5-28-8 Right Spot surfaces at Turtle Bay

It's been about 12 days since we've seen her, (Friday May 16) but today she surfaces on the beach at Turtle Bay. Here she is sleeping away.

Wonder where she's been for the last couple of weeks? Hmmmmmmm!

Hana's two weeks old now and gets into trouble

Hana gets over the piling and cannot get back. This ordeal lasted about 10 minutes or so. Mom (honey girl 5AY) barks long and hard, while Hana is barking in apology trying and trying to get back over. Finally he makes it back over the piling and back into mom's safety. All the barking stops and Mom gets to rest with Hana by her side. What a morning!

Official Monk site for your Reference

http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/psd/psd_staff.php

Today: Right Spot at Wailee Beach Park

Today we get to mark off Right Spot at Wailee Beach Park just past dead man's curve by Kawela Bay area. (Note: Remember Right Spot is nicknamed that because of the natural bleached round spot on her right center side) She appears to have beached herself at about 06:45. I got the call at about 07:00 and after talking to a person on the beach, learned that she came up about 15 to 20 minutes before that. So let me see, 07:00 minus 15 minutes . . ., Yup, that's about 06:45. Math is amazing if you know how to use it. And talk about lazy, I went back just now at 5:00pm. That lady is still sleeping on the beach. I doubt if she even brushed her teeth today and probably won't even make her bed before she takes off. What a life . . . I wonder if she get pilau breath? Hmmmmm!

The latest release from NOAA

FYI, PO = Pup Oahu, then there's 1, 2, & 3. Pup on Oahu #1 was born on Rabbit Island on 4/20. We are referring to the 2 new pups as pup #2 and #3 (P02 and P03). THE PICTURES HEREIN SHOWN ARE: Picture #1 Pup 2 and Picture #2 is Pup 3. I don't have pictures of Pup one because Rabbit Island is in DB's, Donna's, Patricia's and all the Windward volunteer's territory. (I haven't met too many of them as of yet) PO-1's pictures will probaly be posted on Donna's spot http://MonkSealMania.blogspot.com since I am only keeping track (pictures) of Monks found here on the North Shore. Pictures posted here are again credited to this Polynesian lady named Marsha White!

R5AY and P02 born Monday 5/12 across from Crawfords Convelescent Home on the NS (about 1/4 mile before Wailee Beach Park). Pup is a male. This is the third pup for this mom.

This female was first identified as an adult on Kauai in 2002. She was tagged on Kauai in 2003 (tags: 5AY/5AZ) and received the perm. ID of R5AY. She was sighted on Oahu in 2004 and 2005. In 2005 she gave birth to her first pup on Kauai (RI37). In 2006 she gave birth to her second pup on Oahu at Turtle Bay--this pup later drowned in a gill net off of Rabbit Island. She tends to frequent the North and Northwest shores of Oahu. (You can check this blogsite's previous posts to see how often she has landed on the North Shore of Oahu during 2008.)


RK28 aka ("KC") and P03 born on 5/14 in Mokuleia. Have not sexed the pup at this time. This is the first documented pup for this mom. RK28 is typically a seal seen on Kauai. She is untagged and was first identified on Kauai in 2003. She was seen briefly on Oahu in 2005. She returned to Oahu the fall of 2007 and has been sighted regularly along the North Shore and Northwest side of the island. She was bleach marked "N14" and has several prominent cookie cutter shark scars on her body that help to identify her. It is believed that she may have pupped on Niihau in the past: observations from Kauai report that she would disappear while looking very pregnant, only to return several months later much thinner.

David Schofield wrote:
> Aloha all,
>
> Thanks again for all the support for 5AY and P02...several are now saying this looks like a male so it must be true...

> A few updates:
>
> 1. Here is the updated pup schedule...it is getting there but we still have some folks that are pulling extra duty and would like some relief. It would also be ideal to have 2-3 per shift. We had a drop out for Friday...Jim and Kathy Brown are filling in but we need to fill in the spot by next week. Please continue to reach out to potentially interested folks.

> 2. Today I dropped off a bucket of outreach materials, new signs, and other goodies please check the bucket and familiarize yourself with the fact sheets/info.
> 3. Please feel free to call me for needs or issues with the mom and pup. When in doubt give me a shout. 721-5343.
>
> Happy seal sitting.
> Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo!!!
> David
>
> patie boehm wrote:
>> Aloha Everyone,
>>
>> David wants volunteers to know that there will be media coverage on our Monk Seal pup tonight or tomorrow. The location is not being disclosed on the news.

