12/25/2021 Christmas Monk Seal Dailies

Todays yuletide dailies are brought to you by Marilyn and Team R&B🎄🎅🤶.   True dedication going out there on xmas checking on the seals.

Marilyn checked a few spots before observing Rabbit Island, she didn't see any seals but did see her first humpback whales this year.  She viewed Rabbit Island from 10:25 to 12:10, and there were four seals on island.

Just down and Lanikai side of the 1BS were two seals:

U/J : larger juvenile size, light belly, unknown gender and not sure about tags. There may be a wound on the upper chest near RFF, if so this might be the untagged J/F from 12/22.

A/F: subadult to adult size, grayish-yellow female belly and two tags.

Just Makapuu side of 3BS were two seals, both of which were initially up in the dunes, but then moved down.

A/M: adult size, old coat, brown male belly and no tags seen. Again this seal seems to have some kind of wound/scar on the right nostril area. 

U/S: subadult size, newer coat, yellowish belly (not sure of gender) and two tags.

The sooty terns are colonizing more and more of the island slopes.

On the west side Team R&B's first X-Mas seal was already resting on the rocks. There were able to ID RW02 PvKauai

At their next stop they were studying the area, looking at all the snorkelers out in the water. Weather was perfect and the ocean was so calm, the whales passed by. Then they spotted a seal foraging doing 5 min dives. It looks like R3CX. Not too long after he would land at tracks, with tons of people in the area. There was a very nice woman who put up a zone for the seal.

Another seal popped up, galumphed onto the rocks. Team R&B ID'd the seal as RN14 Kalani.

Seems this was the place to be, as Team R&B watched another seal was slowly hauling up on the rocks. It was Kawika R407, no tags, scar on forehead, cookie scar on midback.

Team R&B saw another seal swimming along the shore line looking like it wanted to land. It was RH32 Kaale, opening his mouth open wide, holding his head up high. They were concerned he might have a hook. They followed his direction and hurried over to the site gathering as many sticks they could. They carefully looked him over and didn't see any lines, or hooks. Kaale was fine so he settled down.

A woman came running up to them saying she was going to post pegs for the seal they saw come up. She thanked Team R&B and they thanked her (mutual admiration). The woman informed them there was another seal, that was Nalu R3CX. 

They made their way to the bay and watching the waters they were treated by seeing the whales, and a mom and a calf. 

There was a school of fish and a seal foraging in the school. Well look at that, there was RL20. He is looking good and enjoying his Christmas meal of akule. 

Rabbit Island

RW02

RN14

R407

RH32

R3CX

Whales

RL20 foraging