Ecological Notes:

• 3 female Elephant Seals, 1 adult and 2 juveniles, still coming and going, no full haul out
• A surprise visit from a Northern Fur Seal!

• In addition to the more regular Black Turnstones, noted some Ruddy Turnstones today

• The Pigeon Guillemots are showing up in larger numbers, with many frequenting the rock pile where they like to nest

• Not that long ago, we would say ” this is an all male haul out area” ….. sources tell me this is in fact, Male, females, and yearling pups(haven’t seen nursing yet today, although I’ve photographed a few here doing that too)

• The Black Oyster Catchers are mostly paired up as well

• It appears that 2 of the 3 pairs of Canada Geese have given up on egg laying for the season (the gulls have been raiding the nests), but the one pair by the crane shed still has 2 eggs they are taking care of.

Facility Work:

• swapped out an electrical switch to restore light to the room I prefer to sleep in

• Checked and topped up the battery electrolyte levels
• Moved and stacked some of the split firewood
• Done before I got here, but a straight forward “why didn’t I think of that” solution to the storm rattled doors on the water tank shed

Noted Vessel Traffic:

• Some Eco-Tourism vessels visiting the reserve.
• 1 private vessel noted

 Noted Infractions:

• Private vessel approached the haul out area by the crane a bit too close and straight on, startling all the animals off into the water, including the rare (to this area) Northern Fur Seal

Weather Events:

• Sunday April 06:
  • Sky:Overcast, low clouds on the Olympic Peninsula, rain showers started in the morning, more squalls as the wind rose later in the day
    
  • Wind: N 5-10 kts, shifting and rising to W 25 kts by early evening
  • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
  • Temperature Low 8^oC, High 13^oC
• Monday April 07:
  • Sky: Overcast with sunny breaks, low cloud over the Olympic Peninsula, light rain in the afternoon
  • Wind:mostly N 5-10 kts, switching to west and rising to 25 kts in the afternoon before dropping back down during the evening
  • Sea:  light chop
  • Temperature Low 9^oC, High 10^oC
• Tuesday April 08:
  • Sky: Overcast with sunny breaks, heavy cloud to the south, occasional showers
  • Wind: N 5-15kts, rising to 25kts, gusting to 25kts, from the West late afternoon
  • Sea:  2 ft swells from the north during the day, switching to 2-3 ft chop late afternoon
  • Temperature Low 9^oC, High 11^oC