Wildlife notes

I watched a gull chick get eaten today. Shaken and whipped around for a bit, then swallowed whole, head first. I expected to see my first dead gull chick of the season any day now, maybe lying still on a walkway. I have seen chicks killed by neighbouring parents and have even seen a neighbouring chick join in on attack but once dead they are generally left there to slowly decay. This chick was killed and eaten by a gull who does not have a nest in the immediate area, in other words, it wasn’t defending its nest, territory or chick. It wasn’t the egg thief of 2025 or 2026. It looked like Grandpa gull!

Grandpa and Grandma gull have dark pigmentation around their eyes. They were named before I learned the pigmentation is not age related. They nested under the landing of north entrance stairs in 2024 and 2025. This year they are a few feet away beside the bottom step. In 2025 their three young chicks were all killed in their nest. There are only a few of these dark eyed birds on the island so I couldn’t help but wonder if he could have turned mean after his experience last summer. Would a gull even be able to remember a past act, past perpetrator or plan a targeted attack?

Grandparent gulls, July 2025

Grandparent gulls, June 2026.   Parent one on the left, parent two on the right on the nest. Details below.

Other wildlife notes. The purple martins were here for a short while yesterday and today. They visited the nesting boxes briefly. One of the two sea lions I chased off the boat ramp yesterday doesn’t have full use of its rear flippers.  He can’t move well on land or in the water.  I didn’t have the heart to chase him off today as he was the only one on the boat ramp and in his state he can’t move quickly or lunge at me when I walk past for the daily seawater readings.  When others start arriving, I don’t think I will be able to selectively encourage them to leave.  He has the same mobility issues but isn’t as skinny as the one that died on the ramp on Jan 30th and was pulled to sea on Feb 2 2026.

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• pulled some thistles
• transferred fuel
• cleaned outside windows on the Keepers House

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 12
• Private: 2

Weather

Skies clear. Winds W 11 to 24 during the day, increasing to 38 gusting 43 by evening.  Daytime temperature 10 to 13 degrees.