I’m a riddle in nine syllables
An elephant, a ponderous house
…………….…
On the rock and there’s no getting off.

I’ve named our new visitor, who I have been told is likely a pregnant elephant seal, “Sylvia” – inspired by her poem “Metaphors”, parts of which are shown above. I watch and wonder if she is a first-time mom or does she even know she is pregnant? She is calling out in the dark of night. I hope she stays, gives birth here, and the pup survives its first month. Hopefully our camera arrives from the repair shop sooner than the pup!

This is just a quick post on my first evening here to share the exciting news. The female arrived on Race Rocks January 10th. The photos were taken by Cedric Torres.

Finishing this term, will be back in the spring!

Ecological Notes:

• Still no Elephant Seals
• Cooler, mostly NE winds seems to affect the birds a lot…… some days lots of birds, and others, no smaller birds at all
• Large amount of eagles, both mature and juvenile, here every morning, many here all day. I’ve counted as many as 29 at a time. They seem to be spending a lot of time hunting gulls.

Visitors:

• 2 guests here for the Christmas bird counts

Facility Work:

• Cleaned windows on the house, and solar panels. Nice to do them in the cold and hopefully just before some rain as it reduces streaking.

• Although a full cleaning is needed every now and then, it’s important to keep the battery tops clean to notice any problems sooner

• It seems the algae growth came on very suddenly, pressure washing is the best way to clean the paths

• Swept out all the buildings, and areas where the tanks were removed

• Cleaned the main house preparing for my departure, including the fridge I do once a month

• All the regular tasks including desalinator runs, fuel transfers, firewood, battery maintenance and water sampling
• Submitted all month end reports

DND events:

• none

Noted Vessel Traffic:

• Occasional Eco-Tourism vessels

Weather Events:

Recent weather has been pretty consistent NNE winds 5-15kts, High overcast and calm seas. Low pressure and high tides consistently wash over the jetty.

** Any wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

Weather – Current:

https://tempestwx.com/station/190757/

Weather – Past:

https://tempestwx.com/history/190757