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FAQ
Why do they lay on the beach?
Seals and sea lions can haul out on the beach for a number of reasons. It could be that they are simply napping or resting, or they may need to warm up from the cold ocean water. Seals and sea lions also come out of the water to give birth, so keep an eye out for small pups in the photos! Additionally, they may haul out of the water to molt (replace their fur). Sea lions molt gradually, whereas elephant seals have what is called a catastrophic molt - they lose their fur and dead skin in a couple weeks. This is why elephant seals may sometimes look brown instead of silver. Whether it's to rest, molt, or give birth, it is normal and healthy for seals and sea lions to hang out on the beach!
Why are we only marking seals and sea lions - aren't there more than one species of each?
Yes, there are usually four different species present on the island: northern elephant seals, harbor seals, California sea lions, and Steller sea lions. The vast majority of animals you see will be California sea lions, and the next most abundant are the northern elephant seals. Harbor seals and Steller sea lions make up a very small portion of the animals on the island, and they are extremely difficult to differentiate since they resemble the other species fairly closely. Because of the difficulties in identification and the small proportion of animals, we simplified our count to seals and sea lions.
Why do the images seem out of focus or blurry?
In order to cause the least disturbance to the animals, we fly our drone high above the island, so the images you are seeing are zoomed in - a lot! Below is an example of the images that our drone takes before we zoom in. You can see the image is much clearer, but the amount of animals in it makes it impossible to count! By breaking the images up into smaller sizes it makes counting less overwhelming, but also tends to lower the resolution of the photos. Don't worry too much if a photo is blurry and you aren't sure about your classifications, we run each image past at least 15 citizen scientist and take the most popular vote - so if you get a few wrong, it won't mess up our data.
What are the strange lines I see in some photos?
The lines that you are seeing are actually a result of error in our image-stitching software. This occurs often in areas where there is a moving, reflective surface (such as water). In the lab, we input the photos taken by the drone into software that stitches them together to create an image of the entire island. From there, we break the one, large image down into the smaller photos that volunteers are classifying. Because the software is looking for overlap between images, it has a difficult time finding the correct overlap when there is so much movement happening in the water. As a result, we are able to see those lines, which indicate where the software has stitched photos together. This can create some strange-looking photographs, but is usually not a problem over land so won't affect our counts.
I see something that looks like the ghost of an animal. What's going on?
Just like mentioned above, our photo stitching software has a hard time finding the correct overlap between photos when there's a lot of movement going on. For example, if a group of birds takes off, it can result in "ghost" birds like the ones below. If you see this, don't feel like you have to count all of the ghost birds, only count the ones you are sure of!
I think I see writing on a sea lion - what is that?
Good eye! What you are seeing is an animal that was branded with a unique number that allows researchers to identify it. This helps keep track of how these animals are surviving out in the wild. If you want more information, check out NOAA's website.
What should I do if I see an animal that looks sick or injured?
Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to tell the health of an animal from our drone photos, and even more difficult to find that animal again to check. We appreciate your concern - it can be sad to see animals that are sick or injured, especially if they have an injury from interactions with humans (such as fishing line or nets). As researchers, we hope to use our census count data and other research to assess the health of the population and trends of growth or decline. So by helping us count seals and sea lions, you are a part of a project that will help protect these animals in the future - thank you!
I see brown and/or red puddles of water - where do those come from?
The brown puddles are most likely from a seal or sea lion pooping in the water. A little gross but totally natural! The red puddles could be from a seal or sea lion mother that has just given birth - look around in the photo for any small pups nearby to check!
What are the buildings that I see in the photos?
What you are seeing are the remains of a 19th century lighthouse and fog signal station that are no longer in use. One building is occasionally used by researchers when they need to spend the night on the island, but the larger house is no longer occupied, except by birds and sea lions. You might also spot a solar panel - that is used to power the live cam on the island!
