The elephant seal beached at the North Jetty took a turn for the worse over the past few days. A wound on the seal’s left flank – possibly a shark bite – was festering and apparently rotting, necessitating the need for the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center to step in.

Volunteers met in the parking lot this morning for a quick planning session, then trucked out to the seal. They gathered around, called, “Let’s go!” and quickly straddled the injured seal and within a few minutes had lifted her into a crate. Next stop for “Robbie” – now named after Jetty caretaker Rob Franks, who’s been instrumental in keeping a eye on the seal – the Crescent City center, where she’ll receive antibiotics and care. 

Volunteers:  Lynda Stockton, Stranding Coordinator Northcoast Marine Mammal Center; Rob Franks; Bill Lydgate; Lana Ray; Brett Carothers; Brett Poirier; Nathan Freney; Jason O’Connell; Daniel Worley and Kaylee Savage-Wright.

The eagle egg has landed!

A couple of hours ago, the obsessive eagle freaks over at the Humboldt Bay Eagles Facebook group were a-watchin’ the ol’ eaglecam and they noticed that mama eagle was settling into … wait, could it really be … ?

— screenshotted by Ciara Weaver

Yes! Egg!

The aforementioned freaks captured video of the event and its joyous aftermath, then YouTubed it for all to enjoy. (I believe Karen Hammes deserves a special shoutout, here.) 

Check it out! Near the end the proud papa zooms back to home base, examines his shelled progeny and emits a victory shriek.

Oh, the snowy plover. Such a wee bird to trigger such a spectrum of emotion.  At yesterday’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisors’ meeting, reactions to a plan to poison plover predators ranged from concern to outrage.

The status of plovers as a federally listed endangered species infuriates a certain segment of recreational beach users – those with horses and/or 4-wheel drives – for interfering with what’s viewed as a veritable birthright. People expect free rein to ride and drive on Clam Beach and have long bristled at restrictions aimed at protecting plover habitat.

Snowy plover chick. Photo from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

As if humans weren’t trouble enough, struggling plover parents also contend with the corvid menace – certain particularly heartless ravens and crows love to steal baby plover eggs right out of plover nests! Not all corvids, mind you, but ones who’ve become used to the easy pickings plovers provide.

Enter the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The agency’s been striving to increase the plover population f