MonkSealMania.blogspot.com: 7/19/2018 Monk Seal Dailies: Team Billand's Ka'ale Update

Thursday, July 19, 2018

7/19/2018 Monk Seal Dailies: Team Billand's Ka'ale Update - Lesley's Ka'ena Update

Today's dailies are brought to you by Team Billand and Lesley. Team Billand had a one seal day so both updates are part of this post.

Team Billand arrived at the outfall and saw Ka'ale RH32 swimming by as usual. Barbara made a point to count the number breaths he took before diving. TEN, he takes ten breaths before he dives.
Nice observation!

A new guy was on site fishing, he was using a large fish with a bigger hook to catch KawaKawa that come in, swiftly catching Akule. Its a huge fish like a small tuna. Ka'ale went after the bait, the guy notices and Team Billand let him know the seal was coming. The guy gets the fish out in time, Ka'ale zooms in and went after the bait but misses. Ka'ale perched his head on the rocks, and stared at the man, as if to tell him "you stole my fish". Ka'ale leaves, but turns around to glare at him. Barbara was convinced he was swearing. LOL.

Ka'ale left the outfall after a couple of hours and they found him at a nearby beach on the rocks, grumbling all by himself. (probably still swearing at the fisherman). Usually when a seal is vocal like he was, there is another seal nearby or coming up. But there was no sign of any other seal. On their last check of the area Ka'ale wasn't there.

LESLEY'S Ka'ena Update:
My first seal of the day was down the beach in front of our beach access: R330 "Squinty"

Then at the PlayPen RK88 "Puna" D82 & RK40 "Napua" D76 were hauled out on the sand sleeping.

I met up with Team T&D on their hike out to the point. At Hidden Beach we found RN58 "Luana" near the waterline on the right side of the beach. She overnighted. I followed her trails up and down the 2nd dune.

We arrived just on time at the point to see 2 seals vocalizing at each other from one side

of the reef to the other. On the outside RE74 "Benny" (great tag photo by Tammy) and RO40 "Ka'ena" on the inside. "Benny" didn't like what was said and left. "Ka'ena" bummed turned around, entered the Main Pool and left. We didn't see them again.

On our way back we stopped at Hidden Beach and found that R330 "Squinty" had joined "Luana" and all was calm. The family with whom we had done outreach said he swam in and went straight to her, just as I told them it could happen. I also had told them to make sure no one was in the water if they spotted a seal in the water, because of matting season males can be aggressive.

Back at the PlayPen, both weaners were in the water playing and headed all the way out to the outer reefs. I'll check on them in the late afternoon.