Category Archives: Facility work

Surviving pups

Posted on by

Weather

East wind 4knots at 8:00 ,calm and overcast sky,visibility over 13 miles. During the day the wind blew  from North and we had a pretty sunny day but chilly.

Ecological

DSC_0021DSC_0020DSC_0030DSC_0034

So far so good  even if the injured one is not so fine! Each pup found a spot and Chunk was gone on Friday morning and the young male too. Just Boss was there sleeping as usual closed to the student house.

Vessels

We saw a big Coast Guards vessel in the passage between Race Rocks and Vancouver Island and an helicopter was following the border line flying low and slowly. Another Coast guard boat (grey and yellow one )was in the waters that same day. 2 or 3 watching boats.

DSC_0041

Maintenance 

2 barrels of 200 litres each transferred  in the yellow tank.

Environment Canada for the weather station on the rock

Posted on by

Maintenance

A team from  Environment Canada in Richmond  came to repair the weather Station which has not been working well since this Summer. They spent at least 3 hours and fixed the system.DSC_0772DSC_0785

Kyle with Second Nature came and bring 600 hundred litters of oil and we filled up 3 barrels of 200 each,3 more are coming soon. Guy and Kyle changed the pressured water pump in the student house.DSC_0788DSC_0794DSC_0796

Ecological

Each elephant Seal has been in his own spot even the new young male and we appreciated some quiet time! The injured pup was still moving but stayed around the crane, behind it. It is painful to see him in a so bad condition…We see what will happen in the coming days.

Spring coming…

Posted on by

Weather

For those 2 first days of the week the weather has been very calm,with still East to North East winds. We don’t have  a steady West wind yet but Spring is definitively at the corner and most of all, days are really longer.On Monday we had an incredible good visibility. What a fun to see so well Victoria and to follow a few sail boats…Recreational fishing are coming back around East Sooke too. Tuesday was a very calm day too but overcast and no wind at all …a before storm feeling.

Ecological

We have now a new young male Elephant seal around in the water mainly but he came ashore for the first time on Sunday. Chunk was pretty quiet and stayed  behind the students house. His scares on the back were pretty bad for a while but they are looking better now .One pup, always the same ,was on and off the Rocks,depending and stayed apart from the other one. This other one was always at the same spot ,not far from the crane .The big male named Boss was around them all the time and when the second born one made noise he got closer to him

Maintenance

Guy cleaned the water sampling shed and it is shining now!!! He cleaned the boat  too and the bench and the panel explaining Race Rocks above it.He changed the winch and belt of the trailer. The winch gets rusty pretty quick because it had been already changed in Summer.

Vessels 

Just a few Watching boats

 

Chunk here to stay

Posted on by

Weather

West light wind,Calm,clear,stronger wind expected that day,around 25knots,Visibility:15 miles,Cold :1degree celsius in the morning

Ecological

Very active birds especially gulls fishing all around,some eagles (4)and geese (12) and Chunk. We discovered that he spent the night  far from the other one but on shore closed to the batteries rooms. He managed to go the day before” incognito” through the rocks and not by the central alleys. I would say “par la porte des artistes”.Comfort is an important matter!I saw a tagged Sea Lion :C105.

Vessels

2 eco – tour boats and a long US military boat very high on the water heading to the ocean.

Maintenance

End of the month reports : sea water datas and ‘liquids” on the Rocks. Guy put 200 litters of gazoil into the yellow tank.Some wood chopping.Desalinator and generator on

 

Census day and find “6 Spots” the harbour Seal!

