Monthly Archives: June 2014

Orcas and Humpbacks!

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Low winds today under 15 knots. Clear skies with some fog in the morning. Barometric pressure has been increasing since Friday.

7 whale watching boats in the reserve (although several more along the border of the reserve).                                                                                                                                    3 recreational boats passed through, and one has been on the SW edge of the reserve for the past two days.

I saw an orca pass through the reserve Saturday late in the morning and then a small pod was surrounded by whale watchers offshore from Swordfish Island. On Sunday another pod of 5-6 (with at least two calves) headed west along Bentinck Island. Today a humpback made its way along the eastern edge of the reserve blowing several times and took the flood current towards Victoria. It dove showcasing its fluke 4 or 5 times.

I got help cleaning the rain gutters Saturday and Sunday. Cleaned and mopped the winch house yesterday. The internet connection has been off since Friday evening in the main residence (which also means the phone has not been working). The weather system was also down yesterday. Rebooted all systems multiple times and got everything working late this afternoon.

Eagle chase

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Rare summertime north-easterlies today, increasing from 0-35 knots throughout the day. Barometric pressure dipped to a weekly low this morning but is on the rise now. There has been some rain and the sky has been mostly cloudy. Showers are forecasted for tomorrow.

tour boats: 2

Several times a day a bald eagle or juvenile will come and cause a raucous for all the gulls who all lift into the air and chase the predator from their nests. For the past few days, the oystercatchers have been doing their part and one or two will chase the eagle out of their territory. (The oystercatcher eggs near the jetty have yet to hatch.) More often than not, the eagle leaves empty handed but occasionally it will grab a gull or a chic.

There was a female elephant seal on the jetty this morning but this evening only the two larger males remain on the island.

The sea lion is still in the same spot on the south islands, although he has moved into the water at least twice since yesterday.

Went off the island today (from 1130h-1600h) to collect a ladder from Wayne and do errands.

Did the monthly check on the derrick today.

Illegal fishing in the reserve

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North westerlies 20-25 knots most of the morning. After noon the winds picked up considerably. Sky has been changing all day. Sun and clouds. Heavy fog in the morning. Light winds forecasted for tomorrow morning with 15-25 knots later in the day. 1 whale watching boat. 1 illegal fishing boat (recreational) A northern rough-winged swallow was spotted on the reserve today. Today a rental boat from Pedder Bay Marina entered the reserve around 1500h. The driver was moving the boat into kelp beds, where it would temporarily anchor in the seaweed. The men would fish until the boat was pushed out by the current and then would move to another kelp. I called PBM and they sent a boat to come inform them of the eco-reserve boundaries, and the Rockfish Conservation Area,  and reported the incident to DFO. The boat left around 1600h. They caught two fish and released one.

-Checked water level in the cistern.
-Chopped and stacked wood.
-Changed water in the eyewash station.
-Ran desalinator.

Animal Census

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West winds around 10 knots for most of the day. Fog this morning and this evening. Barometric pressure has steadily decreased all day. Strong wind warning in effect for tonight and fog is forecasted to persist until late tomorrow morning.

No whale watching boats today. 2 recreational halibut fishing boats along the SE and SW borders of the reserve.

Animal Census
Elephant Seal: 3
Harbour Seal: 191
Bald Eagle: 1
Gull: 323
Pigeon Guillemot: 83
Black Oystercatcher: 10
Double-crested cormorant: 4
Stellar sea lion: 5
Harlequin duck: 4

Two of the large elephant seals were sparring in the shallow water by the jetty this morning around 1100h. I noticed a younger pup that has been here for the past week has small, fresh wounds on its backside that I think are from two days ago when I saw the second largest male attack the pup near the launch pad. Also, a lone stellar sea lion has been resting on the a small rock off the south islands for two days now. He has flesh wounds but they do not look recent as far as I can tell.

-Secured deck boards on winch loading pad.                                                                       -Chopped fire wood.

Six visitors from the college came today from 1200h-1500h.

 

 

River Otter visit this morning

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Clear day (despite forecast for a thunderstorm). Low winds below 15 knots today, dropping to zero midday. Strong wind warning in effect for tomorrow.

Several cargo ships passed through the strait today, a well as a few military ships.

Left the island this afternoon to pick up groceries and a visitor (which is why there are not exact numbers for passing watercraft).

This morning a river otter was running along the deck from the crane to the jetty. A juvenile bald eagle was sitting on the west side of the main island for a few hours this morning.

Male elephant seals sparring

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Overcast in the morning. Clear all afternoon and evening. Winds got up to 30 knots last night but hovered around 15 for most of the day today. There are strong wind warnings in effect for tonight. The barometric pressure has been falling since noon.

There have been an increasing number of boats this weekend. For today:

-5 recreational fishing boats passed through the reserve

-8 whale watching boats, including a 29m fibreglass catamaran from Spirit Orca Adventures

-1 sailboat

There were also two more float planes that passed overhead today early afternoon.

The pigeon guillemots are mating. I saw the first hatched gull today that looked like it was a couple days old. The gulls are still occasionally mating, though. A series of sparring matches occurred between the male elephant seals today. There are three larger ones right now and the largest two fight (especially when entering and exiting the water on the jetty). The second largest was also attacking the third largest in rank near the boat shed today.

Summer Solstice

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It’s 2200h as I’m writing and the sky is still brightly lit.

Clear day. Winds 10-20 knots for most of the day.

A recreational fishing boat tied up to the jetty today to settle some engine troubles. Two different fishing boats were anchored on the edge of the south boundary of the reserve.

A boat of divers were in the reserve for about an hour this morning along the east side of the island.

2 float planes crossed overhead.

A bald eagle made his regular visit for lunch in the afternoon and captured a gull.

 

 

June 20th

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Clear. Westerlies all day with speed averaging around 20 knots.

1 cruise ship passed by in the morning

1 tour boat

3 cargo ships passed through the strait throughout the day

1 helicopter passed over the reserve at 1300h

Business as usual on the reserve today:

-Another female elephant seal has arrived, bringing the current count to 5
-A California sea lion was hanging out on one of the south islands
-The pair of Caspian terns was back again today

Submarine in the reserve

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–For June 19th–
Overcast. Northwest winds from 0-20 knots all day.
1 tour boat
1 recreational fishing boat passed through the reserve
2 trips to the reserve with Second Nature
Gales reached 45 knots in the late evening.
A military submarine passed through the strait this afternoon south of the reserve and was accompanied by several boats.
Two groups of visitors came to tour the island this morning. Courtney left mid-morning with Chris Blondeau on the way back from the first trip. On the second trip, Chris came to check the water heater installation.

 

Shift Change

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Overcast. Moderate Southerly winds in the am, moderate West in the pm.
The barometer has been slowly falling today. Forecast is for gale force West tomorrow afternoon.

3 tour boats
1 halibut boat

Business as usual in the reserve today. I saw the pair of Caspian terns again today. The big male elephant seal moved over to the Energy building.

Off station from 1400 to 1600 to pick up Julie.
-prep for shift change
-shift change training