I'll Have Two Seals to Go

Recently, I had the pleasure to get involved in my favorite job at the marine mammal hospital: releasing our patients back into the wild. You would think that releasing would be an easier job than actually capturing sick and wounded animals. However, that is often not the case when you're trying to coax a wary (and powerful) sea lion into a container for transport; it goes against all their instincts to comply. Naturally, these two sea lions put on a remarkable display of resistance, requiring 8 people to corrall them for transport--quite out of the ordinary. Don't they know they're going home? Personally, I think their tenacity will serve them well in the wild as they compete for food and evade predators such as sharks and killer whales.

After all the drama of herding these two spirited sea lions, Ziccardi and Miamita, it was a relatively easy journey down to Half Moon Bay for release. Of course, these two just had to bounce around in their enclosures during the whole trip, startling onlooking commuters! Once their moment of freedom arrived, we were lucky for a group of nearby children and parents witness the release. After all the sickness, injury, and loss I see at the hospital, the experience to see a healthy sea lion return home is very rewarding. Good luck to Ziccardi and Miamita!
Photo credit: Jules Winters

Sonoma's "Grape to Glass" 2006

Grape to Glass, an annual event in the Russian River wine country, brings together some of the best local winemakers for an afternoon tasting. There we sampled a number of fine pinots and other varietals from Kosta Browne, Papapietro, Merry Edwards, and many other quality winemakers. It's a unique opportunity to taste so many fine local wines together, meet the owners, then enjoy a hearty barbecue for dinner. For more info on future wine events, visit the Russian River grower's site.
Photo source: Saralee Vineyards

Pickle on the Beach

Today, the Marine Mammal Center prepped Pickle for release, while a BBC film crew recorded the procedure of affixing several UK-made transmitters. True to form, she tried to wake up in the middle of getting her second transmitter glued on, but was restrained and further sedated. Pickle was an interesting sea lion for us volunteers to feed and treat. Initially suffering from short-term blindness due to domoic acid poisoning, the animal was quite defensive until the symptoms subsided. Since many sea lions suffer permanent brain damage from DA, I doubted Pickle's chance for recovery. I'm very happy to hear of its release today at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands. Photo credit: Stan Jensen, Marine Mammal Center.

The Season to Kayak!

Summer is simply a wonderful time to kayak! Ample sunshine, warmer waters, and abundant wildlife make for a pleasant, invigorating journey every time. Last Saturday, we invited a group of kayakers to join us on our local Corte Madera Creek. I admire those first-timers who joined us for the 3-mile round trip from Kentfield to Larkspur, and hope they'll kayak with us again. The local wildlife put on a show that day, where sightings included egrets, green herons, great blue herons, and a host of ducks and geese. Bat rays and harbor seals are also a common sight in their search for food. Later this summer, expect to see more northern shorebirds as they begin their arrival to winter on our shores, such as scaups, willets, plovers, sandpipers, stilts, and avocets. We're planning more kayaking trips this summer, so stay tuned for further details.

Blading in Marin

Summer's finally here, and it's time to dust off those skates for some great cardio exercise on Marin's scenic paths. If you like to blade, you should check out Inline Skaters of Marin, a fun and diverse group of skaters who enjoy a lively ride through Marin ever week. We meet every Wednesday to skate in Larkspur or Tiburon, often going out for dinner afterwards. Our skate was recently featured in the Marin IJ.
Join us for some fun skating in the cool summer evenings!
Photo credit: IJ/Alan Dep

Leaving on a jet plane

This week a longtime guest to The Marine Mammal Center, a California sea lion named Seahawk , will fly cross-country to his new home at the Pittsburgh Aquarium. Seahawk had grown so accustomed to people that he was no longer safe in the wild; he would routinely enter populated areas and find himself at risk. Several efforts were made to relocate Seahawk to unpopulated areas, only to discover the seal immediately swam back to reunite with his human friends! While a friendly seal might look like fun for all, feeding or otherwise encouraging a seal separates the animal from its natural food and habitat. Eventually, the animal will lose the ability to live in the wild. I've worked with California sea lions and discovered how powerfully adapted they are to the extremes of marine life. We can best admire these wonderful creatures from a respectful distance, and preserve their home for future generations.

Since Seahawk could no longer survive in the wild, I'm happy he's found a permanent home at Pittsburgh's new aquarium.

Help a Seal

At The Marine Mammal Center, we rehabilitate sea mammals that are injured, sick, or separated from their mothers, such as the harbor seal pictured here. Cute little guy, isn't he? The tragedy is that many harbor seals are unintentionally seperated from their mothers when onlookers believe the seal is abandoned and intervene. When the animal is rescued this way, it's often impossible to return the seal to its mother, forcing us to provide long-term care until it can fend for itself in the wild. Baby harbor seal mortality is high in captivity, so please do not move a seal yourself--no matter how cute it may be. Please first call our hotline at 415.289.SEAL (7325). In Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties 831.633.6298. These Rescue Hotlines operate 24 hours a day.