California Sea Lion: 92
Steller Sea Lion: 116
Seal: 47
Seagulls (adult): 750 (+another 300 or so chicks)
Oyster catcher: 13
Rock Sandpiper: 12
Black Turnstone: 141
Cormorant: 47
Pigeon Guillemot: 112
Bald eagle: 1
-
- Some california sea lions have taken up hauling out just west of the jetty, in the background a growing group of stellers can be seen on the middle rocks.
-
- Some seals sunning on the rocks in the afternoon sun
-
- The entangled sea lion is still around, when he finds a specific position, he’s been able to relieve the pressure from the line on the back of his neck.
I noticed from the lighthouse an interesting nesting pair; I am not entirely certain but they’re either Western Gulls or hybrids of some flavour. I’m still only beginning to get familiar with the various types of gulls and their identifiers- what an incredibly deep rabbit hole to explore. This guide from Bird Studies Canada : Identifying Hybrid & Immature Gulls in Coastal B.C. is a great place to start.
-
- This pair stands out among the majority Glaucous-Winged gulls of the area- note the darker grey mantle and black wingtips.
-
- The pair has three chicks, all starting to fledge.
-
- They weren’t too happy when I took the path near their nest to camp out on the student building steps until they calmed; one of them lost their lunch in all the excitement.
Visitors
Two technicians came to work on the CODAR SeaSonde from around 11:00am to 2:30pm today, accompanied by two of the Pearson waterfront folks and two others from campus.
The CODAR SeaSonde is a coastal radar system that monitors ocean currents and wave conditions like height, direction, and period. It works by sending out radio waves and analyzing the signals bounced back from waves that are half the radar’s wavelength. Combining data from multiple stations like the one positioned on the South-West corner of the rocks allows it to calculate total ocean current speeds and directions where coverage overlaps. You can go to this post from 2018 for more information about the setup and project as a whole.
Facility notes
– Cleaned house decks
– Cleaned panels
-
- Back deck, before and after a scrub
-
- Front porch, before and after a quick scrub
Weather
Heavy fog, strong gusts in the morning, opening up to a calm sunny afternoon. Winds mostly west-by-southwesterly, from 15 to 33 knots. Temperatures from 10 to 15 degrees.
Vessels observed
Ecotourism: 22
Private: 3