#san francisco life

[reasonsforhope]

Article

As he peered over a secluded cove off the coast of San Francisco, Gerry McChesney couldn’t believe the scene that was unfolding in front of him. 

Fur seal pups — hundreds of them — had taken over the inlet at the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and were bobbing on the surface of the water in a shiny, blubbery mass, likely hiding from great white sharks as they waited for their mothers to return from the sea to nurse. The sight wasn’t exactly unheard of — island biologists at Point Blue Conservation Science had first noticed the older seal pups using the cove as a covert hideout sometime last year, McChesney, a manager for the refuge, told SFGATE. But he was on the island one day in late October when biologist Jim Tietz delivered the news: The seals were back in full force, and in numbers they had never seen before. 

McChesney decided to go take a look for himself.

“I was amazed to see them all piled in there, getting tossed around like they were in a washing machine,” he told SFGATE in an email, adding that he counted 440 in all. “They looked pretty content and like they were having a good ol’ time.”

The video McChesney captured was shared by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on social media earlier this week, garnering thousands of comments on Instagram and Facebook, with users referring to the phenomenon as “seal pup daycare” and “nature’s mosh pit.” 

To the biologists, it’s a sign of “a truly remarkable recovery.” 

The rookery’s history

The Farallon Islands host one of just two fur seal rookeries south of Alaska (the other being San Miguel Island in Santa Barbara County) after the species was completely wiped out from the area in the early 19th century. There was extensive seal hunting between about 1810 and 1838... In the first few years of widespread hunting, he estimates that over 150,000 fur seals were slaughtered (“The rookery must have been huge,” he noted) and soon, no fur seals could be found at the islands at all.

But large-scale market hunting came to an end by the mid-19th century, he said. In 1911, the United States signed the Northern Fur Seal Treaty, banning the hunting of marine mammals at sea. The Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits killing and disturbing animals including seals, was established in 1972, further aiding in the protection of the species. Two years later, 141 acres of the islands were designated the Farallon Wilderness and were closed to the public in an attempt to mitigate human disturbance so the seals could return and “breed unfettered,” McChesney said. Large breeding colonies still persisted on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and the Commander Islands off eastern Siberia, and in 1996, a female fur seal from a recovered colony on the Channel Islands made her way back to the Farallones, giving birth to the first fur seal pup there after more than 150 years of the species’ absence.

Since then, “the Farallon population has been growing rapidly,” McChesney said. Within 15 years, the local population had boomed to 476 individuals, Bay Nature reported in 2018. Initially, they clustered in one area on the west end of the islands — but now, they’re beginning to expand.

Pictured: A photo of a northern fur seal in Alaska.

A seal surge

Pupping season runs from June to August, with most of the seals born in July and remaining in the breeding colony for a few months before they are weaned, usually by the end of November. Then, the newly independent animals go out to sea on their own. 

Farallon Island biologists from Point Blue Conservation Science have been documenting the population, and this year recorded 2,133 fur seals in total, including 1,276 pups, which McChesney called “the highest pup count yet.” 

“Given that the entire colony can’t be seen, this was a minimal count and there were certainly many more,” he noted.

Pictured: The Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco.

Though Point Blue biologists have never documented white sharks feeding on fur seal pups (they typically go for juvenile northern elephant seals and sea lions) the “threat of shark attacks on the seal pups is certainly there and I’m sure the pups are aware of that,” McChesney said. “The cove where the video was taken provides a secluded spot to swim and play without worrying about the sharks.”

When the mothers return, they find their pups by using a distinctive call. But in the meantime, the pups seem not to mind the hours away in their secret hideout where they can splash and play to their hearts’ content.

“It was so much fun to watch,” McChesney said. “And knowing that the sight represents such an amazing comeback for their population made the sight mean so much more.”

-via SF Gate, December 23, 2024

[everydaysanfrancisco]

San Francisco Photography

I’d like to get this blog going.

Submit your photos of the San Francisco! I’ll post them here.

Love to see all different perspectives and areas of San Francisco.

[lesbianlenses]

Pro choice rally, 1989, San Francisco. Phyllis Christopher

[genshin-impact-updates]

The Genshin Impact × Happy Lemon collaboration will launch in the United States soon!

Attention, Travelers!

The Genshin Impact × Happy Lemon collaboration in the U.S. will launch on 11/15!

Event Duration: November 15, 2024 (Fri.) – December 31, 2024 (Tues.)

Event Locations: All Happy Lemon stores in the U.S.

Event Details:

1. The collaboration is available in the U.S. from November 15, 2024 to December 31, 2024.

2. Buy any exclusive combo set to receive a free sticker, in-game rewards, and a themed paper bag.

3. The redemption code reward can only be redeemed once per game account.

4. The "KLEE BES-TEA COMBO" and "JEAN BES-TEA COMBO" only differ in beverage flavor, but the freebies are the same.

5. The Collab Products are only available for in-store orders; delivery and app orders are not eligible.

6. Due to various factors, HappyLemon Hawaii will not be participating in this event.

For more information, please visit: https://happylemonusa.com.

Check out the poster below for the collaboration products and exclusive merchandise:

[rocy5]

[djr3x]

This is gonna go down in the Hayden autograph hall of fame

.

thanks to everyone of Twitter for sharing.

[vintagecamping]

Pulling over near the Golden Gate Bridge for some lunch.

San Francisco

1963

[vintage-tigre]

[coffeebooksandmore]

If I love you very much I will be taking you to my favorite bookstores to show you their beauty and magic ✨💞

Black Bird Bookstore + Cafe

coffeeandbookss

[toyastales]

San Francisco, California

[cinematicnomad]

ughhhh i'm about to head to the airport for the first of THREE flights to get back home. i was on a later flight originally but i switched to an earlier one bc i was worried my layover in beijing would be too tight but now i have an extra long layover bc there just weren't any better options. this means from the point i leave my hotel to when i, probably, arrive back at my apartment i will have been traveling...~36ish hours? kill me!!

[nerds-yearbook]

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premiered on November 26, 1986. It was the second Star Trek film directed by Leonard Nimoy. The film completed the story arc started with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The movie marked the 20th anniversary of Star Trek. The movie was the first of the Trek movies to take on a more humorous tone. The bridge crew (Captain Kirk - William Shatner, Bones McCoy - DeForest Kelley, Scotty - James Doohan, Sulu - George Takei, Chekov - Walter Koenig, and Uhura - Nichelle Nichols) of the destroyed Enterprise with the resurrected Spock (Nimoy) travelled from 2286 to 1986 in a stolen Klingon bird of prey. Their mission was to get two whales and bring them back to the future to prevent an apocalypse from a whale loving probe. It was the first version of Star Trek to present a female Star Fleet Captain (Madge Sinclair) and established there was no currency anymore in the Federation. The movie had cameos from Star Trek TOS characters Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) and Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney). The movie was released around the time that Paramount announced they were branching the Star Trek franchise into Star Trek the Next Generation. ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home", Movie, Event)

[latenightsushi]

Last week, I was able to fly out to SF and meet my team for a whirlwind 24 hours! The city is beautiful, and I really hope I can stay for longer next time 💙

X

[downfalldestiny]

Stay 🌉 !.

[sleeplessdreamingg]

the warmth of the golden hour with you…

[emmieexplores2]

1955- Streetscape on Nob Hill in San Francisco