Monthly Archives: April 2020
April 9 and 10
Wind: yesterday W 0-26 knots, today W 11-38 knots
Sea State: both days calm in am and up to 1 m chop in pm
Visibility: yesterday 15 NM, today 0-15 NM
Sky: yesterday clear, today fog from 7:00-8:00 then clear
Temperature: yesterday 7-9 °C, today 7-10 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 417.85 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)
The youngest elephant seal pup came back ashore, on the east side of the island. She is easy to identify from the scar below her right eye. She spent the evening and night on the southeast side of the house, where she spent several weeks in February and March once she weaned from her mother. Today she had moved around to haul out on the boat ramp and swim in the sheltered water by the jetty.
A new sub adult male elephant seal has joined the other elephant seals. He is a bit smaller than the other sub adult male that joined the last week.
Yesterday there were two visitors, Guy and Corey, in the college boat Second Nature. There were no other boats in the ecological reserve.
The youngest elephant seal pup spent yesterday evening and night by the south east side of the house. 
A view to the south 
Newly arrived sub adult male elephant seal 
Pup practicing swimming in the jetty bay 
Canada geese in flight
April 7 and 8
Wind: yesterday W 0-34 knots, today E in am SE in pm 0-16 knots
Sea State: both days calm
Visibility: yesterday 10-15 NM, today 15 NM
Sky: yesterday partly cloudy in morning, clear onwards, today clear
Temperature: yesterday 8-11 °C, today 6-13 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 415.60 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)
A sea otter spent most of yesterday afternoon in the South Channel between South Islands and South Seal Rocks. It ate clams, cleaned itself and rested on the rocks. When it dove underwater to grab some more food, I approached to get a closer view from an indent in rocks on South Seal Rocks. See the 16 second video below.
The last elephant seal pup appears to have left today. She was swimming in the jetty bay for most of the day. When I went out in the boat this afternoon, she was floating by the rocks to the north of the jetty bay. When I returned, she wasn’t there anymore or on the land. All three surviving pups left the island within a week of being three months old. The two others haven’t returned. Presumably, they are off feeding themselves after teaching themselves to swim over the past two months, since they weaned from their mothers.
I moved four wheelbarrows of the remainder of this winter’s supply of wood from the cupboards beside the Energy Building to the basement of the house. That wood should last for any cool or damp days of the spring or fall. I fixed some loose boards on the winch deck and boardwalk. Over the winter, the sea lions were rough on that deck.
A single blast was heard yesterday morning just after 11:00, coming from the demolition training area at Rocky Point.
One pleasure boat was seen in the ecological reserve this evening. The Race Rocks station boat was out this afternoon for a quick trip to Pearson College to pick up groceries.
Just a few big chunks of fir and skin around her middle remain to moult. T562/T653 is almost done. 
Sea otter swimming in South Channel in the clear water, as seen from the lantern room of the tower 
Deconstructed shore crab 
Watching a sea otter from the south side of the island yesterday evening. See the video below. 
The full moon rising yesterday evening just after sunset 
When I headed out in the boat in the late afternoon, the youngest elephant seal pup was floating in the water by the rocks, near a resting california sea lion. 
The view of the ecological reserve coming out of Pedder Bay, passing Bentinck Island.
April 5 and 6 – Orcas
Wind: yesterday variable 0-17 knots, today variable 0-22 knots
Sea State: both days rippled
Visibility: both days 15 NM
Sky: yesterday partly cloudy, today clear
Temperature: both days 5-10 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 416.03 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)
Yesterday morning, I noticed a pod of at least six orcas on the western edge of the ecological reserve. They swam east through Middle Channel, passing just north of the main island. What a treat it was for me to watch them from the front porch. See the photos below.
The older of the two female pups has been gone for the whole day. She left the island at some point early this morning. It’s been 14 days since the oldest of the three surviving pups left the island. Perhaps the pup who left today is following the strict schedule, as she is 14 day younger than the male pup who left 14 days ago.
Today, there were three boats in the ecological reserve: two pleasure craft and one local whale watching boat with two people on board.
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This gull managed to snatch an egg from a goose nest -
The large dorsal fin of a male orca and a smaller female. -
A younger male orca swims by two california sea lions. -
Orcas swimming by a juvenile bald eagle. The shorelines of Esquimalt and Victoria are in the background. -
The older of the female pups was resting on this spot above the goose nest for two days, before she went for a swim at some point this morning. Notice the calendula flower in her mouth. -
This tulip, surrounded by grape hyacinth is taking its time to blossom. -
Blue bells are starting to appear in a few place. -
The juvenile elephant seal scared away the goose from this nest with two eggs. The goose came back after the seal left.
April 3 and 4 – Weekly Census
Gallery
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Wind: yesterday W 15-40 knots, today variable 2-17 knotsSea State: yesterday up to 0.5m chop, today up to 1 m chopVisibility: both days 10-15 NMSky: both days partly cloudyTemperature: both days 4-7 °CAtmospheric CO2: 415.60 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii) … Continue reading
April 1 and 2
Wind: yesterday variable 1-21 knots, today W 2-31 knots
Sea State: both days rippled
Visibility: both days 10-15 NM
Sky: both days partly cloudy then clearing in the mid morning
Temperature: yesterday 4-10 °C, today 5-6 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 415.81 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)
Yesterday morning, a new elephant seal arrived on the island. He has green tags on each tail flipper, D018 and D019. The green tags signify it was tagged at Año Nuevo Reserve, similar to the female juvenile seal here right now. Due to the website being down for a few days, I didn’t realize at the time the seal was the same one here for the last two weeks of December. The seal was also seen here for two weeks in April 2019. I reported the sighting to Dr. Patrick Robinson, the Director of Año Nuevo Reserve, near San Francisco in California. He reported back that the seal was born at the beginning of 2017, meaning he is now a three year old sub adult. Based on the photos I sent Dr. Robinson and included in the gallery below, he determined the seal is in great body condition but fur/skin is in poor condition.
In the past few days, the sea lions have been taking over the jetty, something they haven’t done in critical mass since the beginning of the winter. This afternoon, I finished setting up and testing the electric fence on the jetty to deter sea lions from congregating and damaging the railings and boat cleats. When I need to use the jetty to test the seawater or for boats, the sea lions need to be cleared off. No matter how slowly I approach the them, they only have one speed of getting off the jetty, which is stampede. It will take some time each day to maintain the fence from sea lions bumping it, as well as wind and waves.
Only one boat was seen in the ecological reserve, a Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable went through Middle Channel yesterday afternoon and stopped to take photos of sea lions on the rocks.
Sunrise from the top of the tower 
Morning mountain view 
The newly arrived sub adult male elephant seal 
He has a green tag on each tail flipper D018 and D019 
D018 
The beginnings of the electric fence to protect the jetty from sea lions 
Colourful sunset
