Workers crouch, whisper and generally stay out of the way of these two endangered species. Unbeknownst to the animals, their mere presence has the power to stop all human activity. A seal pup is basking there. Close those blinds. The light confuses the sea turtle hatchlings.
Seals have the courtyard today.
One of the things I love about staying in Tern's dormitory-style house is that animals are welcome inside. During this trip, the back storeroom nearly always held a bucket of hatchling sea turtles to be released that night. Whenever I went for a box of sugar or a bag of rice, I gazed into that bucket for a rare peek at baby sea turtles. A plover and a band of ruddy turnstones pranced into the house every day to pick up crumbs we left for them on a plate. Chubby, a hand-raised brown noddy, flew in periodically, sitting patiently on the kitchen counter until someone got up and gave him a squid snack.