Partly cloudy, wind 10-15 NMPH N-NE.
This morning Chunk was on the island taking an interest in Bertha. He chased her around a bit and made what appeared to be mating attempts. She growled at him and resisted.
Category Archives: weather notes
Bertha returns
Wind was gusting up to 45 NMPH W overnight, blowing 30 NMPH in the morning and diminished to calm by afternoon. The sky cleared up during the day.
Bertha arrived back on Great Race today, she looks good and pretty big. In 2011 she gave birth to a pup (Squall) here on January 14. The other elephant seals are on Middle rock, it looks like 4 females and Chunk out there. There seemed to be another large female next to Chunk.
See the Elephant seal Index for other Elephant seal births at Race Rocks
A coast guard helicopter flew over in the morning, one ecotour vessel entered the reserve in the afternoon.
-cleaned panels
-replaced flag
-finished month end report
-did animal census
-cleaned cam 5 dome
-gathered drift wood from East shore
-cut, chopped wood
Rain and wind
It started raining in the evening and continued throughout the day. This was the first significant rain here in a few weeks. The wind picked up late in the day and was gusting over 45 NMPH West in the evening.
1 ecotour and 1 recreational vessel were in the reserve. A coast guard helicopter flew over coming from the West.
There were 3 small ducks in the NE puddle, I believe they were Green Winged Teals. I counted 15 canada geese on the island today, the most I have seen lately.
-worked on month end report
-entered salinity data into spreadsheet and submitted to DFO
-checked on drainage from roofs and downspouts around basements
-collected drift wood
-contacted wood stove contractor
Dec 29
Wind light, overcast.
2 ecotour vessels in the reserve today
There is a sea lion on the East bay of the island that has some kind of neck injury. It is usually higher up in the rocks and isolated from other sea lions. It’s neck is swollen on one side and fur is moist/matted, some blood is visible. It has been there for several days now. Though it does go into the water occasionally it is mainly stationary.
-cleaned solar panels
-replaced burnt out florescent tube lights in boat house, work room, engine room
-measured and photographed fuel lines on generator for replacement
-cut, chopped, stacked fire wood
-sharpened tools
-ran chain saw
Dec 27 Westerly
The wind picked up right around noon reaching up to 35 NMPH from the West with an average speed around 30 NMPH throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
One ecotour vessel was in the reserve.
-worked on trying to fine tune boat house door, unsuccessful.
-cut, chopped, stacked fire wood, successful.
-cleaned solar panels
-fuelled up station whaler
-replaced corroded hose clamp on whaler fuel line
Dec 26
Wind light, partly cloudy.
Two sports fishing boats had lines in close to reserve boundary, took photos.
Two ecotour boats in reserve, one seemed to have caused a bit of a disturbance to sea lions on the south rocks, took photos.
One airplane flew overhead, seemed a bit low but no disturbance observed.
-cut, chopped, stacked firewood
-cleaned solar panels
Westerly, speeding, visitors
Monday a west wind picked up over night and was blowing over 20 knots most of the day with gusts over 40 knots. The wind diminished over night and was calm on Tuesday. I had been planning on picking up some guests Monday but it was too windy so rescheduled for Tuesday morning. Tuesday was partly sunny and today there has been a light N wind and partly cloudy sky. I went off island today for a short christmas visit with family.
On Tuesday a private sports fishing boat traveled through the reserve well in excess of the 7knot speed limit (within 400m of rocks). I signalled to the boat to slow down, they saw me and slowed down but not enough. I photographed the boat and got ID numbers and made a request to Pedder Bay Marina to check if it was a boat returning to their marina and if they could speak to the operator about the speed limit in the reserve.
On Sunday Chunk left great race and returned to Middle rock. There has been one moulting female elephant seal hauled out in the rocks in south bay.
-cut fire wood
-pulled in log from water
-cleaned solar panels
-2 visitors (arrived Tuesday)
Photos from the past of couple weeks
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- california with plastic around its neck
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- 5454
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- branded Northern sea lion
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- Chunk. Scars from Misery
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- California sea lions
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- sunrise
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- sunset
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- from Dec 6 cold snap
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- flag at half mast for Nelson Mandela
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- river otter with some snow on its nose
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- peregrine and gull
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- sunset
NE swell
NE wind 10-15 NMPH , 2-3 ft swell coming into the jetty. The fog horn started up sometime in the middle of the night but stopped before sun rise, visibility was less than 5 NM most of the day. Light rain most of the day. Barometer falling.
I had planned on going in to campus for christmas lunch and to pickup guests but the lunch was canceled because of snow on the roads and the NE swell kept me from leaving the island.
Another day foiled by Black Oyster Catchers, I scrutinized around 12 of them on the South side of the island but no leg band seen.
-Sharpened bow saw
-cleaned solar panels
-ran desalinator
Fog
Still grey out here, the fog rolled in before noon, fog alarm was going for a few hours. The fog had lifted by late afternoon. Wind has been light today and yesterday.
The DND were burning again yesterday at Rocky Point.
I went off island yesterday to get plumbing parts and some provisions. It was my first time using the new boat dolly. It is a much appreciated improvement that makes launch and recovery easier and faster.
-getting parts off island
-fixed broken pipe and faucet on roof for PV panels
-pressure tested then drained lines
-sent photos and measurements for wood stove
-ran desalinator