Beach Visitor

…sun….sea…and the great smell of sealion…..

…(non-tagged female sealion soaking up some rays before going for a feed)…

Pinnipedic Extravaganza

…seals at the head of the Aramoana Mole……and at the Northern end of Victory Beach….baby seals left to there own devices whilst their mothers fish……meanwhile back at Aramoana’s Shelley Beach….large male sealion at rest……sea lion pup, Janet, practicing challenge charges in the dunes……whilst mother, Pattie, and another female sealion take a nap……next morning, Pattie & Janet napping on the beach…..…later that same day…Janet most definitely not napping…….and to top the day off…..

….”lunch” with unidentified female sealion….

….I had the Croissant with Camembert.

On An Idyllic Day

…on an idyllic beach……sealions…

…sealions……variable oyster catchers….…sealions……and a bloody unpleasant climb up & out….

…(only 30% of very steep sand dune shown…good friend Dee included for scale….with kind permission from good friend Dee)….

 

….(…

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Sandfly+Bay/@-45.8874368,170.5037404,37114m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0xa82eb3dbda7752bb:0x2a00ef86ab651080?hl=en

…).

On The Way Back From Invercargill

…I nipped thru the Catlins…

…Slope Point , southern most tip of the South Island, it’s bloody windy there…

…all the time, judging by the trees….

…Waipapa Point is further back down the coast towards Inver’s & is no less exposed…

…with the added attraction of adjacent pinnipeds…. 

…they’re stacked like cord wood on the beach….…and this one, upwind from the “pile” & myself, definitely smelt the worst…

…mmm…pinnipeds.

 

…(…

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Waipapa+Point+Lighthouse/@-46.6599743,168.8448698,560m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0xa82d41520382fa2b:0xd4a9b2ea37bfc203!6m1!1e1?hl=en

…)….

It Is Written On The Stars

…both sides…

…it’s also in the numbers on the pinnipeds….

….and the way the sand lands…

…we thought we saw the signs… …and now the signs are up!

…(….on a salt marsh, on a harbour mouth far, far away….)….

….(if you have the time, check out….

http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/aramoana-biodiversity

…mmm…biodiversity!)

Aramoana

…sand….

 

…small female sealions…

 

…bloody great male sealions…

…small birds…

 

…and two carloads less crap….

Washed

…up???…foot???…seaweed???…WHAT?….

…the Otago harbour sometimes does that annoying answer-to-my-question “magic-8-ball” thing…

…also recently washed up on the beach…

…another female sealion on a break…

…that’s the third in as many months (note the tag on the  near side flipper…something not present on the  other two)…

…nice to see them using the beach so regularly…

….mmm…sealions…..

When Is A Log Not A Log

 

…when it’s a female sea lion of course…

 

…careful where you tread.

 

…(much larger than the last lass to drop by near my good friend Dee’s place…but no less stinky!…mmmm…nothing beats the great smell of sea-lion in the morning….).

Our Lady Of The Dunes

…she’s back…

 

…and sleeping soundly…

…because the pinky blob that is on the grass stuff just below her flipper in the first photo is what’s left of an octopus….

….mmmm…octopus.

…(and her previous visit…

https://boredinarecordshop.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/sealions/

…mmm…sealions)….

…(and while we’re on the subject…my new favourite time waster….

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/walrus-cam-round-island

…mmm…walruses).