Category Archives: Facility work

Visitors : 1st year students came for the first time

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Weather

On this beginning of the week we had a calm weather,light wind and clear days with a pretty good visibility.most of the time. Air and water temperature are going down to 15 degrees on Thursday and the barometric pressure is moving down a little ,now around 101.5 .We got some very welcome rain.

Ecological

Rain cleaned the rocks a little and the marigold came back nicely. It’s still a smelling place but a better one.We count now 23 dead birds and the last found ones from territorial fights.

Visitors

This is the highlight of the week.The students came from all around the world . What a pleasure for us to introduce them to this magical world…and guess what: happened the non expected :When a group of them was here, some Orcas, 3 of them came around and inside the passage. They jumped like never before  and even the whale watchers vessels had to stay outside (they did) . Our students  were the only one present for a true show. Just amazing! We managed to get some pictures but they were already far from the rock.DSC_0252DSC_0259DSC_0268DSC_0280DSC_0287

Maintenance

Wood all organized for Winter. Water sampling house deeply cleaned and new carpet put in. Bathroom window locker changed.Electrical line repaired.

Boats

Many whale watchers around even before the sunset and the night.Plane over 2 times.

A very windy Saturday: 43 knots

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Weather

It has been a very windy day  on the 27th ,so surprising in August and after a few calm weeks. Anyway if it was windy it was sunny too and the spectacle around was just stunning!DSC_0080

At 7:30AM the wind was already at 37 knots . It went down later in the morning to 28 knots but picked up soon to 41 and 43 knots before 5:00PM and stayed strong late in the evening 35.5knots at 8:20 PM when I went for the water sampling.

Ecological

If you look at the solar panels condition every morning those days, you must deduct that the waters around are really fishy…they are so sticky and dirty! and actually you can spot flocks of white birds on the sea.We have more and more sea lions on Main and around . they are almost everywhere. Not so many birds steady on the rocks . Almost all young one are flying but  some are still dependant of their adult parents .No more elephant seal. no more Pigeon -guillemots but many turnstones…We cannot go anymore in the intertidal zone …it’s the sea lions territory. When I went to do the water sampling I had the surprise to find a “Bernard l’hermite “swimming in the jar. I bring it back to the ocean ! 2 more bodies of gulls for a total of around 20.

Maintenance 

Guy need to reorganize the electrical lines 2 times a day at least . They destroyed everything ,especially around the jettyDSC_0207DSC_0211

This week we had some problem with the generator . New one is coming soon.

Other

Always many whale watcher and a specific one is speeding all the time ! Frustrating situation! and  a plane was over.

Busy week

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Weather

The whole week we had a very light wind , a flat and calm sea . Perfect hot Summer days…Almost no wind,sometimes from east. and a very good visibility from 15 to 30 miles

Ecological

Census

Sea lions :320

Harbour seals:82

Seashore birds:15

Eagles:0

River otters:1 ( dead chicken found)

Elephant seals:0

Geese :16(quickly gone )

Pigeon-guillemots:0

Oystercatchers :2

Cormorants :1 seen around North Rock

 

We saw some branded Sea lions :8101 and 2 others and I spot one with a huge swollen eye !

Maintenance

We had some problem with the inverter 2 which went off and gave as a consequence no electricity in the guest house so no more phone and internet on the Rock . Guy uninstalled the whole system and Kyle came early before a meeting at the college and they reinstalled the whole thing.The generator and desalinator have been on. the soft water tank filled up to full.and Guy chopped more wood.  He needs to reinstalled the electrical line almost everyday especially the one close to the main house . The Sea lions fight so much to get the good spots in the evening that they fall on each other and on the lines  Otherwise the system is working well

Visitor

Evan Guy who was working at the college since June went to spend his last night on the rocks

Other

We have been off island a lot because of some mandatory and interesting meetings at the college before the beginning of the school year. Next week we will go back the routine and will welcome the new first year students for their first visit of the rock! exciting!

Windy Monday

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Weather

The wind picked up to 30 knots in the middle of the night and was still 32 knots  at 5:00AM and 38 at 7:30 . The visibility was over 15 miles ,clear sky ,white caps on the sea.

Ecological

 

The Sea lions stayed late in the morning in ,what I call the dormitory ,in fact a patch of land among the rocks. We were lucky enough to spot for the first time a few orcas closed to the shore behind the guest house. Many black turnstone  in the rocks and sea lions closer and closerDSC_0003DSC_0173DSC_0262DSC_0371

Maintenance

Guy repaired the lock of the bedroom window . He changed the filter of the generator 2.and drilled and fixed a support. Everything is now working except an oil leak because of too old hoses . New ones has been ordered.

Other

The video Aziz Sowannella took on the rock is now online (Youtube ) . Thanks to him . It’s as beautiful as the place.  He got the feeling of the rocks around the clock. Nice job!

Very low tides and getting ready for the invasion

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Weather

Every days are a little bit the same; on Monday the 15th ,we had 20 knots at 5:00AM with a visibility over 15 miles and a choppy sea and this stayed the same to late in the afternoon where we got 33 knots and later around 30 to midnight. On Tuesday it was foggy almost all the morning,17knots at 5:00 AM, with a good visibility to 6:30AM; Air temperature 14 degrees Celsius and water around 13. Barometric pressure:101.8KPA

Ecological news

Nothing really new except that we found 2more chicken bodies for a total of 15. No elephant seals around. With those very low tides it is very interesting to discover the treasures of theDSC_0261 intertidal zone .DSC_0210DSC_0262DSC_0248DSC_0263DSC_0267

Maintenance

Guy chopped more wood ,pile almost gone. The wheelbarrow is …dead at least the wheel. The electrical fence on the jetty is settled.We will see its efficiency . This year no line on boat side ,it’s too risky for us.DSC_0299

Visitor 

No visitor but Kyle went around with a group of marine biologists.(meeting this week at the college)

Other

Plane above.Watchers in the morning mainly

Census and first electrical fence working

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Weather

If Friday was very calm it was not the same story on Saturday and Sunday. Actually we had the same pattern of weather: wind around 20 in the morning picking up around 7:00PM getting 35 to 37 knots around 8:PM. We had some fog a big part of the day on Saturday.

