Predators & Lions

Did I catch your attention?  Not there are not African lions on Kangaroo Island, but there are sea lions.  More on that in a minute.

We planned on KI being a little bit of rejuvenation, taking mornings slow and not cramming a lot into the day.  We brought food for all of our meals both because there aren't a large number of dining options near us and we didn't want to be out driving after sunset to avoid any possibility of a road mishap with a kangaroo.

After breakfast and time spent looking out at our fabulous view, we headed to Raptor Domain for their show featuring their birds of prey.  Two bird handlers brought out a number of birds, some of which we were able to hold and touch, to show the variety of birds found in Australia.  All but the eagle were allowed to free fly.  There were a couple that were still out in the trees when the show was over.  There were several owl species, a buzzard that looked more like an eagle, a bird that was good at using a rock as a tool and, of course, an eagle.  While not the most polished of operations, they seemed to care about the birds and educating the public on ways to keep them around.









After the show we raced to our car so that we could do the 4:00 p.m. sea lion beach walk a few miles down the road at Seal Bay.  Government funded, this is a much more polished operation.  One of their guides walked us down to the beach where we could observe the sea lions from just a hundred feet or so away.  They appear to have such a cushy life just lounging in the sun on a beautiful beach, absorbing a few rays.  However, they do have enemies such as sharks and whales.  The females are in a constant cycle of birth, nursing, pregnancy, birth.  There was one young male that roamed the beach, trying to stir up trouble.  He was mostly ignored which I'm sure hurt his ego a tad.



Returning to our house, we put dinner on to cook and then took a stroll on the beach.  The last couple of nights, a cute, very energetic, Jack Russel terrier, joined us on our walk.  We had the beach all to ourselves to explore the rock outcroppings and sand.  We also saw a seal out in the waves, probably catching its dinner.  It was all very peaceful.








Tomorrow: Gin and giant rocks

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