Today was a more dramatic day featuring strong westerlies, 25 -30 with gusts over 35 knot, lashing rain, dark horizon lines and brief periods of brilliant sunshine. The barometric pressure has been rising since the westerly started last night and reached 1019 hPa by early evening. The forecast is for westerly winds of 20 to 30 knots diminishing to westerly 15 to 20 this evening and to light Friday morning. Friday has a sunnier look and the UV index is forecast to be 4 or moderate.
No whale-watching vessels were observed working in the area today and it would have been miserable for those on deck if they had been out in this weather. No boats were seen in the Protected Area today.
Migratory shorebirds continue to take rest, food and shelter on Great Race. Today I had the opportunity to observe two feeding on (?) above the inter-tidal but in a ‘rich’ spot occupied by hundreds of sea lions in the fall. The cormorants and sea lions switched rocks today. I am not sure how the various haul-outs are chosen by the different species but see the changes.
The large, female Northern Elephant Seal (nick-named Beulah) got really energetic this morning and moved about 15 meters. She is now stretched out beside the walkway to the Eco-guardian’s house.
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- The slender side of Bertha’s profile.
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- The forelimbs of Northern Elephant Seals, are very small and not used to propel them through the water the way sea lions use their big foreflippers.
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- Big Bertha has a very straight back and a deep keel.
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- All three species of cormorant were roosting where the sea lions usually haul out.
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- A mixed species flock of cormorants roosting on Great Race.
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- Dunlin breeding in northern Alaska go west and migrate down the eastern side of Asia. (From Cornell site.) I wonder if the ones that are in BC all winter come from western Hudson’s Bay?
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- Note the mats of California Sea Lion hair on the other side of the bird. Formed from years of fall moulting in that spot.
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- Two Dunlin were seen together today, one of them had two legs the other had only one leg and had to hop around.
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- The one-legged Dunlin was much more wary and nervous than the bird with both legs.
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- One or two? Which one is it?
Today was animal census day but the weather was so bad that I am going to do it tomorrow. Harbour Seal haul-outs almost all have breaking waves so few hauled out; very windy and rough.
There wasn’t enough light to run the de-salinator today but there was enough to take a few photos. No visitors today. Chores were routine.