This is my last post as Ecoguardian for summer 2018 – I’m headed back later this afternoon and Laas will be returning to take over.

Weather

• Visibility: 10 miles
• Wind: 15-25 knts W
• Sky: slightly hazy/partly cloudy
• Water: Calm
• Strong winds last night cleared part of the haze, and we have blue skies after a long period of grey.

Boats/Visitors/Sightings

• Guy arrived yesterday to take away all the garbage and recycling from the island, so there would be less to take back today.
• The increasing number of sea lions on the jetty have caused more and more boats to approach close to the dock – just a reminder that DFO guidelines set a 100m minimum for observing distance!
• On Tuesday, a group of Pearson students from the SPELL group came for a short tour on the island.

Island maintenance

• I raised a new Canadian flag yesterday after the old one was beginning to wear out.
• The Ecoguardian house has been completely cleaned for the next Ecoguardian
• Guy and I washed some of the pathways outside the science shed

Bird notes

• The first of the juvenile seagulls have now taken full flight – they soar as high as the adults now and even fly above the ocean.
• Saw one adult seagull with an injured leg and a juvenile with an injured leg as well. Not sure if this is just a coincidence or an attack tactic by other adult seagulls, but it immobilizes the injured bird almost completely.

Marine mammals

• A tagged female elephant seal has arrived at the island. The tag number is C887. Apart from a few scratches on the back, the seal is in very good health.
• The harbour seal pups seem to have grown quite a bit, gaining some weight and coming close to adult size
• The sea lions have started settling around the helipad and the back of the guest house (near the tidal radar) – an electric fence will be needed soon to allow for movement space.