Dog & Tern v Southern Sea Lion~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Patagonia, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life


Poor bull sea-lion can’t catch a break!

First the Inca Tern attacks.

Then the sleeping dog rouses,

and goes on the attack too!

The dog wins!

But the big bull was not happy about it!

Cheers to you from Chile’s bullied bulls~

170 thoughts on “Dog & Tern v Southern Sea Lion~”

  2. My money is on the sea lion. If that were my dog, I’d be worried. Those sea lions could snatch it right off the dock. Good thing they’d had breakfast and weren’t hungry for dog just then. Great photos!!!

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  13. Absolutely gorgeous photography, Cindy! Great shots of the dog and the bull sea lion. Thanks for sharing and bringing this part of the world closer to us. xx

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  23. I noticed that the dog was careful to keep three legs on the pier, Cindy. 🙂 Reminds me of a time I was out on a trail backpacking with a friend’s dog and came upon a bear. The dog hid behind me and barked ferociously. –Curt

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    1. The situation would change dramatically if the dog were to end up in the water, or the sea lion decided to pull him in. But that didn’t happen. The bull was cowed by the dog’s determination ᶘᵒᴥᵒᶅ

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  38. Haha! Great one Cindy! There were 3 sea lions at Puerto Montt fish harbour on the first Sunday I arrived there – people were feeding them fish-heads and eventually they came out of the water. It was hilarious to see how they were following the birds circling up above- now I know why!

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  50. Hey Cindy, Namaste 🙂

    How are you doing? Photography captures the immediate sometimes omitting the past and just before. I like the sequence you managed to record…I get a sense of an unfolding event. Even a feeling of noise: in contrast the water always stays so calm. The photographs are vibrant and colourful and such fun. As always I enjoyed them, thank you.

    Being English I thought the phrase ‘Dog and Tern’ sounded like a rural pub in west-country Shire. That thought led to a poem about your photos…

    Late one afternoon after a liquid-lunch on the town,
    I thought a short stroll would blow cobwebs down.
    So there I was out and about,
    When I heard a dog bark and shout:
    In fact it was erupting in a cacophony of sound,
    Which bounced from the walls all around.
    That led me down a path, down by the tide:
    Much quieter although it didn’t hide, the sound of the dog
    Gone mad on the quay,
    Staring-down an 800-pound Lion of the Sea!
    ~
    “Sea Lion! Sea Lion! Sea Lion!”
    “Stay back from me!”
    “Sea Lion! Sea Lion! Sea Lion!”
    “What the hell are thee!”
    ~
    “What’s up dog?”
    “What’s the crack?”
    “I’m just fishing.”
    “Now get on back!”
    “That’s right: you heard me bitch!”
    ~
    I was standing there tickled pink:
    Amused as two alpha-males kicked up a stink.
    I think I thought the dog might drown,
    That the Bull might somehow pull it down.
    But that was just my foolish sensibility,
    For at that moment the dog on the quay
    Took a last swipe at the Lion of the Sea:
    “Sea Lion! Sea Lion! Sea Lion look at me!”
    “Sea Lion! Sea Lion! Sea Lion I’m King of the Quay!”
    “Sea Lion! Sea Lion! Sea Lion you’re nothin’ to me!”
    ~*~
    From a rock far away in the salty spray came a voice upon the air.
    “Stare again at me little doggy!” bellowed the King of the Sea.
    “I’ll take thee down to Davy’s Locker and there I’ll bury thee!”
    “So get a nozzle for your muzzle you demi-semi d-o-g!
    ~*~

    Thanks for posting 🙂 Namaste 🙂

    DN

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    1. I was so struck when asking the fisherman here, what they called these creatures. I knew what I thought they were, since I grew up with the northern, smaller, variety . But, they told me they were, “lobos del marino.” Which translates to “wolves of the sea.”
      Can you even imagine how amazing this is?
      Some cultures call them ocean lions, and others ocean wolves.
      Which speaks to these creatures impressive nature.
      Speaking of impressive, I just don’t know to do with you.
      You are like a sponge of beauty.

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    1. Loved it so much. The sea-lion really was somewhat clueless about what to do with this land lubbing dog, even though they clearly had met before. This is a fishing port and that is why the sea-lions were there, to eat the refuse. The dog though, had a clear mission, to keep all sea lions off his land lubbing turf. It was pretty hilarious, and I do confess to praising said dog, when he looked at me so chuffed from his ability to repel this 800 pound mammalian carnivore. I could tell he appreciated the praise. Priceless.

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  74. You are really a very great photographer. One of my school-friends – she was zoologist at the Zoo of Cologne – is the only one that takes similarly good photos. Thank you, Cindy.

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