Wave of seal pups comes ashore

     
It was another busy day for Seal Sitters yesterday as pups have begun to visit the shores of Puget Sound with more frequency. In West Seattle alone, we had three pups in different locations. The first report (from two of our volunteers out for a bike ride) was of a pup on the small beach east of the Jack Block pier. The very small pup, nicknamed Waldo, appeared to have a bit of umbilicus and returned to Elliott Bay in the afternoon. A second pup in the same park, nicknamed Cupcake, rested on the rocks underneath a walkway and was quietly observed by volunteers and a very respectful, rapt public. Shown in the photo above, Cupcake swims back to the rocky shore after a quick dip. This healthy looking pup finally returned to Elliott Bay early evening after a good, long snooze in the sun. A third pup was located on a private beach that was accessible by beachcombers at low tide. This pup, deemed Kai by waterfront residents, has been observed off and on for the past few days, possibly with an attending mom, as an adult has been seen offshore swimming with the pup. Kai may be the same pup that was reported on August 13th a bit further up the beach. The pup was back on the beach again today and returned to Puget Sound at 8:15 tonight. Concerned and considerate neighbors have been keeping an eye on this little pup - one neighbor even moved a beach party to a different location so as not to disturb Kai or possibly prevent mom from returning (if indeed that is a mom). Kudos to the neighborhood!

Seal Sitters also responded to a report of a pup on a Seattle park beach. The pup returned to Puget Sound overnight.

KAYAKERS PLEASE NOTE: The beach east of the Jack Block Park pier is closed to the public. Access by kayak is not permitted by the Port of Seattle. Waldo was not spotted on the beach there today. Instead, several kayakers were using the beach. Port authorities plan to post signage that the beach is indeed closed to lessen confusion.




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