Author Archives: Christine Chourmouzis

Ordinary day

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Wildlife notes:

Nothing extraordinary to report with the gulls, just the normal level of excitement and aggression towards each other and me!

The gulls spend a good amount of time preening. They are precise about it and are able to isolate single feathers. The young chicks learn this very early, focusing at first mostly on their chest area.

Preening

Preening

The chicks near the house that hatched on June 28 are now two weeks old. They are starting to explore moving their little wings and are learning to hop and jump.

Two weeks old

Two weeks old

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • topped up battery fluid
  • cleaned and weeded around Energy building.

Vessels:

25 ecotourism, 4 private

Weather:

Sunny day. Gentle westerly breeze in the morning, fresh breeze in the afternoon. Temperature range: low 11, high 15.

July 11 Census

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Mammals

sea otter: 1
elephant seal: 2 (male and female)
harbour seal: 126 (46 South Islands, 6 South Seal Rocks, 18 Middle, 33 Turbine, 21 North Is., 2 Great Race Rock)
humpback whale: 1 (approx. 1 mile to the east)

Birds

cormorant: 28
gulls: 628 ( 34 South Islands, 14 South Seal Rocks, 4 Middle, 1 Turbine, 575 Great Race Rock)
oyster catcher: 10 adults, 3 chicks
pigeon guillemot: 86
surfbird: 27
black turnstone: 16
ruddy turnstone: 1
western sandpiper: 1
least sandpiper: 2
harlequin duck: 1
swallow: 1
purple martin: 1

Western sandpiper

Least sandpiper

Ruddy turnstone

Wildlife notes:

The California sea lion with the wounds on his flipper hasn’t been spotted for a few days.  The new black oyster catcher chick hatched on July 5 in the open on the western shore has been moved up higher on the rocks.  The pigeon guillemots are easy company – neither the gulls or the oyster catchers mind them around.

Another little climber. Hatched July 5.

Black oyster catcher chick eating its lunch.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaned Keeper’s House windows

Vessels:

21 ecotourism, 1 private, 1 outrigger canoe paddler

Weather:

Sunny breezy day. Westerlies strengthening to near gale by early evening. Most of the day 12 to 14 degrees with a high of 17 at 19:00.

Thief!

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The flag is lowered and lashed. The house is humming and quaking, and the seas are lively.

Wildlife notes:

All the gulls are facing head to the wind, including the egg thief. After the anger subsided, it became sort of amusing to watch him to chase the egg shell as the wind carried it away…picks it up, brings it back to the preferred dinning spot, and away it goes again.

Getting in there

Swallowing

Carrying it back

Stuck ?

Getting the last drop ?

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • weeding

Vessels:

9 ecotourism

Weather: 

Full sun. Near gale and gale force westerlies most of the day, winds gusting to 42 knots.  High 18 degrees.

Horrible Neighbours

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Wildlife notes:

While some of the animals are getting along better and sharing the space (the male and female elephant seals are sleeping in the same grassy area near the Energy Building) others are not. The gulls are so tightly packed in places that some nests are only a few feet away from each other.  A gull chick got picked up today by a nasty neighbour that was forced to drop the chick very close to its original location. The little creature didn’t make it and still lies in the spot it was dropped only a foot away from where it’s parents and sibling are simply carrying on and hunkering down for the night. This chick is just outside the kitchen window on top of the cistern and I can’t help but look every 20 minutes to see if it is still there.

On a cheery note, here are some photos of the superbly camouflaged surfbirds.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • weeding brick walkway
  • thistles

I am almost done with the thistles. Only three small patches remain but the gulls are nesting in these so I will leave them until I have some backup. The record breaker thistle is 17.5 inches, found by the rock wall behind the water storage building.

I had to lower the flag this evening as winds were >25 knots and forecast to reach 30-40 tomorrow. The original “Flagpole” gull was not impressed.  I stayed very close to the pole and couldn’t be reached by her beak or bomb. “Latecomer” gull, on the other side of the pole, still has eggs in her nest so she just left the area. Hopefully the winds diminish before her chicks hatch – raising the flag with the two approaching from different sides will require a thick rubber raincoat with some additional padding underneath.

Vessels:

22 ecotourism, 1 private, 1 outrigger canoe

Weather:

Clear skies. Westerly gentle to moderate breeze most of the day, building and becoming near gale force SWS by sunset. While some parts in southern coastal BC hit record high temperatures, the high here was only 18 degrees.

Hiding in the shadow

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A panting parent (they do this to dissipate heat) with their young chicks hiding in the shadow.

Wildlife notes:

Many new chicks have hatched. I was happy to see the relatively calm “sidewalk” gull has a new chick. This gull has had a hard time of it right in the favourite path of the male elephant seal. He mostly enjoys the grassy hollow these days but previously he crossed the walkway daily. The nest is close to and several inches below the walkway, which has saved her last remaining egg from being crushed – the other egg disappeared in mid June.

Sidewalk gull’s new wet chick.

Two purple martins investigated the fog sensor pipes protruding half way up the south side of the lighthouse tower.  Gary will bring a purple martin nesting box to the island. Hopefully they will find it to be a suitable home.  A hummingbird was spotted but moved too quickly for a positive identification or photo.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • weeding brick walkway by Energy House.
  • house cleaning

Vessels:

28 ecotourism

Weather:

Clear skies, winds light and variable most of the day, switching to a moderate westerly breeze late afternoon, high of 25 degrees.

