There are many spring and early summer flowering plants to observe on Race Rocks but most of them are introduced species. I has happy to find the fringed redmaids (Calandrinia ciliata) growing in a dense mat near the top of east beach. This small annual flowering plant species is one of the few native species found here.

I have started on the thistle removal program again, only this year I am starting off double-gloved! It has heightened my awareness of how many introduced species there are on the island. It would be impossible to remove them all. Below are photos taken today of some of the introduced “weedy” plants in flower.

Facility work

• weeding/clearing walkways
• thistle removal

Vessels

• ecotourism: 8
• private: 1

Weather

Winds calm in the am building to WNW 25 in the pm. Skies partly cloudy. Day time temperature: low 9, high 12.

Wildlife notes

A new slightly larger female elephant seal arrived today!  We now have two older females and two youngsters enjoying the grassy field.

The whole gang. From front to back: molting female, new female to the group, the two young ones.

I rarely have the chance to see Ollie, the sea otter and when I do he is just a speck in the distance. Today I had the chance to watch him snooze, arms in the air. He seemed to have himself hooked onto a bull kelp for an anchor. It reminded me of once seeking refuge in a kelp patch, having no option but to bow and stern tie my little 18′ foot sailboat to the kelp to wait out the weather and rough seas. Unlike Ollie, I wasn’t relaxed about it or sleeping through it.

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• weeding the front of the keepers house

Vessels

• ecotourism: 0

Weather

Winds moderate breeze, veering from WSW 30 in the morning to WNW 25 in the afternoon, becoming variable in the evening. Scattered clouds. Day time temperature: low 9, high 12

Wildlife notes

A wandering tattler (non-breeding visitor) was seen on the east shore rocks this afternoon! It was a brief, blurry photo visit.

Wandering tattler

Range of wandering tattler (source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wandering_Tattler/maps-range)

Unlike the wandering tattler, the two brown pelicans (non-breeding visitors) have been on the island for a week or so and were easy to photograph.  These massive birds have a 7 foot wing span and were flying about today in the 30+ knot winds. To catch their meals, they are known to dive into the water from heights of up to 50 feet in the air but today I only saw them land on the water surface. These pelicans have made an amazing recovery since the 1960’s. For a sad story on the recent plight of these birds see  https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/brown-pelicans-starvation-20295659.php

Brown pelican range map (Source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/maps-range)

Facility work

• top up battery fluid levels
• organize and clean house

Vessels

• ecotourism: 1

Weather

Winds westerly 20 to 30, gusting to 39 knots, partially cloudy with scattered showers.

It is lush, green and peaceful on Race Rock – a stark contrast to late August 2024 when I was last here. The gulls have are only started to build nests and without territory to defend or chicks to protect, they are quite mild-mannered. With few sea lions and a smaller gull population compared to last August, the air smells almost fresh.

Armeria maritima – Thrift in bloom at Race Rocks.  The thrift was once on the British three pence coin.  If you were “thrifty” you would be able to buy something with this small amount of money.  Source: Armeria maritima – Wikipedia

I was thrilled to see two young female elephant seals sleeping side by side, freshly molted and shining silver. They will be good company and fun to watch. An older mid-molt female is also present but she mostly keeps to herself.

Two by two – Pairs of gulls, geese and elephant seals

Facility work

• cleaned the solar panels
• getting familiar with the site and modifications to the water and power systems

Vessels

• ecotourism: 17
• private: 1

Weather

• Overcast, periods of rain, NE light to moderate breeze