Sunny Monday

Monday May 11th

Ecological Notes

Happy Monday everyone! Today I was a little adventurous and decided to go visit the North-West rock face of the island. This is where the sea lions usually nap, so I avoid the area, but they all happened to be in the water at that time! I stumbled upon some beautiful bull kelp.

Bull Kelp

I walked around and made sure to check on my geese friends. They know me well by now and will usually stand up when I get a little close. There were no new eggs in the nests today so I let them be!

Bird watching goes both ways

Very little wind today, so the flag could go back up!

The sunset was perhaps my favorite part of the day. Sometimes under the right conditions the water around Race Rocks can reflect the sunset and end up looking almost white! I almost overcooked my dinner, because just as I was going to return inside, a squadron of pelican flew toward Race, and it looked pretty cool!

“Avengers Assemble”


Facility Work

  • Salinity testing
  • Flag up
  • Fence check
  • Geese nest check
  • Pressure washer
  • Pantry and spice cabinet cleanup

 

Weather Events

⋄ Wind (kts): max 18.4
⋄ Sunny, clear skies
⋄ Air temp (°C): min 10, max 15.1
⋄ Sea state: flat, glass

NB: All pictures were taken with a telephoto lens, which makes distant objects appear closer. All animals were photographed at a respectful and reglementary distance.

Weekend at Race Rocks

Saturday May 9th

Ecological Notes

Today was animal census day, so I spent some time trying to notice and count the various species around the island. Quite a lucky day to be looking around intently, because there were Bigg’s killer whales South-West of Race!

Northern Elephant seal (your local pancake)

 

Brown pelican

California sea lions having a cuddle puddle

Gulls

Pigeon Guillemot

 

The weather was absolutely beautiful today, and I found myself just appreciating being here. For example, I just love when the Olympic mountain range takes on all of these hues and layers of blue.

Olympic mountain range in the state of Washington

very lovely sunset

Facility Work

  • Animal census
  • Fence check in
  • Desalinator run
  • Tidy tank refill
  • Generator check and fuel top-up
  • Salinity testing

Weather Events

⋄ Wind (kts): max 19.2
⋄ Sunny clear skies
⋄ Air temp (°C): min 9.6, max 14.5
⋄ Sea state: glassk

 

Sunday May 10th

Ecological Notes

A quiet Sunday at Race Rocks!

Juvenile Bald Eagle!


Facility Work

  • Salinity testing
  • Flag down
  • Battery check and top-up
  • Solar panels cleanup

Weather Events

⋄ Wind (kts): min 1.8, max 24.1
⋄ Sunny
⋄ Air temp (°C): min 10.3, max 15.0
⋄ Sea state: whitecaps

NB: All pictures were taken with a telephoto lens, which makes distant objects appear closer. All animals were photographed at a respectful and reglementary distance.