Little climbers

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The black oyster catcher chicks near the house on the east beach are strong, agile and are covering a lot of ground.

Over the top

Wildlife notes:

The female elephant seal’s eye is better and the male continues to bellow in the water. He does this even when alone. The injured California sealion is still here and is the only sealion around. The third banded gull was spotted and reported. More gulls have hatched.  It is hard to guess at the percentage as it seems to vary by location (north and east sections – 80%, around the tower base – 0%, west sections – 20%). A group of 18 surfbirds and 12 black turnstones settled on the east beach for the night.

Clean eyes

Colourful catch

Banded gull

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • thistles
  • weeding brick walkway

Vessels:

22 ecotourism, 3 private

Weather:

Light easterly breeze most of the day, switching to gentle to moderate westerly by early evening. High 25 degrees.

 

Wild things

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“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself”    D.H. Lawrence

I am reminded of how durable and enduring wildlife is when I watch the surfbirds hunker down for the night on the cold hard rocks at the water edge, the wounded California sealion favour his injured flipper, and this morning, seeing the female elephant seal with bloody tears around her eye.

Wildlife notes:

Approximately 1/3 of the gull nests have chicks.  Even the more relaxed gulls which previously continued to sit on their nests and let me pass with just some squawking are are now irate and charge at me. The chicks are becoming vocal and I can hear their peeps. The oyster catcher chick that hatched yesterday hasn’t been moved to the cover of the rocks and is still out in the open.

Two day old black oyster catcher chick

The male elephant seal “playing” with the kelp.

The injured California sealion…. like watching someone’s head nod when they fall asleep on the bus or at a meeting.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaned Student House windows
  • split wood
  • started weeding brick walkway on south side of Energy Building

Vessels:

38 ecotourism, 3 private

Weather:

Sunny day, light to gentle breeze (1-11 knots), mainly easterlies ranging from ESE to NE.

July 5 Census

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Mammals

sea otter: 1
California sea lion: 1 (injured)
elephant seal: 2 (male and female)
harbour seal: 123 (26 South Islands, 64 South Seal rocks, 8 Middle, 16 Turbine, 9 North Island)

Birds

bald eagle: 4
cormorant: 28
gulls: 496
oyster catcher: 11 adults, 3 chicks
pigeon guillemot: 24
great blue heron: 1
surfbird: 5
black turnstone: 1
harlequin duck: 1

Wildlife notes:

To the census I have to add 12 small flashes of white, travelling in a tight group – did some impressive high speed acrobatics on the north shore.  The pigeon guillemots are under represented. They have been travelling in and out all day with few remaining on the island at any one time. Their nesting locations are easier to spot now. The birds land near the nesting area with their prize and stall for a while, seeming to look about cautiously before they approach their nests, but perhaps they are just showing off their catch. The California sealion has a wound (one large and central, one smaller near the tip) on his left flipper and has dipped in and out of water many times today.  The black oyster catcher chicks on the bolder beach near the house, first photographed June 12, are now about half the size of their parents. A new black oyster catcher chick hatched today on the western shore, in the open without any sort of nest. Not many new gull chicks today. The elephant seals continue to tumble and grumble, then separate and ignore each other.

Heading to the nest

Black oyster catcher with the 3+ week old chicks.

Newly hatched black oyster catcher chick.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaned Keeper’s House windows

Vessels:

14 ecotourism, 5 private, 1 highly skilled outrigger canoe paddler

Weather:

ENE 6 -10 knots most of the day, switching W 15 in the early evening. High of 26 degrees.

New Man

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I left Race Rocks for a dental appointment and returned to find a new man. The male elephant seal looks fantastic and has a smooth, shinny silver sheen to him.  He is still bothering the female elephant seal but at least now she is permitted a piece of subprime real estate, while he lounges in grassy hollow and near the house.

The new man asleep in the grass

Having a stretch

The male and female elephant seals by the boat ramp

Wildlife notes:

Only a few more gull chicks have hatched with the majority of the gull parents still incubating their eggs.  A different banded gull than that noted on June 20th was found on the southwestern shore. Both gulls were reported to researchers at the Salish Sea Gull Project… read more.  Two surfbirds and one black turnstone visited the northeast rocky beach and one newly fledged California gull on the rocks east of the jetty.

A gull egg starting to hatch

A gull nesting in the grass. I always wonder if she thinks I can’t see her.

A banded gull

Black turnstone and surfbirds

Young California gull

Facility work:

  • topping up battery fluid
  • filled generator with fuel in preparation for the next equalization charge, tidy tank refilled

Vessels:

A full count was not conducted today: > 3 ecotourism boats, 2 private

Weather:

ESE 4-9 knots most of the day, veering to W 17 by early evening.

Unwelcomed visitor

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The male elephant seal was disturbed this morning to find a new female in his favourite grassy spot.  He chased her around, bit her, climbed on her and sent her down the boat ramp into the water. This all took a while as both had to stop frequently to rest. I had a chance to watch him in the water – effortless!

Wildlife notes:

Still only a few nests have chicks hatching. The chicks that hatched on June 28 are growing rapidly.  They wander less than a foot away from their old nest and sit motionless and cuddled together when an approaching eagle sends their parents to the air.

3 day old chick.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaned windows
  • house cleaning
  • month end report
  • seawater data entry

Vessels:

17 Ecotourism boats

Weather:

Partly cloudy, winds SSW to WSW, 11 to 23 knots, high of 16 degrees.