Back on August 12^th, I noticed a newly hatched chick on the ledge just across from the boat shed. By this time, most of the chicks on the island had lost their down and started to fledge (grow flight feathers). Sometimes when a gull pair lose their chicks early in the season, they’ll have another go! It appeared to be the case. Now that most of the nesting sites are empty, it was very cute to see the late arrival now flying, but still reliant for feeding. The video below shows the chick pecking at the red dot (known as a ‘gonyspot’) on the end of the parent’s bill- this action typically triggers a reflex in the parent to regurgitate food for the chick. But not always immediately! As you can see, the chick must be pretty persistent to keep receiving food at this point.

No sign of the elephant seals yet, but I’ll leave you with a photo of a California Sea Lion enjoying the sunny afternoon next to the crane.

Facility Notes

• Ran RO pump when generator came on this morning
• Checked generator fuel levels
• Started collection and removal of hardware from wooden posts of the old perimeter fence

Marine Traffic

Not many out on the water today. I heard several blasts from DND exercises throughout the afternoon, only one of which led to a major flush (returning to the water) of the lions.

Weather

Sunny, beautiful clear skies. Winds 6-17 knots. Temperatures around 8 °C.