Ecological 

The Sea lions came back to their favorite spot on main closed to the derrick house and  they slept like they would in a dormitory side by side.The birds were stressed by the wind and we had to wear our helmet…It was a continuous show around with the gulls :fly and fight ..many fights and a lot of shouting. The younger now are getting good at flying and some even left the rock.2016  nesting season is at the end. DSC_0177DSC_0444DSC_0442

Maintenance

Very dirty solar panels !Thick!…I put some peat moss in the compost. Guy installed the electrical line because of the heavy concrete posts, it was a big job among the shouting birds and sea lions behind.Generator on for 12 hours; desalinator on too. Last time was 10 days agoDSC_0356DSC_0407DSC_0424

Electrician on the Rock

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Weather

We had for a few days the last perfect Summer days: no wind ,mirror sea and heat…

Ecological

For the first time we saw 2 orcas in the passage . It was like a dream and ironically all the watching boats were outside and we were the only ones to enjoy.DSC_0502DSC_0500We did!

Hungry not anymore baby gulls! No Elephant seals .

Other

The number of watching boats this sunny days is insane !So many and all at the same time .too closed ,too fast and too noisy (engines). too often disturbing! An helicopter was above very noisy too and the birds were afraid.We had a plane above.DSC_0553DSC_0549

A visitor : an electrician 

He came to double check the electrical system on the rock. Even if the old system is running pretty well a brand new generator would be  a good solution for more efficiency.We learn a few things : The generator should work around 12 hours in a raw every 10 days even in Summer time. We would need a high voltage for 12 hours to activate correctly the mixture . The sulfuric acid  stays down and the water up and that means corrosion …If high voltage were sent for 12 hours or even more the batteries could be charged at 80 %. Right now they are charged at the best to 40-50%.The solar panels are not enough efficient because of the big and numerous batteries. Even the shadow of a pipe on the panel have an incidence on the production. The second generator is not working right now . We will make it work next week with new filters.this one produce 25AMPS instead of just 15AMPS for the first one in use presently.

 

Busy eco guardian : Alumni reunnion

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Weather

We had a pretty calm weather those last days from no wind to 25 knots in the evening at the most. Some fog like on Wednesday morning the 10th but mainly sunny most of the time and calm with a pretty good visibility.

Ecological

We had the pleasure to welcome another female Elephant seal on Tuesday but only for a short time and pretty soon they were all gone. 4 guess made a come back ;otherwise the island is getting noisier and smell bad! The Sea lions mainly californian but some Steeler too, are coming closer and closer but not as numerous as they were last year. Some eagles around once in awhile.The gull chicks get big now,they are trying to fly but not ready yet.

Boats 

Watching boats and some diving boats (2 the same day) and closed to the rocks . Planes over on the weekend.We also have 4 times a day since Saturday loaded with alumni from the college . They came around the Rocks but not ashore.

Maintenance

Guy chopped more wood for winter.He got all the electrical fence posts ready around the student’s house and he went to the college to help for the sailing activity.On the 10th he prepared the batteries and made sure that they were full of water . it took  2 hours to fill up every of them ( total of 96  ) The generator has been working for 3 hours . Tomorrow we will have an Electrician for a general check up of the Race Rocks electrical system.

Visitor

Kyle brought some peat moss for the compost and a brand new seawater pump.

 

A visitor overnight: Raisa Mirza back to the Rock

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Weather

Windy day . At 10:00AM we already had 22 knots and a gust of wind was forecast for the afternoon.We had some fog part of the night and still some to 8:00 in the morning.At 4:30 the wind reached 35 knots

Ecological

3 or 4 big Sea lions on the rocks between the student house and the helicopters platform. Electrical lines soon

Visitor

In the morning as soon as the tide allowed it we went to the college to pick up Raisa . Raisa  is an Alumni ( year 31 or 32) and has been eco guardian at Race Rocks from September 2010 to May 2011 and her husband Ryan Murphy  was here from December 2008 to November 2011. He has been a biology teacher at the college for a few months too. Both are passionate by Race Rocks ,they are experimented divers and talented photographers. It was a very special time for Raisa to be back home  and we felt blessed to share this with her.She spent almost all her time outside taking pictures!

Census day

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Weather

The weather has been gorgeous and calm ,excellent visibility to 22km ,west wind around 15 knots.barometric pressure :101.9,sunrise at 5:52 and sunset at 20:45 ,humidity:88%

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Ecological

A beautiful and healthy female Elephant seal returned on Main Rock.First chickens swimming.More Sea lions everyday around. 2 more dead birds (one by a river otter and one resulting from a territorial fight).DSC_0050 eggs are hatched : the 2 youngest I think.

Maintenance 

Student house cleaning and other daily chores

Visitor

Kyle came and bring some needed stuff.

Other

Plane above

Census

Harbour seals :around 200

Gulls :between 535 and 550

Eagle:1

turnstones:130 to 150DSC_0755

Harlequin Duck:1 female

River otters:1

Oystercatchers: 4 couples seen

Pigeon-Guillemots:around 60

Seashore Sea lions :131 (on Middle and South) DSC_0392DSC_0587DSC_0017

Elephant Seals:1