DB Post Saturday August 30th

Hoku&R301@RI, EG@HB, 8-30-08

What happened to those 9 and 10 animal days ? The past few days have been borrrrrrring ! Now that the girlz have finished their molts and are returning to "normal", and the weaners are getting adventurous, things have quieted down on RI.

Today's cast was Ewa Girl who overnighted at Hanauma Bay, with Hoku and R301 having Rabbit Island all to themselves, and each at opposite ends of the island. All in all...borrrrring ! Aloha, DB

Ewa Girl

Hoku

R301

DB Post Friday August 29th

Hoku & Mojo @ RI, EG@ HB, 8-29-08
Though the RI cast was limited it was nevertheless a very surprising day. I had seen an animal,partially visible at the right end of the beach, that would later in the day would show up at the left end playing with Hoku in the shorebreak and shallows. They hauled out together at 1249. The larger animal would prove to be Mojo, Irma's #2 son. I haven't seen him at RI since 5-31-08, but he had been reported at La'au Point, Molokai, on 6-22-08.

They would both remain there the rest of the day.

At 1421, posse member Ethel called from HB to report an animal on the left side flats. When I got there at 1450 I found EG in her usual spot. I hadn't seen her since 8-9-08 on RI. It was good to see her back home. Aloha, DB

Ewa Girl

Mojo & Hoku

DB Post Thursday August 28th

R301,RB08&Hoku@RI, 8-28-08
The morning session was a total bust, It was not until 1200 that critters finally began to arrive. First was R301, and then an hour later RB08, and at the same time in another location Hoku hauled out. Nobody did nuthin', and I had to leave at 1500 for a Plumber date. Sorry, no photos today. Aloha, DB

Comment Section - Don't miss out

Aloha Good People!

Just wanted to make sure everyone is aware of the comment section on the daily post.... I know we don't have a lot of activity in terms of discussions.... but some people do leave comments and I just want to make sure everyone does take a look. At the bottom of each post the word comment click on it to either leave a comment or read any that may be there.

So for a quick review from this week:
8/26 Barbara makes some comments on her experience with Benny
8/25 Rebecca - asked about Kolohe... and I know many of us have been wondering.... and DBs post pays mention to it....
8/24 Dana gives us an update on some activites that took place over the weekend in Waikiki with an outreach booth with Jennifer from Kismet Creations.

And don't forget to click on the link from Charles Monksealsandmore

~donna~

DB Post Wednesday August 27th

Kerby,Hoku,RB08@RI, Rocky@HB, Kolohe@Moku Manu, 8-27-08
It was an interesting day. I found Rocky waiting for me at HB for the 3rd consecutive day, and while there, Thea called at 0700 with the report of an animal at Kaiona Beach Park in Waimanalo, with "an antenna on it's back" When I arrived at 0717 I spoke with the caller as well as fishermen in the area and all confirmed the antenna. Obviously, that meant Kolohe or Hoku, and since I haven't seen Kolohe in 8 days, I was really pulling for him. I found nothing, but decided to immediately check RI. If Hoku was there, then the Kolohe ID would be confirmed. Naturally, there was NOBODY at RI. So much for that plan !

Thea called at 0915, having exchanged emails with Charles, who is cruising the NWHI. His magic computer came thru with the answer. We'd been under the impression that Kolohe's transmitter was not working, but apparently it's intermittent. He confirmed that Kolohe is , in fact, hanging out in the Moku Manu area, off shore of the Mokapu Peninsula, and that Hoku appeared to be in the Waimanalo area ! Ain't science grrrreat !!!

Hoku hauled out to RI, at 1049. I now know that has broadened his travels to this side. At 4 months the weaners start exploring like this , and that's when they can get into trouble.

I haven't been saying anything about Kolohe , except to say that he was a no show, but I've thought all along that his disappearance occurred at the same time that both M38 and RIP took off. I'd been wondering if he hadn't tagged along, and I'd say that it's a distinct possibility. Both RIP and M38 are known to go to Moku Manu. Kolohe might have gone along for the adventure ????? It is of great comfort to know where he's at.

In addition to Hoku, the rest of the RI cast was Kerby and RB08. All were there and in snooze mode when I called it a day at 1600. Aloha, DB

Hoku

Kerby & RB08

DB Post Tuesday August 26th

Kerby,Hoku,Benny&R301@RI, Rocky@HB, 8-26-08
Rocky overnighted at HB. I found her waiting for me at 0615 this morning, and on a recheck at 1530 she was still there.

The Rabbit Island cast was Kerby, Hoku, R301, and a special guest star, Benny !! He had been seen and photographed by Joanne Tabor at KP at 1341 on Sunday (8-24-08) and today I found him waiting for me at 3BS, RI. Amazing !!! Once he woke up and got going , he was like the Energizer Bunny.... nonstop "cruiser mode". He encountered Hoku first, and then did a play/swim session but Hoku gave him the slip, hauling out to the mid Middle Cliff (MMC) area alone, and remained there the rest of the day.

