Tomorrow is a shift changeover and my last day on the Island. Ann Nightingale is coming to be the Ecoguardian. I have enjoyed my stay here for the past five weeks. The near constant west wind provided excellent air conditioning. I learned to live harmoniously with the nesting gulls and chicks. The marine mammals (elephant seals, sea otter, humpback whales, orcas, and Steller sea lions) provided me with plenty of entertainment. I fixed more things on the island than broke. Another successful Ecoguardian shift.

Ecological Notes:

• The large male elephant seal spent the whole day today on the land, most of the time nestled against the north side of the Guest House.
• The population of Steller sea lions has doubled in past week. The stench of sea lion poop is also growing down wind of Middle Rocks. There are even a few California sea lions showing up on the main island.
• In the morning yesterday, myself and the two visitors took the station boat out for a trip to the closest land to the north. I enjoyed seeing a closer view of Bentinck Island, Rocky Point, Church Rock and Swordfish Island. There were many harbour seals hauled out on the rocks and little jumping fish along the way.
• See the photo gallery below for the ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weekly Census observed on Wednesday, August 3:

• Elephant seals: 3 (1 adult male, two juvenile females)
• Steller sea lions: 95
• California sea lions: 3
• Harbour seals: 146
• Bald eagles: 2 adults
• Brown pelican: 1
• Canada geese: 2
• Cormorants: 5
• Glaucous-winged gulls: 232
• Glaucous-winged gull chicks: approximately 200 (They are hard to count due to their hiding in plants and rocks. Some chicks have died and new chicks have been born recently.)
• Gulls (uncertain of species): 331 (around outer islands and congregating on the south end of Great Race Rocks)
• Black oystercatchers: 8 adults (no chicks seen today)
• Harlequin duck: 1 female
• Pigeon guillemots: 132
• Surfbirds: 12
• Black turnstones: 148

Weather:

• Yesterday (August 2):
  • Sky: Partly cloudy
  • Wind: W 11-28 kts
  • Sea: up to 1′ chop
  • Temperature Low 12 ^oC, High 15 ^oC
• Today (August 3):
  • Sky: Overcast until mid morning, then partly cloudy
  • Wind: W 15-34 kts
  • Sea: up to 3′ moderate
  • Temperature Low 12 ^oC, High 15 ^oC

Visitors:

• Abi and Jeremias, the two volunteers
• 9 visitors from Pearson College in the afternoon of August 2

Facility Work:

• Scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, poured cement to fix a broken section of sidewalk, routine tidying and checking infrastructure around the island. 

DND Blasting:

• Just before 13:00, there was one large blast from the DND lands at Rocky Point.

Vessel Traffic:

• Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.