already struggling and can’t afford to waste precious calories. We don’t want these pups forced on shore where it is even more dangerous for them. PLEASE keep a distance when you are out in the Sound. It is truly a matter of life and death for these pups. And if anyone spots a pup on the beach, please call our hotline immediately at 206-905-7325 (SEAL).
We hear about coyotes and raccoons all the time, but West Seattle chicken owner Alyssa says you should keep your eyes on the skies:
I live on 35th near Kenyon Hall and have 3 little backyard chickens. I thought I should let everyone know…I had the little chickens free ranging in the yard (Monday) and a hawk literally swooped down and would have taken them if I hadn’t lunged. I was sitting about 10 feet away and saw it coming in my peripheral vision. I knew we had dogs/cats/raccoons/opossums/rats after our chickens, but this one actually surprised me! Of course I didn’t get a picture, but it looked possibly like a cooper’s hawk? It was brown with white streaks on the wings, not too big, maybe 16 inches tall? I have attached a picture of the chickens, it was the little ones it went for — they are only a couple of months old. West Seattle needs scarecrows, I guess??
P.S. In the vein of the “co-existing with coyotes” link we often include in those reports, we have found a “Living with Wildlife: Hawks” link for info from the state, if you’re interested.
That photo is from Aly, taken in July in the 24th SW/Cloverdale vicinity, where she reported this week she is still seeing them. Then this morning, Beckyreported that coyotes were “hanging around” Hamilton Viewpoint Park early today. Those two were simple sightings – but this next note also came in from Highland Park a short time ago, causing us to speed up the coyote roundup we were working on, since this is reported in an area popular with dog owners:
I live on 3rd Ave SW behind Westcrest Park and off-leash park and I had my 4 dogs attacked last night by the coyotes that are in the area. There have been 2 of them spotted on my street in recent weeks. I have one of my dogs in critical condition now and 3 I am nursing at home. Please, everyone, watch out for them; they are even out during the late afternoon in daylight. We need to find a way to get the city or state to set up a trap to move them into the mountains.
We have a followup question out. Ahead, three other recent coyote reports:Read More
“Look who was sunbathing in my backyard today!” Jude wrote, sharing this photo on the WSB Facebook page. Clearest, “closest” coyote photo we’ve seen in a while – but no, Jude wasn’t really face-to-face with this one; she was inside her home and equipped with good camera equipment, as well as skill. She lives near Schmitz Park – but remember, as our map of WSB’ers’ coyote reports showed, they’re everywhere, not just near parks/greenbelts. (If you do wind up close to one, the best thing to do for their sake and yours is to try hard to scare it away – the state’s coyote-info page has suggestions.)
Seal-pup season isn’t all cheery news of pup sightings – Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network has to handle the sad calls too. Like the one Robin Lindsey reports tonight:
I just wanted to give your readers a heads up that Seal Sitters MMSN responded to a report of a dead pup at Lincoln Park late this afternoon. The pup was decomposed to the point that we could not get an i.d. and was not a candidate for necropsy to determine cause of death. The pup was definitely thin, however. We marked the pup with two fluorescent magenta dots of paint and are hoping that the pup disappears with the tide tonight, providing nourishment for other sea critters. If the pup comes back ashore, we are asking folks to please call the hotline @ 206-905-7325 (SEAL) and we will have Parks bury him. The marine mammal stranding networks mark dead animals with either a green grease marker or fluorescent spray in order to keep track of mortality statistics and not be counting the same animal twice.
Since harbor seal pups have only a 50% chance of survival their first year, Seal Sitters does indeed respond to quite a few dead pups each year; it is definitely the sad side of the work we do. On the flip side, it is exhilarating to watch over a stretching/yawning/snoozing pup on the beach, knowing we are all giving that pup the very best chance to thrive. Here’s to lots of fat and happy pups this season!
Recent comments and correspondence have led us to realize that some people still are not aware that coyotes are pretty much everywhere around the peninsula (here’s our map). So, when something like this note from Bill comes in, we need to share it:
My wife was walking our dog this morning in the Westwood area when she came across a coyote with a black cat in its mouth. This happened on 32nd Ave between Thistle and Cloverdale. Just want to give all of our neighbors near here a heads-up.
Everything you want to know about coyotes – including what to do when you see one – is here.
Two West Seattle wildlife photos to share tonight – first, received a little while ago from contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, a young bird he identifies as a juvenile bald eagle (commenters ID it as a hawk): “I just spotted this guy sunning himself on a utility wire over my alley near the Junction.”
Next, Alki photographer David Hutchinson spotted these two baby raccoons on the beach earlier this week:
Thanks to everyone who shares photos with the community via WSB – along with sharing by e-mail, you’re also welcome to contribute to the WSB Flickr group any time!
