Wildlife Notes:
There were many humpbacks to the south of the ecological reserve again today. They were too far away to get any decent photos even with the 400mm lens.
The population of the California sea lions is increasing by a few each day. I woke up this morning to their barks in the east bay.
Facility work:
- Clean the 44 solar panels
- Check the electrical systems on the station boat
- General tidying around the island’s buildings
Vessels:
- Ecotourism: 19
- Private: 5
Weather:
- Sky: Partly cloudy
- Wind: West 15-26 knots
- Sea: 2′ to 3′ chop
- Air temperature: low 12 °C, high 17 °C
- Seawater temperature at max flood: 11.7°C
Photos from today:
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- California sea lions thermoregulating by raising their flippers out of the water to warm up or cool down.
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- Guano free solar panels after a bit of scrubbing, rinsing, and squeegeeing.
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- Black oystercatchers
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- Steller and California sea lions on the South Islands
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- California sea lion out for an evening swim
*All wildlife photos are taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail.