Volunteers have been kept busy this past week, but our responses have hardly been the norm. Instead of pups resting during the day, two pups that we know of have been sleeping on public beaches at night.

For five nights in a row, a late visitor nicknamed Nocturne, used a stretch of sandy beach to snooze in the relative quiet of darkness. The alert pup was a welcome sight for our volunteers - finally, a chubby pup to watch over, after responding to so many terribly thin pups this season. Each morning before sunrise, our responder has checked the beach but the pup has been gone. Our fear, of course, is the many people who insist on allowing their dogs off leash late at night and in the wee hours of the morning. Or a runner zipping down the beach in the darkness could easily step on a sleeping pup.

On Friday night, the hotline received a call from a young boy and his mom who discovered another pup on a public access cove. Our responders, who were observing Nocturne with volunteers, quickly took off to find the next pup and secured the area with stakes, tape and signs while the pup stretched, yawned and rolled over on her back to take an extended nap. The pup, nicknamed Ma Kai, was checked on periodically throughout the night and returned to Elliott Bay about 5:30 am Saturday morning.

Around 7am Saturday, hotline operator Dave answered an early call with yet another report of a pup on a public beach (photo above). Within minutes, our responder was at the location and the pup was cordoned off. This chubby pup stayed on shore for a couple of hours and then returned to the Sound. As is our practice, volunteers waited about 1/2 hour before taking down the perimeter and left the scene. Shortly after, the phone rang that the pup was back at the same location. Volunteers re-established the yellow tape perimeter. This pup went in and out of the water all afternoon and into the night. By the third time, we were wise enough to leave the tape up, knowing the pup would return. Thanks to all the volunteers who put in long hours on a very strange weather day - including a drenching downpour.

This was unusual behavior for a seal pup. Typically in West Seattle, they haul out and rest for long periods of time, up to 8-10 hours. When they return to the water, we usually don’t see them again for many, many hours. We compared markings on this pup and have determined that he is indeed Nocturne (shown above coming ashore on one of his many roundtrips yesterday). That might also explain his active behavior yesterday, since we know he had such a long sleep on another beach the night before.

Needless to say, our responders are a tad tired after Nocturne and Ma Kai’s on-going night adventures. Volunteers Nina and Theresa are shown watching over Nocturne at dusk last evening. Ma Kai also returned to her cove last night for another long rest, but was gone at 5am this morning.

10/21/12 12:48pm PUPDATE
Nocturne was not on the beach at 5:15 this morning. However, at 10 am we noticed fresh tracks in the sand, but no pup in sight. We fully expect him to return this afternoon as the tide recedes - the little trickster may well take a sun break on the sand. Or, he could pick another spot just to keep us on our toes. Please call the hotline @ 206-905-7325 (SEAL) if you see a pup on shore.

Tags: Nocturne, Ma Kai