Mammals:
- Stellar sealion: 1
- harbour seal: 124 plus 3 pups
Birds:
- gulls: 890 (733 Race Rocks plus 157 on South Island)
- cormorant: 33
- black oystercatcher: 14 plus 7 chicks
- pigeon guillemot: 131
- bald eagle: 1
- harlequin duck: 7
- surfbird: 17
- black turnstone: 7
- least sandpiper: 4
- western sandpiper: 1
Wildlife seen this week inside the reserve but not observed today include: California sealion, barn swallow, brown headed cowbird, purple martin, Canada goose.
Mom and seal pup nose touching.
Wildlife notes
There are more dead gull chicks to be found scattered about – deposited on the walkways, lying in front of nests, one even incorporated with grass into the side of a nest. Odd that the gulls remove shells from their nests but they don’t seem to clear away the dead.
This nest is Window Gull’s nest by the tank shed. Last year only one of her three chicks survived. The first two to hatch were lying on the sidewalk. This year her first chick to hatch and die has been become part of the nest, woven in with grass, attracting shiny green flies.
The oystercatcher chicks are doing well. The largest, the Keepers House chicks are a month old and growing rapidly. A size comparison for a two week old and month old chick is below.
One month old black oystercatcher chick.
Black oystercatcher chick versus parent size for a month old (left) and a two week old (right).
Facility work
Getting things ready for Joan, the next Eco guardian, who will come in tomorrow and stay for 5 days. I am glad to be able to meet her in person. When I first came in 2024 she was a great help, always answering her phone and my many questions. I will return to Race Rocks next week.
- cleaned solar panels
- cleaned Keeper house outside windows
- hung three more smoke/CO2 detectors, fixed loose weatherstrip
- organizing, cleaning house
WORDLE TODAY !!!
Another good word for Race Rocks
Vessels
- Ecotourism: 20
- Private: 1
Weather
Partly cloudy. Winds predominately westerlies 7 to 19 knots. Daytime temperatures 11 to 16 degrees.