The wind was howling up to 38 knots from the north northeast last night, bringing with it a low of -2oC and a couple centimetres of snow. The temperature stayed just below 0oC for the rest of the day. The barometer rose from 999 hPa to 1022 hPa throughout the day, making for a bluebird sky. During the daylight hours, the wind continued to blow from the north northeast between 10 and 20 knots.
There was one whale watching boat seen in the reserve in the mid afternoon. Six divers from Ogden Point were exploring the undersea world of the reserve in the late morning.
The snow didn’t seem to faze the animals. The sea lions barked just as loud and the bald eagles tormented the gulls just as much. Some of the snow melted from the sun. There is still ice on some of the paths and rocks, as well as a light dusting of snow on the grass and in the places that were shaded by buildings and rocks.
Other than taking photos of snow, the tasks of the day included: running the desalinator, topping up the batteries with the generator, deconstructing the old washroom in the basement of the Marine Science Centre to accommodate the new composting toilet (it’s almost finished), fixing the wheelbarrow, testing the salinity and temperature of the water, and doing a load of laundry.
-
- Canada goose tracks on the snowy path.
-
- A bald eagle scares a large group of gulls from their perch on the northeast side of Great Race. Can you spot the eagle?
-
- The wind and snow blew from the north northeast overnight, evidenced by the snow encrusted lighthouse and tank house.
-
- Five california sea lions being loud and curious on the shore just below the lighthouse.
-
- A juvenile bald eagle takes off from the snowy South Islands.
-
- A selfie taken outside of the generator room, with the snow, sun and sea lions.
-
- The 58m factory trawler Osprey #1 travels east towards Vancouver from the fishing grounds of the Pacific. The ship is traveling between Bentick Island and Turbine Rock, which is in the foreground with a bald eagle and harbour seals.
