California sea lions: 62
Steller sea lions: 44
Harbour seals: 122

Cormorants: 54
Nesting Gulls: 256 (+ 300 or so chicks)
Gulls (Outer rocks and water): 400
Canada Geese: 2
Oyster Catchers: 21
Pigeon Guillemots: 63
Bald Eagle: 1
Small brown songbirds: 4

Getting to Know the Neighbourhood

My first day alone on the rocks. I began by cleaning the kitchen while a short but mighty burst of rain swept over, saving me from solar panel duty for the morning. Then I ventured out to the top of the lighthouse, coffee and seagull broom in overhead.

The census count took a few trips up to the light, once in the morning, afternoon and evening to get a good idea of who has been hanging around. In the afternoon and evening, many of the nesting birds had gone out for the day, and the sea lions were easiest to count as they all hauled out around the midday low tide to soak in some sunshine. There are a few small shorebirds I wasn’t able to recognize yet- time for some reading!

Facility Work
– Finished topping up batteries
– Transformed old curtains into rags

Weather
Intermittent rain, mostly cloudy. Gusty! Strong westerly winds from 35 to 51 knots. Temperature 12.8 to 17.4 degrees.

Vessels
ecotourism: 16
private: 4