Later Benny would find Kerby, and they also entered the water for a swim/play session. This same scenario occurred 3 times in all, with Kerby, and on every occasion, shortly after entering the water, I would find Benny searching up and down the island looking for Kerby, and Kerby would haul out by himself right where it all started at the left end of the beach. Benny finally ran out of battery around 1130, and took a snooze at 3BS, but he ended the day along side Kerby again, but there was no attempt to get him in the water.

R301 quietly hauled out to the extreme left end of the beach at 1500, and remained there by himself.

After a recheck of HB, I called it a day at 1530

DB Post Monday August 25th

Kerby,Hoku,RB08&R301@RI, Rocky@HB, T15M@KP, 8-25-08
After the action packed days of 6 to 10 animals on RI, the last couple of days have been a drastic down turn in excitement. Though there were some warm , fuzzy moments at the end. To start with I could find a critter anywhere in the SE quadrant until my 3rd trip to the pier at 1130. Finally, I found Kerby and Hoku about 40 ft apart at the left end of the island.

Absolutely nothing would happen until 1417 when R301 hauled out to join Kerby, and at 1500 RB08 hauled out to join Hoku. RBOB was being quite the aggressive little girl. Poor Hoku didn't have a clue, so she started off toward Kerby , who was also moving toward her. Once again she was totally the aggressor, and again the kid didn't have a clue what was going on, so off she went heading for R301. Once again she was the more aggressive. The boyz and been following in her wake so all 4 were together in a tight group. At 1521 with Hoku in the lead, all 4 entered the water, and rolled and played in the shallows. I relocated to the Makapuu Overview (MO), and watched as the played off shore of 1BS.

I got a call from HB at 1600, reporting an animal on the left side rock flats. I was thinkin' Ewa Girl, but to my shock and awe when I got down there I found Rocky ! She'd last been reported at Nimitz Beach in the SW quadrant on 8-21-08. Obviously, she is back home in the SE quadrant.

Karen Harris called to report that she had spent the morning with T15M at KP. Aloha, DB

DB Post Sunday August 24th

The SE quadrant was a bust until I got to Spitting cave at 0749. There I found Buster, doing 6 minute dives.

The Rabbit Island cast took a while to show up. It was not until 1156 that Kerby finally showed up, and then at 1243 Hoku hauled out. He and Kerby got together and did a play/swim session, hauling out together at 1510.

RB08 hauled out to the left end of the island at 1333 and remained there all by herself for the rest of the day.

I did a little swim in the afternoon 100 yds out and to the Waimanalo side of the pier, to investigate a pair of Clorox bottle floats that had gone unattended all day. Obviously, I was thinking gill net, but upon arrival I found they had fish hooks attached, which isn't all that great an idea, but at least it was not the dreaded gill net.

Team Billand made the Ka'ena Point trek, and reported Ka'ena and T15M out there at the end of the world today. Aloha, DB

DB Post Saturday August 23rd

Hoku,Sadie,RB08&Buster@RI, 8-23-08

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..... It was a boring day at Rabbit Island. Nobody did nuthin' ! Buster and RB08 were at the left end, and Hoku and Sadie were at the 1st Blue Sign (1BS). Absolutely nothing happened. Once again Kolohe, and Kerby were no shows. I have no clue where they are hiding out. Hopefully, tomorrow they'll pop up. There were no other calls from Posse or Pros. Aloha, DB

Buster & RB08

Hoku & Sadie

DB Post Friday August 22nd

Hoku,RB08,Sadie,RIP&Buster@RI, 8-22-08

The Rabbit Island cast was a quiet bunch today , with virtually no interaction at all. The gang turned out to be Hoku , who was later joined by Sadie at the left end, and RIP, along with Buster hauled out together at the right end later in the morning. I realized when the light began to get better that RB08 was tucked into the base of the cliff at the left end. She entered the water at mid morning and I did not see her again. The Hoku and Sadie would enter the water at 1420 and and RIP and Buster at 1436. I relocated to the Makapuu Overview from 1500 until 1600, and found Hoku and Sadie swimming and playing off shore of the left end, but couldn't find RIP and Buster. Both Kerby and Kolohe were no shows today.

I got word after I sent off last night's dailies that there was an unknown animal at Nimitz Beach at Kalaeloa. Jim Brown trekked off to deal with the call, and it turned out to be Rocky. She had last been seen in Ewa Beach on 8-16-08. This was the first sighting sinces then. I got nothing on her or anyone else though the day today.

