Water: Calm in the morning, small waves in the evening
Boats/Visitors/Sightings
An average number of ecotour boats in the area
A few fishing boats just outside Pedder Bay as well
Birds
Just when I thought the Seagulls couldn’t get any more aggressive, they did just that. Noticed the first dead baby seagull, possibly due to a predator bird, and the adult seagulls around it were extremely violent.
Marine mammals
3 Elephant seals on the island today – all male.
Technical
Placing the new batteries on the insulated rack and the technicians’ work on the grid has made an impact – over the last 48 hours the island has only consumed 3% of the battery charge. Will continue to monitor charge and voltage over the week to see the effect.
Wind: 15-20 SE in the morning, 5-10 N in the evening (quite unusual)
Sky: partly cloudy
Water: Ripply
Boats/Visitors/Sightings
Kyle again brought several technicians from PTTP to do further work on the energy systems. They were able to connect the system to the internet which now allows them to remotely monitor solar input and usage. I also helped them lift the new batteries off the floor and place them on to an insulated rack.
Noticed an ecotour boat from the United States going around the reserve, and I’ve never seen this boat before. Maybe it was a 4th of July special?
Birds
Most seagull eggs have hatched, but some still remain whole. The seagulls are extremely aggressive now, and hard hats are a must for any visitors at this point.
A couple of juvenile bald eagles are making the rounds on the island – I initially mistook them for golden eagles, but Kyle explained they were simply juveniles.
Marine mammals
Kyle and I went to grab some photos of Ollie the sea otter that lives in a kelp patch near turbine rock.
We also spotted a humpack’s blow but by the time we got close it was gone.
Quite a few ecotour boats in the area today – a lot of them stopped near the northern rocks to watch the bald eagle sitting there
Bird Notes
The seagulls have become extremely aggressive every since their eggs have started to hatch. I’ve been attacked countless times over the last few days just walking on the paths – thankfully I’ve always had my hard hat and thick jacket on so no injuries!
Census
Elephant Seals
Male = 3
Female = 0
Sea Lions
California = 2
Steller = 0
Seagulls = 380 adults, ~50 babies (hard to estimate)
Spotted several juvenile eagles just by the jetty today. This is quite unusual, but I suspect the newborn babies attracted them. However, when I got close, I saw one eagle feeding on an adult oystercatcher (I think, it was hard to tell because it was deformed, could have been a pigeon guillemot).
Marine mammals
Looks like there were some resident whales swimming past Pedder Bay yesterday, but I couldn’t get a glimpse because it was too far. There were a whole bunch of whale watching boats, and the marina mentioned it was resident whales when I called them about one of their boats.
Kyle came by to drop off some food supplies for me, but because of the dropping tide he wasn’t able to stay long enough to come ashore.
Birds
The seagull eggs have started to hatch! I estimate about 20 babies as of this morning. It’s hard to get a count of them as the seagulls are now at their most aggressive – I got hit on the head a few times, but thankfully I had my hard hat on.
Spotted some more oystercatcher chicks, but again they were gone by the time I got close. They are REALLY hard to photograph.
Marine mammals
Yet another day of no sea lions
Elephant seal count remains the same – one of the adult males got all the way up to the base of the lighthouse today!
Quite a few ecotour boats today, with a couple of private boats as well
A weirdly shaped plane flew over this morning
Birds
I spotted two Oystercatcher chicks near the crane as I was standing on the jetty. I grabbed a photo from far but they were gone by the time I got close. I have walked around the entire shore and haven’t seen any other chicks yet – looks like we had some literal early birds.
Saw a harlequin duck near the east shore of the island. Photographed below.
Marine mammals
Caught a lone orca swimming past Pedder Bay, but by the time I went to get a photograph it was gone.
There was a man who arrived close to the reserve in a row boat. Upon talking to him I learned that he rowed here all the way from Port Angeles and was headed to Victoria, but the tide pushed him to Race Rocks instead. After rowing around the reserve for a few minutes, he headed on to Victoria.
Bird Notes
Noticed a sudden rise in number of immature gulls. Photographs below.
Marine Mammals
The latest elephant seal count is at 5 males and 1 female.
There are two California Sea Lion young ones around the jetty, with an adult (presumably the mother).
Spotted the HMCS Calgary leaving Pedder Bay and heading out towards the open ocean
Technical
Yesterday Kyle and Guy visited the island to go over all the energy and support systems. They identified some issues with the desalination pump, and the solar panel grid. There will be a technician coming soon to fix those.
Bird Notes
I saw a whole flock of Pelicans fly over the island – about 15-20 in number.
Not too many ecotour boats around today. A few private boats
Technical
Guy brought the chimney cleaner to the island today who cleared and vacuumed all the chimneys on the island.
Bird Notes
The Seagulls have been getting increasingly aggressive, as is expected this time of the year due to their eggs. I spotted the first dead, adult Seagull of the season that I suspect was killed by another Seagull.
There are notably fewer Seagulls on the island this year compared to previous years.
Marine Mammals
Elephant Seal counts remain the same since yesterday. 4 males and 3 females.
Garry Fletcher (ER Warden) and the IT team from Pearson College came ashore this morning. The IT team worked on replacing some of the wiring at the top of the lighthouse while I gave Garry a brief rundown of the happenings on the island.
A group of 9 visitors from the Kule Foundation came for a tour later in the afternoon. They spent close to an hour exploring every part of the island, including the top of the lighthouse, as Guy and I provided information, facts and stories.
After a Seaking Adventures boat violated the rules of the reserve day before yesterday and went into the eastern channel, I called the company this evening to give a warning. They explained that they have a new driver who is new to the area, but assured me that there would be no more boating violations on their part.
HMCS Edmonton was headed towards Pedder Bay this evening, along with a tail of two hard-hulled inflatables.
Bird Notes
A Pelican spent a good part of the afternoon on the island, just north of the student house. I haven’t seen this Pelican here before in the last 10 days that I have been at Race Rocks.
More seagull eggs. None hatched yet. Seagulls are relatively less aggressive than usual for this time of the year.
Marine Mammals
Garry spotted a new male Elephant Seal on the island today. It’s a fairly young one with remarkably unmarked/scarred skin. We believe that’s because it may have recently finished molting.