Earlier today, David Hutchinson sent us that image of a cormorant that he said was behaving somewhat unusually – just sitting on a seawall, rather than in the water or on a piling. No indication of trouble, and it soon flew away, David says, but later in the day, as a Seal Sitters volunteer, he got word of a phone call that makes publishing the photo a more-urgent matter:
This afternoon, Seal Sitters received a call on our hotline, reporting a “non-native” cormorant on the beach near 53rd & Alki Ave. The reporting party said that the cormorant had trouble walking, appeared unable to fly, and had what could be a fishing lure in its mouth. Seal Sitters followed up, but was unable to locate the cormorant. If you spot this bird on a West Seattle beach, please call Seal Sitters hotline (206-905-7325) and we will respond and see if we can help.
(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Somewhere on a West Seattle beach in the next few days, someone may again encounter Casey the pup, who was guarded by Seal Sitters volunteers today, and if you see Casey – or another pup – they want to be sure you call their hotline, 206-905-SEAL. Robin Lindsey tells Casey’s story:
Seal Sitters watched over a too-thin pup at Lincoln Park today, the pup returning to the water about 12:30 with the incoming tide. We anticipate that the pup will show up today or tomorrow on another beach or possibly again at the Park. This is an extremely challenging time for seal pups, either newly weaned and struggling or, occasionally, still nursing. The pup we had just a few weeks ago, Georgie, was definitely a nursing age pup and only perhaps a day or so old. We were not able to determine approximate age on today’s pup, nicknamed Casey, because we never got a look at the teeth via a yawn. The number of erupted teeth would let us know at least for sure if the pup was weaned.
We can’t thank Betsy and Judy enough for calling the hotline and keeping the pup safe until we arrived. Apparently there were a couple of off leash dogs near the pup when he was discovered. I know we say it over and over again, but dogs are a tremendous danger to weak and vulnerable seal pups – just within the past couple of weeks an off leash dog killed a pup on one of the area’s islands.
This is the beginning of the high season when pups will visit the shores of South Puget Sound beaches. September and October are typically our busiest months with weaned pups seeking sanctuary on shore. Our motto is “Share the Shore” – we hope West Seattle people will do so and give these little pups a slightly better chance of survival than the 50 percent norm. Seal Sitters MMSN so appreciates the support of our community!
ADDED: One more thing Seal Sitters hope you will keep in mind – There are spots around the sound where the pups are being born, and they too need to be respected and protected; boats and other watercraft can wreak a lot of havoc in these spots (which aren’t in West Seattle, but you or someone you know may use those waters). Read about that here.
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Too cute to wait – while we work on more news, enjoy Gary Jones‘ photo of a harbor seal, and friends, on and around the Joy D. Smith Wildlife Raft near Alki Point during this morning’s short-lived snshine. (If you missed it in 2009, here’s the story behind the raft.)
P.S. Remember that it’s pupping season, so if you see a seal on a local beach, let Seal Sitters know – keep their hotline handy, 206-905-SEAL.)
A two-part update tonight regarding West Seattle coyotes: First, thanks to everyone who has shared recent sightings, which we’ll be adding to the map that debuted here back in May, with locations of the sighting reports we’ve received periodically since 2007. Nothing particularly unusual about the latest sightings – just further proof that coyotes are all over the peninsula; the sightings included the Admiral District, Seaview, Gatewood, West Seattle High School vicinity, Hamilton Viewpoint vicinity, Arbor Heights. One included a warning from a Fauntleroy resident who believes a coyote killed their cat in late July; their neighbor heard a commotion and found the cat in his driveway, three days after another local family lost a pet. The resident says, “People should be warned to keep their pets inside at night, especially.”
That brings us to the Seola Beach situation we first reported in late June, after learning that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division had been called in to investigate the possibility of “aggressive coyotes” (here’s our original report). We finally got back in touch with Wildlife Services’ regional assistant director Ken Gruver late last week after a few bouts of protracted phone tag. He in turn checked in with the field agent who was reported to be working with neighbors upset by coyote attacks on two dogs last spring.
(Photo by Robin Lindsey) Seal Sitters will be on the lookout today for another sighting of the first pup of harbor-seal-pupping season. First responder Robin Lindsey says the pup showed up on West Seattle shores Monday – and she says that brings important reminders for beachgoers:
We received a report of a pup about 1 pm, and our responders arrived within minutes of the call. We found a newborn seal resting in the rocks and dozing peacefully. However, we were told that before we arrived someone had tried to put the pup back into the water. Marine mammals are protected by Federal law (the Marine Mammal Protection Act) and it is illegal to touch, feed, move or disturb a marine mammal.
The pup was nicknamed Georgie by 10-year-old Bob, visiting from LA, who found the pup. His relatives called the hotline. Georgie is very young, possibly only a day or so old. The photo (above) of the pup yawning enabled us to get an idea of the age of the pup. The pup only has two very tiny front teeth and later we did see the umbilicus cord still attached. It is essential that people stay as far away as possible if they see a seal pup. If the pup’s mom sees too many people, dogs or disruption around her pup, she may very well abandon him – a certain death sentence.
