WILDLIFE: Three West Seattle offshore sightings, one with a reminder

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

From wildlife watchers:

KEEP YOUR DISTANCE: The photo taken earlier this week is from Bob Karnofski, who writes:

A seal pup was resting comfortably at Don Armeci boat launch. Seal Sitters – who I’ve volunteered with – aren’t staffing perimeters at this time, but the dock has barricade tape up as the pup has been here often. I was watching from a distance as a lady and her small child strolled down the dock to get a better look. This frightened the seal pup, who arose and dove into the water. Can you please remind readers that seals are protected and to leave them be and admire from a distance? Thank you. I took this shot with a zoom lens. You can see the pup looking up and getting anxious.

WATERFOWL: It has been a long time since we got photos of Common Loons – and this week we received two! From David Hutchinson, at Lowman Beach:

And from Mark MacDonald, at Lincoln Park:

WHAT THE HERRING LEFT BEHIND: Remember the recent herring-spawning event that drew seals/sea lions and birds off our shores? “Diver Laura” James has sent photos of the eggs on offshore sargassum:

Learn more about herring here.

P.S. More wildlife/bird photos this weekend – along with the rest of the news!)

anonyme May 1, 2020 (1:20 pm)

There’s just no escaping stupid humans.

Lynn Shimamoto May 1, 2020 (1:21 pm)

Bob – Thanks for the reminder to leave seals and other marine mammals alone. Seal pups haul out because they need to rest and warm up. Undisturbed rest is essential to their survival. Please keep your distance, observe quietly, and respect any signage or taped perimeter. Seal Sitters volunteers may not be present because of the pandemic, but we do check animals frequently to monitor their health. Please call Seal Sitters Hotline at 206-905-SEAL (7325) if you see a marine mammal hauled out.

anonyme May 1, 2020 (1:46 pm)

I have so many favorite birds it’s hard to choose just one, but loons are right up there. This morning I saw the most brilliantly colored Wilson’s warbler ever; it was almost neon. Sharing the world with these beautiful creatures makes life worth living.

Sillygoose May 1, 2020 (3:19 pm)

David, I truly enjoy your bird photo’s I never realized how many different species we had here. That Loon has stunning markings!! Thanks for sharing

OL May 1, 2020 (3:36 pm)

This reminder about leaving marine animals alone should bring up a bigger issue. Seal pups can never really haul out from Cormorant Cove to Constellation Park due to people illegally bringing their dogs down (leashed and unleashed) to the rocky beach. I know in 2016 a seal was killed due a dog attack at Constellation Park and over the years personally have reported twice to Seal Sitters about seal pups that passed away by Cormorant Cove due to exhaustion and hunger, a main reason for their demise being they could not haul out and rest on this side of the Point because of the dogs on the beach. It seems some people want to either remain blissfully ignorant of these issues or feel their own privilege supersede the needs of our local marine life. There needs to be more signage about no dogs being allowed on the beaches and surrounding shoreline. You cannot blame a dog for doing what its instincts tells it to do, but signs would help educate those who are unaware and expose those who don’t care about our fellow marine mammals. One of the greatest gifts about living here is being able to observe and watch the otter, seals, and sea lions that live and pass through Alki. It would be a shame if that all was continually diminished due to the acts of a few selfish people.

Sekai rider May 2, 2020 (2:45 pm)

Loons are one of my favorites, even though I’m from here, vs Minnesota, so seeing them in breeding plumage is a rare treat, thanks for spotting them, sharing the close up photos, and divulging location!

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