The male elephant seal was disturbed this morning to find a new female in his favourite grassy spot.  He chased her around, bit her, climbed on her and sent her down the boat ramp into the water. This all took a while as both had to stop frequently to rest. I had a chance to watch him in the water – effortless!

Wildlife notes:

Still only a few nests have chicks hatching. The chicks that hatched on June 28 are growing rapidly.  They wander less than a foot away from their old nest and sit motionless and cuddled together when an approaching eagle sends their parents to the air.

3 day old chick.

Facility work:

• cleaned solar panels
• cleaned windows
• house cleaning
• month end report
• seawater data entry

Vessels:

17 Ecotourism boats

Weather:

Partly cloudy, winds SSW to WSW, 11 to 23 knots, high of 16 degrees.