Wildlife
A pod of orcas came by at sunset today! With the low lighting, it was tricky to get a clear photo at a distance, but it was incredible to see them in the fading light.

Facility notes
-Fixed up jetty fence
-Cleaned solar panels
-Finished clearing built-up roof grime; if it rains this weekend as the forecast says, hopefully I can give it a good final scrub!

Weather
Foggy morning, sunny and clear rest of the day. Westerlies from 10 to 22 knots. Temperatures from 10 to 12 degrees.

Visitors
Three researchers with the DFO came by this afternoon for a visit. They were interested in how the daily salinity and temperature samples are taken, about the history of race rocks and future plans for the reserve. We intended to do a demonstration of the water sampling for them as they prepared to head out, but the batteries on our sampling device happened to have died! What timing. I still demonstrated where the sampler is dipped from the end of the jetty, and replaced the batteries shortly afterward.
It was great to meet the researchers making use of the data collection that is such a quintessential daily ritual here on the rocks.

Another daily ritual seems to be reinforcing the jetty fenceline- there’s one young California sea lion who seems to have taken a liking to hauling out there, willing to brave an initial jolt for that sweet patch of flat, flat concrete. Twice today I had to shoo him away, watching as he took out another section on the way out.