Harbor-seal-pupping season is now upon us! We will be integrating new volunteers throughout the season. If folks are interested in volunteering, they should contact us through the website or blog. And if anyone spies a pup, please keep people and dogs away and call our hotline asap @ 206-905-7325 (SEAL).
Just can’t get enough of the bald eagles! David Hutchinson photographed that one at Duwamish Head. Then in Lincoln Park, Katie got phone video of the eaglet in flight again:
And from Emma … let’s call this Alki eagle “the enforcer”:
Thanks again to everyone who shares photos – wildlife, sunsets, other sightings, breaking news – editor@westseattleblog.com any time.
Trileigh Tucker shares photos of Lincoln Park’s baby eagle as it “fledged” –
This means that he has successfully made it out of his nest tree and has an excellent prognosis. Half of baby eagles don’t make it on their first flight, and end up on the ground. If that happens, they still get fed by the parents until they’re able to fly, but obviously it’s a lot better if they can do it on their own.
Rob and I got to the nest (Tuesday) morning, and Rob was the one to confirm that the baby’s screeching was coming from the next tree over. (His musician’s ear made the difference.) Finally we found where the baby (whom we call “Ricky” after Little Ricky Ricardo, but others have other names for him) was sitting. Then I got to witness what I think was his second-ever flight, whee!
About an hour later, he flew for the third time, back to his nest tree, so we know that he’s able to set a goal and get to it – another really good indicator about his health. All of the good wishes that our wonderful Lincoln Park neighbor community has been sending him have paid off!
We’ve shared photos taken by others, but never before have we had the chance to personally photograph one of Alki’s famous road-crossing river otters. S/he just turned up while we were standing on the Duwamish Head seawall to get a photo of this great blue heron …
Then a gentleman unloading a Wiseman’s Appliance truck shouted something like “THERE’s your photo op!” – we turned, and the otter was suddenly on the sidewalk, galumphing over to slide down the seawall:
… and onto the beach. It was just about noon, so, we assume, lunch break time. PLEASE be careful when you drive Alki Avenue … the otters seem to be frequent commuters.
Two weeks after our first report about a federal coyote hunter dispatched to Seola Beach in southwest West Seattle after two dog deaths, no official update yet on the U.S. Wildlife Services‘ “fact-finding mission” (as a regional manager described it) there – we just checked back and learned all the local managers are out of state this week. However, we did get a coyote-sighting report from that same area this morning, sent by Jamie:
My husband came across coyotes in mid-hunt early this morning, about 5 am, while walking out of our house and to his car. He saw them snatch a small animal; he was pretty sure it was a cat.
We live right at the top of the Seola Beach ravine/greenbelt at 35th and 108th. The exact spot when the coyotes confronted the woman and her dog last fall. Thought I would report it in case anyone in the area misses their cat today…
Seal Sitters and Alki Community Council will be sponsoring a cleanup of Alki on Saturday, July 21st from 9 am-noon. Peggy Foreman from NOAA will speak about the dangers of trash and derelict marine debris shortly after we assemble at the Statue of Liberty (61st Ave SW and Alki Ave SW). This event will be in honor of West Seattle seal pup Sandy, who was found dead, entangled in derelict fishing line off the Edmonds pier earlier this spring. You can read Sandy’s story on Seal Sitters’ blubberblog.
Countless thousands of marine animals (including seals and sea lions, whales and other cetaceans, sea birds and turtles) die each year from trash and marine debris in our waters. Plastics and storm runoff contaminates our waterways and all creatures (from the smallest of plankton to the majestic orca) that lives there. We encourage everyone to join us and protect our sea life.
A copy of the flyer is posted on the website for download if anyone would like to print out and post a copy at their school or place of business.
While walking in Lincoln Park yesterday afternoon in relation to this story, the group we were covering stopped to check out a baby eagle in a nest high above. We couldn’t get a photo – but today, Gay did, along with the photo below, and tells the tale:
We got some great directions to the nest from our friend Tami and then good guidance from a kind stranger. Amazing chance to see one of the juveniles quite literally “out on a limb” waiting for lunch. The adult dropped off a big fish in the nest, rested a bit on the same limb and then went right back out to the Sound for more fish. It was glorious…enjoy!
Speaking of the beach, we mentioned today’s low tide in the morning preview. Jim Clark shared some sights on the beach, including this one:
Seal Sitters and Alki Community Council will be sponsoring a cleanup of Alki on Saturday, July 21st from 9 am-noon. Peggy Foreman from NOAA will speak about the dangers of trash and derelict marine debris shortly after we assemble at the Statue of Liberty (61st Ave SW and Alki Ave SW). This event will be in honor of West Seattle seal pup Sandy, who was found dead, entangled in derelict fishing line off the Edmonds pier earlier this spring. You can read Sandy’s story 
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