Early yesterday morning, our first responder was out doing beach “sweeps” looking for seal pup Spencer. She found him alert and on shore at the north end of Alki Beach. True to form, for the fourth day in a row he had hauled out at high tide, but was up quite close to the walkway.

Among the people that gathered as he wriggled ashore was a woman who offered our responder a hand toting cones and stakes. We can’t thank her enough for her help. Once again, off leash dogs were an issue at Alki and we gave Spencer a generous boundary on the beach.

Volunteers watched over the pup in shifts and talked to many curious and delighted people, letting them peer through the spotting scope for an even closer look and distributing informational pamphlets. Bald eagles were abundant and acrobatic overhead, entertaining volunteers as the pup zonked out for a snooze. A river otter swam leisurely by. On the sidewalk, leashed dogs of every size and shape received pats and rubs while owners stopped to learn about Spencer.

The seal pup was still sleeping on the sand long after darkness fell, but had moved down nearer the water’s edge. He was gone when we checked at 10pm last night.

Spencer is most definitely looking too thin. We hope this extended rest and hospitality shown by West Seattle residents and visitors will give him a boost in energy to forage for food. We did not see him on shore all day today. However, there was a small, white pup on the offshore platform surrounded by cormorants. Perhaps it was Spencer sleeping at that infinitely safer location.

Ruby, the rehabilitated pup from south of Tacoma, is still using the Jack Block Park area. She was sighted napping on the protected beach the other morning. Ruby has put on weight since we first spotted her last month. Read about Ruby here.

Tags: Spencer, Ruby