Posted on by

Weather

Another calm day with 9 knots,North East wind at 8:00AM ,Calm sea,Cloudy to some sunny periods,Visibility over 13 miles. Sea water :7.1 degrees Celsius

Ecological

I thought to have seen the famous seal on Turbine Rock this morning. there was a beautiful spotted Seal and actually the first one like that I ever saw…but when I went to do the census I discovered 7 or 8 spotted ones all together on South Island so…I am not sure anymore …Is “6 spots “around or not?…I let Pam to be the expert and the judge . Again Chunk :he spend the afternoon closed to Guy working at the cleaning of the railway (drifting wood again).A lot of activity for the gulls on the fish banks. In the night I have been awaken by the Sea Lions for the first time in those Winter months

Vessels

3 Watchers  and a police boats going towards Esquilmalt..some small fishing boats closed to Pedder Bay.

Census

Gulls:520

Cormorants :90

Harbour Seals :17

Elephants Seals:6 (2 pups,2 females ,2 males)

Eagles:8

Harlequin Ducks :8 seen this week

Geese:6 seen this week

Black Turnstones: a few

Sea lions : 200

 

Watchers back

Posted on by

Weather

12 knots North East wind at 8:00,Cloudy,Visibility:13miles,Calm day, Air Temperature :6 degrees Celsius.

Ecological

Between 5 and 9 eagles steady on the Rocks. Lovely Harlequin Ducks.

Maintenance

Worked on the old generator . all the parts are now loose; Ready to be hauled out soon.

Other

Helicopter closed and a plane far above.

2 watcher boats in the passage.

9 Eagles on South Islands

Posted on by

Weather

North east wind at 8:00AM, 12 knots ,over 13 miles of visibility.Pretty chilly morning (4 degrees Celsius ), cloudy and rainy.

Ecological

So many eagles around and some crows too…I guess they are attracted by the Elephant Seal body still in the rocks but actually they have been everywhere around all the time…juveniles and adults.. Boss  was coming back early from water. The 2 females have almost not moved from the birth spot and gradually the pups got bigger. Pam saw the famous harbour Seal ,”Six Spots”  is his name but we we have not found him yet.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

see the shadow of the eagles on South Island

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Eagle around

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Maintenance and visits

Kyle came Today to get the chain saw that needed some repairs or a new one …The dryer has also some problems.With Guy they had a look at the old and unused generator. it will be hauled out pretty soon. In the afternoon Travis from the college came in his Kayak and stopped for a visit of the place and some chatting with us . The day was just perfect for the crossing : no current and no wind.! One watching boat seen

 

Chunk ‘s visit

Posted on by

Weather

It has been a very calm weekend . North East wind mainly and very light wind around 50 knots and a pretty cloudy sky all the time.

Ecological

Chunk was back on Saturday but not for so long , I would say 3 hours …He stayed closed to the boat shed . For a long time ” Boss ” was deeply asleep but at the end when the other tried to come up …he just needed to show up and Chunk was gone as fast as a torpedo. Don’t tell me that an elephant seal can’t go fast! Every thing looked fine with the e females Elephant seals and pups . They are bigger and the second born bigger than the first. The male tried to get one female after the other but without success and a lot of drama. It is always scary to see the young one so closed in this situation. Many eagles have been around those last days. On Sunday we had 4 geese and later 7 and on Sunday 13…many cormorants too and Oyster catchers.

Maintenance

We went on with the wood stacking job and brought bak to the main house the wood under the guest house. On sunday we were busy with the jetty. Logs everywhere and our main concern was to get free the launching boat way in case of an emergency.

Vessels

Just a few boats around:a small sailboat in the passage, a big fishing boat on his way to the coast, and a few watching boats .

Census day

Posted on by

Weather

Pretty windy day ,North wind ,22knots at 8:00 and around 30 at 2:00PM.,white crests on the sea,visibility over 15miles

Maintenance 

Outside wall of the main house and staircase washed.

Ecological

Birds very active :fishing all around. many Oyster catchers on the south rocks of Main. Quiet Elephant seals

Census

Elephant seals:5: one big male,2 females and 2 pups

Sea lions:140

Gulls:440

Geese :4

Oyster catchers :20

Cormorants :around 40

Eagles: 2 adults and 2 juveniles

Black Turnstones:15

Harlequin ducks: 14 seen this week

Others 

Water infiltration by the windows and from the wall in a spot.Stairs a little bit slippery