The weather was chilly today but bright, with breezes from the east and west and a few points in between. As the sun sets, brilliant pinks and orange light up the bottom of purple clouds and the wind has picked up to 10 knots from the west. The barometer started a slow climb for the first time since Thursday and the forecast is for a warmer, sunnier day tomorrow.

There were some very persistent sports fishers jigging in the Rockfish Conservation Area today: five men in a fibreglass run-about with an old engine and a kicker.

No tour boats were sighted today.

Another three branded sea lions, two Northern and one Californian were spotted today but only one photograph was good enough to be unequivocal – a Northern (or Steller’s) Sea lion #975R born at Rogue Reef, off southern Oregon in 2011.

Another Steller’s Sea Lion branded as a pup in southern Oregon.

The California Sea Lion being used as a head rest by the Steller’s has a brand on the left side but only the tops of numbers are visible. Maybe 3427 but I will get back to you on that one.

Ubiquitous Canada Geese – photogenic, but a bit hard on the vegetation and other island inhabitants.

Chris in Second Nature, picked up the student group, which was here for the long weekend, just before noon today. It was a treat to have them here as visitors and they even managed to have fun helping with some of the chores. I was a little taken aback by the obvious increase in energy consumption while they were here though, and had to run the generator twice today to keep the batteries up, even though it was fairly sunny all day. Part of that may have been me staying up late to do the blog last night. After I discovered that the genny needed to be run a second time, I went over and turned off several breakers in the science house.