>> Aloha
>>
>> Patricia

KC gives birth and is currently being protected

KC and Honey Girl are currently surrounded by a protection fencing and volunteers are giving their all to see that they are not desturbed. But it is taking everybody's 100%. Take my schedule today 05:00 to 09:15 at one North Shore birth site. Then off to another birth site setting up the perimeter fencing till about 1:30, then a brief lunch before I get another call for a sighting at Sunset Beach. I couldn't find that one so I checked out the first site where Honey Girl was for a final viewing before I called it a day. Tomorrow we get a similar schedule. And that's just what I'm doing. David, Tracy, DB, Donna, Brenda, Terri, Lori and a whole bunch of others that I haven't met yet, but hope to meet this week are all busy watching and logging in data. All of us are running ragged setting up to do the monitoring of these little pups activity.

But, we're all having a very good time watching and keeping track of all that's going on with these two little guys. You'd never know that there were these many people willing to donate their time unless you got involved.

Our two NOAA leaders, David and Tracy deserve a great big pat on the back for their time, leadership and training in all of this.

R5AY gives birth at a secluded NS Beach

R5AY aka "Honey Girl" gives birth to a beautiful 30lb pup yesterday between 08:00 and 09:00 according to Marishia Hanneman who was first on the scene yesterday morning. We pointed out the placenta to NOAA's DB Dunlap who gathered it together for NOAA's study. After that, he roped off the area which will be continually monitored till our pup get's to be strong enough to take off on its own. I understand Mom will be with her new pup for between 4-6 weeks. Mom will lose a lot of weight and pup will gain a lot of weight. I'll keep you posted on the weekly developments right here on this site. It was documented by us that pups first suck was at 11:22 this morning. Up until then all pup wanted to do was snuggle with mom, figure out how to move around and bask in the sunshine.

Photo shoots are credited to: Marsha White while her husband, (herein known and identified as "Hanapa'a") was doing the unimportant gathering of trivial data which is surely to be deemed of no great concern to anyone but those interested in the assembling of petty trivia.

2 yr old - R030 rests in Haleiwa

Yesterday she was at Mokuleia, today she's moved up to Haleiwa. She beached herself at 07:22 this morning. She asked for a little peace and quiet, so I roped her off, took a few pics then left. Had to go check out the birth of R5AY so I'll be back and see if R030's still on shore sleeping.

Well I just got back and she's gone off to lunch someplace so R030 is back in the water. Check out the next post for pics of our new R5AY Pup. She's a beauty!

Seal pup rescued, flown to Oahu site - Article

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

Officials are hopeful that they can save a 2-day-old monk seal found abandoned in a remote part of Kaua'i's North Shore, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said yesterday.

The pup was flown to O'ahu yesterday on a Coast Guard C-130 and was being attended last night by a team of experts, NOAA said.

"We've never dealt with a seal this young before and are guardedly optimistic because dealing with a neonate (newborn) is tricky business," said Charles Littnan, head of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Project. "The animal will be stressed and susceptible to disease, so strict quarantine measures will be observed."

On Friday, a team was sent to Kaua'i to follow up on reports of an abandoned monk seal pup.

When they arrived, they found the pup alone on the beach, said Wende Goo, NOAA spokeswoman.

Shortly afterward a male and female joined the pup, but attempts to reintroduce the pup to the female were unsuccessful.

Instead, the female, who is believed to be the same one that abandoned a pup in the same location last year about the same time, exhibited aggressive behavior toward the pup, Goo said.

The recovery team then determined that the pup's only chance for survival would be in captive care on O'ahu.

Littnan pressed the quick response of many agencies involved in the rescue.

"NOAA Fisheries is fortunate to have partners like the Coast Guard, the Marine Mammal Center and DLNR supporting us as we could not do this without their help," he said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Today May 4, RO16 comes up again

RO16 comes up at Gas Chambers today just about 1/4 mile north of Pipeline. There's my bleach mark and there's my beautiful face again. "Why can't I get fat like the other girls?"

May 3 was at Sunset Beach

RO16 came up at Sunset Beach again. The first picture is with the infamous natural bleach mark. The second picture says, "with a face like this, you juss gotta love me!"

Today's sightings Sunset Beach 5-2-8

Today we got called to Sunset Beach to picture the same unknown seal that was on Kawela Bay the other day. Maybe we have a new seal that needs a name? I'll keep you all posted on this one. My guess is it either has a name or needs one! But then again, what do I know?

KC surfaces again in Haleiwa on Alii Beach

KC surfaced again May 1 at 07:30 on Alii Beach by the Haleiwa Surf Condominiums. Still no more pups running around and no weight loss. I hope she pups on Haleiwa side. Guess then we'd get to name the pup! Hmmmm Does "Haleiwa Joe" ring the dinner bell? O well, I'll work on it! Because crowds started to form, I placed posts around her. She slept throughout the day and at about 4:20 in the afternoon, she decided to go out for dinner.