In answer to Donna Festa's blog query as to the whereabouts of our girl Irma.... ONLY Irma Knows !!! She never writes, she never calls, her computer skills are even worse than mine, and she hardly even whispers anymore, so just like all of you, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. It is possible to calculate the birth of a pup, based on the birth of the last pup, and in Irma's case the problem is even more complex. We have to calculate this birth based on Ka'ena's birth at Ka'ena Point back on 7-8-06. The math says that her window of opportunity was around the week of 8-5-08. She was last seen on 8-7-08 in Ewa Beach, and since then....nothing ! It is reasonable to assume that she has once again gone to a secret spot again this year. She is a 42 day Mom, so my guess is that somebody is going to report a skinny, baggy, little creature with a great big N3 on each side, somewhere around the week of the 21st of Sep, or shortly thereafter, and we'll all know that Irma is back ! I remain hopeful that someone will report a Mom and pup, somewhere, but nothing so far. ONLY Irma Knows !! Aloha, DB

Rip & Buster

Sadie & Hoku

Is She or Isn't She

Is it me or has everyone been wondering WHERE IS IRMA?
I know she should be a momma by now.... let's hope she is somewhere safe and the little one is doing well.... that is if Irma actually had a pup.

DB please feel free to enlighten us.... I know peeps want to know!

Irma .... where are you?

DB Post Thursday August 21st

Kerby,Hoku,RB08,Sadie,R301&RIP@RI, 8-21-08

Weaners, Kerby and Hoku were there , as were the girlz RB08 and Sadie. Kolohe was a no show again today. The timing of the tides affords him lots of hiding places thru the day, so I'm just not seeing him. RIP and R301 were the only grown ups, and they had a minor spat when RIP stopped by to check out the left end where 301, Kerby and RB08 were cruisin' RIP just did a few slow rolls back to the water after the spat, and I did not see him again today. There were no other calls from posse or pros. Aloha, DB

Hoku

Kerby, R301, RIP, & RBOB

Kerby, R301, RIP & RBOB

R301 & RIP

DB Post Wednesday August 20th

RIP,M38,R301,Kerby,RB08&Sadie@RI, R5AY@Waialee, 8-20-08
Today was a bit odd, in that both Hoku and Kolohe were no shows during my observations . I'm sure they were hiding in plan sight and I just couldn't see them.

Today's cast began with finding RIP at the 2BS, and a bit later, R301 hauled out just left of 1BS. RM38 came along next, and briefly hauled out to R301's location but reentered the water with no interaction. He would move to a tide pool at the left end of the beach. RIP entered the water and swam to the left end where he and M38 met, and the two began RD#1. M38 was doing a lot of bellowing and posturing, but RIP stayed there and would not leave, moving from 10 to 30 ft away, but not departing. I lost RIP and shortly thereafter M38 entered the water again . At 1152 I saw a battle erupted in the shallows just off shore of R301's location. It was M38 and RIP, RD#2. R301 took off, wanting nothing to do with these guys. I lost them again until RD# happened in the shallows off shore of 3BS at 1201. That would be the last I saw of M38. RIP , however, hauled out to 1BS, and remained there the rest of the day.

At 1308, Sadie showed up , right of 3BS, and remained there the rest of the day.

At 1300 Kerby hauled out to the left end of the beach, and at 1441 RB08 hauled out to join him. It was she who initiated play activity on the beach, which move to the water at 1459. I relocated to the Makapuu Overview to watch them playing off shore of 1BS.


Thea called at 1713 to advise that R5AY had just been reported near Waialee Beach Park on the North Shore.

FROM: Charles' Monk Seals and More Blog

Aloha Good People!
Okay I stole this from Charles blog http://monksealsandmore.blogspot.com .... Just in case you haven't had a chance to check it out. The "scientist of the day" is both Brenda and Tracy who we all know and love.... so here they are in their travels.... OH YEA, remind me if I need a dog sitter NOT to ask Tracy!

~donna~

Scientist of the Day: Brenda B. and Tracy W. Its a double dose of scientists today. Brenda and Tracy are both part of our Population Assessment program and are going to be spending a few weeks camped at Lisianski Island monitoring the seals, collecting scats, and tagging weaned seals that were born on the island.

Brenda B.'s favorite things to do are raising service dogs for the blind, belly dancing, and hiking. If she could have one food right now, it would be dark chocolate. Her first concert was Leon Russell


Tracy W. focuses on our main Hawaiian Islands data and is the person you might talk to if you call the monk seal sighting line. Tracy's first pet was Snoopy, a mutt. When asked what happened to Snoopy, Tracy was quoted saying "...his tail got run over once by a car..." and "...I don't know, he died." If Tracy could only have one book to read for the rest of her life it would be Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff by Cristopher Moore. Her favorite place she ever visited was the South Island of New Zealand. Wish them luck during their stay on Lisianski Island.

