Monk Seal Morning

Sleep late on a Sunday morning?  Not me; even on Sundays I like to wake up on the early side.  A little after sunrise I was on North Beach walking along the lagoon's edge.  I looked down; there were more crab holes than I've ever seen on any seashore.  This tells me what an undisturbed beach this is; no dogs to bite the crabs!

I looked up and...RIGHT THERE in front of me was a Hawaiian Monk Seal!  It must have come ashore while I was paying attention to the crab holes.  Oh no!  The Refuge -- or anywhere: O`ahu, Maui, Moloka`i...ANYwhere -- requires that we stay 150 feet away from these rare and endangered animals.  Hawaiian Monk Seals are VERY sensitive to disturbance.

I definitely agree with that rule, so I immediately turned around and walked quietly but steadily inland.  When I was far enough away, I slowly sat down and watched through my binoculars.The seal seemed a bit unsettled.  

He (or she) looked around, and then humped further up the slope, dug its nose into the beach and tossed sand over its back.  When it had quite a pile, he settled down. Perhaps the sand will keep bothersome flies away while he snoozes late on a Sunday morning.