Mammals:

• Steller sea lion:  6
• California sea lion: 14
• harbour seal: 67
• elephant seal: 2 females

Birds:

• gulls:  331
• cormorant: 29
• bald eagle:  1
• black oystercatcher: 14
• pigeon guillemot: 63
• Canada goose: 4
• harlequin duck: 8
• barn swallow: 2
• great blue heron: 2
• brown pelican: 3

Wildlife seen this week inside the reserve but not observed today include: two additional female elephant seals. It is not common for Great Race Rocks to be free of sea lions. The few Stellar and California sea lions observed today were on Middle Rocks, and most of the harbour seals on Turbine Rocks.

Brown pelicans

Wildlife notes

There have have been seven elephant seals on Race Rocks this year, all of them females.  A pregnant female gave birth to a female pup in January. For the spring molt, as many as five females were here at one time. The four year-old left last week, the two and three year-old (L334) left this week. The one year-old and the large mature female remain. The one year old is a bit further ahead in her molt. The mature female is mid molt, still very well fleshed and will likely be here for another two weeks.

The mature and one year-old female elephant seals on the boat ramp for their daily wetting.

The mature female elephant seal in the grass. Ennui? I would assume the molting process is not pleasant and very boring for these active hunters.

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• ran desalinator
• started weeding

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 14
• Private: 1
• Paddle craft: outrigger canoe (OC1)

Weather

Sunny morning with light variable winds. Afternoon partly cloudy, winds westerlies building to 21 by evening.  Daytime temperatures 10 to 11 degrees.