We got there at right around 8:30, met Bob and hit the beach right away. The water was calm and the sun was warm. It really wasn't good turtle weather but a sick turtle needs little reason to wash ashore. Having Bob with us was good for more than excellent company... he pointed out some birds I might not have otherwise photographed, such as this Lifer (#167) Razorbill. Very cool bird!
#88 on the year.
Word was out that a Snowy Owl had been seen at this beach so we kept our eyes peeled. Bob was also anxious to see seals. This Gray Seal was our first mammal sighting.
I honestly don't like being around too many people, but these two are always welcome in my line of sight.
We weren't seeing any turtles. I felt bad that Bob had traveled so far to lend a hand for turtles that just weren't showing up. We got almost to the Point and the high tide had our path covered. We had to wait for it to receed.
While waiting, a couple came up to us. They had traveled from Worcester to unofficially walk the beach. They had a sled. They had seen a couple of turtles the week before and had caught the bug. That's great, though they really should check in at HQ and let their presence be known. Whatever... the more eyes the merrier. They didn't wait for the tide to ebb and they went back, starting on the bay side.
I went to the Point, startled a bunch of gulls and Eiders, then headed back having seen no turtles.
Half-way Rock had something Bob was waiting for... a big ol' Gray Seal lounging on top of it.
Then I saw it... a turtle in need. I looked closer... no! It was washed up body!!
Ah, no... just Bob photographing the seal.
Heading back, we noticed a sled trail in the sand. Evidently, the couple had found a turtle and were bringing it back with them, even though the sanctuary knew we were out there. At first, I thought "well, good for them." Then I thought about the fact that my band was playing that night and I could just as easily stayed home and slept had I known someone was going to be walking the beach. I was tired and cranky and I started to walk fast. I got way ahead of Andrea and Bob.
Way up past the turn-off to leave the beach, I saw what might have been a turtle washed up. I looked through my binoculars. No, maybe it was just a fat gull laying there. As I got closer still, I realized it was a seal pup. Probably a Harbor Seal. It watched me as I got closer. I thought it might be injured because it wasn't doing much more than looking at me...
I couldn't see any wounds (the brown spots on the neck looked like dried blood through the binoculars) but it only flopped a little towards the water, still watching me.
I attempted to get on the other side of it to look for a wound. Then it hit the water and BOLTED off like a bullet. It was fine and healthy after all.
My guess is that I was the first human it had ever seen. Poor guy... such a homely first human!
We went back to the sanctuary to see if we were needed in any other capacity. Evidently, no turtles were called in or delivered from our beach. That means either the couple stole a turtle (unlikely) or they used the sled to haul other stuff, like found buoys or something. That relieved me a bit. We stopped in to say hi to our friends Tim and Maureen who were checking in expired turtles. Only five live turtles had come in all day from the entire Cape. Time threw us a bone and let us show Bob the turtles that he was getting ready to take to rehab.
I hope it was worth it for Bob. I know we always enjoy his company and I think he's becoming a big fan of Cape Cod. We made it home by 5 PM which wasn't really enough time for a nap, but we rested and later that night, rock and/ or roll happened.
We're still trying to recover from that long day and we'll be right back to the beach this weekend. This "second season" is a tough one but its really the only thing that we do that matters.
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