Early this very chilly January morning, First Responder David got a call from the Hotline Operator Gretchen, reporting a seal on the beach at Lincoln Park. David was able to locate the seal, nestled close to the walkway at Colman Pool.

Quickly setting a tape perimeter in place, he contacted Scheduler Melinda who began calling volunteers for the day. Thanks to Seal Sitters Margy, Jay, Carol and Richard for standing guard while the seal was onshore. A number of porpoises and California sea lions were observed swimming in the Sound.

The beautifully spotted seal returned to the water around 1 pm, just as orcas were reported off Bainbridge and Blake Island. Transient orcas are a major predator of harbor seals and have been sighted regularly in Puget Sound over the past year. Seal Sitters volunteers stuck around for a while, just to be sure the seal did return to shore.

The young seal hauled out a couple of times on the large cement footings that are revealed offshore when the tide recedes. All volunteers left the Park shortly afterwards since he was resting safely away from people and dogs.

Since this is our first seal of 2018, the name Uno was suggested - Spanish for the number one.

Tags: Uno