Amazing Sunset

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots North
  • Sky: clear
  • Water: rippled
  • Amazing pink/red sunset!

Ecological

  • Just one elephant seal on Great Race today.
  • Three elephant seals on Middle Rock though.

Maintenance

  • Some goose work.
  • Set up and took away barrels for diesel transfer.

Boats

  • A couple of eco-tours came by.
  • Second Nature came out with diesel.

Visitors

  • Kyle and two English volunteers came out with diesel.
  • I gave the two lads a tour while Kyle transferred the diesel.

Other

  • Some DND blasting today.
  • Medium blasts at 11:30, 11:32, and 12:13.
  • Bigger blasts at 14:47 and 14:49.

Crows and Moon

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind at 7:00: 10-15 knots West
  • Wind at 10:00: 10-15 knots North East
  • Wind at 15:00: 5-10 knots South West
  • Wind at 20:00: 20-25 knots West
  • Sky: mostly clear, rain at 15:00
  • Water: 1′ chop
  • A rather large moon appeared in the early evening.

Ecological

  • One adult elephant seal departed, leaving just the one.
  • The weaner returned by the slightly unconventional route: north side of the jetty.
  • A murder of crows.

Maintenance

  • Some goose work.

Boats

  • A few eco-tours came by today.

Other

  • Some DND blasting today.
  • Blasts at 13:37, 13:39, and 14:15.

Jellyfish and Crow

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind in the morning: 10-15 knots North East
  • Wind in the evening: 20-25 knots East
  • Sky: mix of clear and clouds
  • Water: 1′ chop

Ecological

  • The weaner was gone today, so just the 2 e-seals on Great Race.
  • A couple of adult bald eagles were around today.
  • One crow was poking about the island.
  • I saw a bunch of tiny jellyfish in the water beside the jetty.
  • It was impossible to get a good photo of them though.
  • Perhaps they were Mitrocoma cellularia?

Maintenance

  • Some goose work.

Boats

  • A few eco-tours came by today.

Boat Mania

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind in the morning: 5-10 knots North West
  • Wind in the evening: 20-25 knots West, very cold air.
  • Sky: overcast
  • Water: 1′ chop

Ecological

  • The same 3 elephant seals on Great Race.

Maintenance

  • Finished topping up the batteries.
  • Ran the desalinator.

Boats

  • 6 different eco-tours came by today, including 3 at one time!
  • There was also a pleasure craft in the late afternoon.

Waves

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind in the morning: 25-30 knots North East
  • Wind at 16:30: 25-30 knots South East
  • Wind in the evening: 5-10 knots West
  • Sky: overcast
  • Water: 2′ chop, some impressive island/wave interactions!

Ecological

  • The same 3 elephant seals on Great Race as yesterday.
  • A few e-seals also out on Middle Rock.

The Seals Touch Down

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 20-25 knots NE, later 0-10 NE
  • Sky: overcast
  • Water: 1′ chop

Ecological

  • Census day!
  • In the morning there were 2 e-seals on Great Race, and 6 on Middle Rock.
  • In the afternoon there were 3 e-seals on Great Race, and 4 on Middle Rock.
  • As far as I am aware, there were only 2 e-seals in the reserve yesterday.
  • Most of the addled eggs in the Canada goose nest near the Students’ House were cracked open and strewn about today around noon.
  • I suspect a crow to be the culprit, having seen one hanging around that nest yesterday.
  • Saw one branded California Sea Lion, but I couldn’t make out all the marks. U89[?]
  • Four young bald eagles were unsuccessfully hunting the seagulls all morning.
  1. Harbour Seals: 92
  2. California Sea Lions: 69
  3. Steller (Northern) Sea Lions: 43
  4. Elephant Seals: 8 (2 on Great Race, 6 on Middle Rock)
  5. Seagulls unspecified: 352
  6. Pigeon Guillemots: 111
  7. Cormorants unspecified: 26
  8. Brandt’s Cormorants: 16
  9. Pelagic Cormorants: 12
  10. Double Crested Cormorant: 7
  11. Surfbirds: 50
  12. Black Turnstones: 30
  13. Canada Geese: 18
  14. Harlequin Ducks: 11 (6 males and 5 females)
  15. Rock Sandpipers: 6
  16. Bald Eagles: 6 (2 adults, 4 immature)
  17. Black Oystercatchers: 6
  18. Savannah Sparrow: 1
  19. Unidentified Hawk: 1
  20. Killdeer: 1
  21. Crow: 1?

Maintenance

  • Transferred diesel from the Students’ House tank into the Tidy Tank.
  • Some goose work.

New Male Elephant Seal

Weather

  • Visibility: 5 miles, later 15
  • Wind: 10-15 knots NW, later 5-10 NW
  • Sky: raining/overcast
  • Water: 1′ chop

Ecological

  • This morning two elephant seals arrived on the middle of the island.
  • One was the weaner, and at first I thought the other was the female.
  • But then I realized it was a new young adult male. A yearling or so.
  • They both slept all day, and had no interaction.

Maintenance

  • Some goose work.

Other

  • One DND blast at 15:06.

 

Bald Eagles and Stuff

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 10-20 knots NE
  • Sky: overcast
  • Water: 1′ chop
  • At about 18:00 it began to rain for a bit.

Ecological

  • The female elephant seal and the weaner spent the day sleeping on the ramp beside the jetty.
  • Some eagle activity that kept the geese and seagulls wary.

Maintenance

  • Some goose work.
  • Nearly finished topping up the batteries.

Boats

  • One eco-tour came by in the morning.

Other

  • Heard a couple of planes pass over the reserve.
  • One in the morning, and one in the afternoon.

HMCS Vancouver

Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 0-10 knots E/NE
  • Sky: clear
  • Water: rippled

Ecological

  • The weaner returned. I’m not sure how much longer the term “weaner” applies?
  • Initially I thought the weaner was a male, but now I think it is actually a female.
  • There were three adult bald eagles in the reserve today. I just missed getting a photo of all three flying together.
  • I made a little “trip” to the north-west edge of Great Race.

Maintenance

  • Hand pumped some diesel.

Boats

  • Kyle came out in Haiku with some food for me!
  • A large Canadian Navy ship, the HMCS Vancouver, tied up on the navy buoy at the mouth of Pedder Bay.