Wildlife notes

There were periods when the island was quiet and appeared empty with the gulls out feeding. The chicks come out from their cover to feed and surprisingly stand fairly steady in the strong winds. I didn’t see the female elephant seal visit the Jetty today for her soak and there were few instances where all the gulls took to the air. A harbour seal visited the shore with her pup for a while in the morning. I spent most of the day inside cleaning and watching the waves, glad to be on land and not in a small boat taking a beating.

The rocks clear of gulls in the morning.

Harbour seal and her pup on the southwest shore.

The seas by the Energy building in the early evening.

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• cleaned furnace vents in the Keeper’s house

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 0
• Private: 0

Weather

Sunny with scattered clouds. Steady WNW near gale increasing to gale force by early evening reaching 39 knots. Daytime temperature: low 11, high 16.

Race Rocks Light House on Canada Day.  Just a few hours later the flag was lowered and tied to the pole as the winds reached full gale force by early evening.

Wildlife notes

There must have been a bounty in the kelp beds midday as most of the gulls except those on nests were out there for a feast. They gathered in the kelp beds on the north and north east side but not the others.

Facility work

• cleaned the solar panels
• worked on the month end report

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 6
• Private: 3

Weather

Clear skies with periods of fog. Moderate WSW and W breeze until early afternoon. Winds building to a strong W gale with winds gusting to 46 knots in early evening. Daytime temperatures: low 10, high 11.

Conditions on the Jetty this evening at the time when the sea surface temperature and salinity measurements should have been measured. It is exciting to watch the seas in these high winds with gusts up to 46 knots, although it is becoming difficult to see clearly through the windows covered in water droplets.