DB Post Tuesday August 19th

Kerby,Hoku,Kolohe,RB08,Sadie&RM38@RI, 8-19-08

The boyz, Kerby,Hoku and Kolohe were there, and the girlz, Sadie and RB08 were there also. The real highlight of the day was the fact that RM38 was waiting for me when I arrived. M38 is a 7 year old male (he's Rocky's younger brother). Though he was born a Kauai guy , he has been on Oahu for some years now. He's at RI quite a bit, and then drops of the radar periodically, He has been documented at La'au Point on Molokai, and my feeling is that when he's got an RI resident that is probably where he's at. I last saw him at RI on 7-4-08.He is identified by his posterior, dorsal pit scar, and his 2 red tags . He was in classic "cruiser male" mode, hauling out to the location of every other cast member , during the day.

There was a noteworthy oddity to M38's day. Usually, when these cruiser males haul out to another animal they are pests, who try to get the other animal into the water to play. Mostly the other animals don't want to be bothered, and they move on to the next victim.

In the case of all 3 of the weaners, when M38 showed up to their locations, each and every one of them moved down to the water line to join him for a play session, as though they were genuinely happy to see him. I've never seen that happen before. They have all met him before, so I guess he made a good impression. Aloha, DB

Kolohe

M38, Hoku, & Kerby

M38, Hoku, & Kerby

RB0B

Sadie & M38

Sadie & M38

DB Post Monday August 18th

Kerby,Hoku,Kolohe,RB08,Sadie,RIP&R301@RI, Yoda@Maili, 8-18-08

It was pretty much "the usual suspects" at RI today. RIP and R301 were there early, and later were joined by first, Kolohe, then RB08, and then Hoku,Sadie and Kerby. There was virtually no interaction until Kerby hauled out . He initially went straight to Sadie, but when she showed no interest, he moved over to Hoku, and those two entered the water and played for over an hour.

Team Billand called from there fishing spot in Maili at 1340 to report that Yoda (R302) had hauled out near them at 1315. It's always easier when they come to you !

Kolohe, RIP and RB08

R301

Sadie, Kerby and Hoku

Sadie, Kerby and Hoku

Check Out this Link

Aloha Good People!

Don't know if any of you have had a chance but you should check out Charles' blog. The NOAA team are on the NOAA RV Oscar Elton Sette cruising to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.
Charles has a really good sense of humor and there are some really cool pics.

http://monksealsandmore.blogspot.com

Also its an opportunity to send the crew some messages.... This isn't your 3 hour tour with the skipper.

~donna~

DB Post Sunday August 17th

Kerby,Hoku,Kolohe,RB08&R301@RI, 8-17-08

It was a relatively quiet day on RI today, with little interaction. The cast was Hoku, Kolohe , RB08 and R301, and a late haul out by Kerby. I was especially glad to see him since he was a "no show" yesterday. There were no other calls from posse or pros. Aloha, DB

R301 & Kerby

R301 & Kolohe

RB08 & Hoku

ALOHA & Thank You!

I would like to take this opportunity for the Monk Seal community to acknowledge some of our comrades. According to DB there are many people that contribute the care of our Oahu monk seals and often times we just don't know who they are. Unfortunately we are saying good bye to some that have been contributing information for some time.

KAREN HARRIS has made endless treks out to Ka'ena Point and has provided information that is included in DB's Dailies. I know DB will miss her and although I have only spoken to Karen once I know her leaving the islands will create a huge gap in the information that comes from Ka'ena Point. HOWEVER, we do wish Karen well and hope that her next adventure will be fulfilling.... and if it isn't the monk seals will be waiting for you.

MARY FRANCES also will be leaving the Hawaiian Islands in September. Again someone who is out there on the front lines protecting our seals and making a huge contribution in time and caring. All of us in the monk seal community will miss you and wish you the very best.

DB Post Saturday August 16th

Hoku,Kolohe,Sadie,RB08,R301&RIP@RI, Yoda@Maili Cove Condos,Rocky@EB

The RI cast was Hoku & Kolohe at the left end, and they were later joined by R301. RB08 and RIP were at 1BS early, but both departed mid morning and I saw neither again today. Sadie hauled out at the right end of the beach, and she remained there all day.

While I was sitting on my butt, Team Billand was going crazy , first responding the the Maili Cove Condos at 0926 where they found and confirmed Yoda (aka Tiny Tim, aka R302). He departed at 0938.

They responded to a call about an animal at Nimitz Beach, but there was no one there when they arrived.

From there they were off to Ewa Beach where they found and confirmed Rocky at 1205. The shots are available for today's report, but I saw the shots on Bob's camera, and it was absolutely, guaranteed, Rocky. Aloha, DB

Yoda (R302)

Yoda (R302)

Hoku, R301, & Kolohe

RB0B

Sadie