Visiting Monk

A rapidly retreating tide left lots of tiny manini stranded on the shore this morning. At first I thought they were fish scales glistening in the bright sun, not entire fish.

And what was I doing on shore instead of in the water this morning? I was part of the crowd which gathered to watch one of Hawaii's critically endangered Monk Seals hunting fish along the shore.

Maui Boy seemed to have no difficulty catching and eating lots of fish. He was born in Kipahulu nine years ago and has fathered pups on Kahoolawe, Maui and Lanai. Some expect the species to go extinct in the next fifty years, so it was a real treat to see one of the few remaining monk seals.