Category Archives: weather notes

Students at Race Rocks

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On Friday afternoon Erik brought out 7 students as well as Natasha and Julien to Race Rocks to stay for the weekend.
The students helped with several projects on Saturday afternoon including:

-cleaning solar panels;

-completing the building of compost containers;

-edging the edges of pathways;

-cleaning and sealing conduit boxes to camera 5;

-assessing electronic devices;

-moving a propane tank;

-topping up heating fuel, and

-moving the dugout canoe.

On Sunday Chris came out around noon with Jane and 3 kids to pickup the group and return them to campus.  Thanks to everyone for a great weekend and for all the help.

We have had clear skies, a brief 20 knot NE Sat morning but fairly calm for the rest.

Squall takes the plunge!

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This morning was the first time that I have seen Squall take to the sea.  While i didn’t actually seen her in the water I saw her coming up the boat ramp clearly wet after having been in the water.   It may be that she has gone in the ocean previously at night or when I wasn’t around but this is the first time I have even seen her near the boat ramp, which, with its gentle smooth slope, is the preferred haul out for elephant seals on the island.  Maybe it is just a coincidence but this morning we also reached the highest barometric pressure (115 hPa) that we have had in almost 2 weeks. She will be 10 weeks old tomorrow.

The female elephant seal tagged 5086/4665 left the boat ramp area on Tuesday.  6355 is still in the south bay.

On Monday Erik brought out 3 students to the island who stayed overnight and returned the following day.  Today a group of 9 will be coming out the island for the weekend.

Stormy, Misery gone, Surfbirds

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Early Monday morning there were strong winds SE and again this morning, over 40 knots. Yesterday there was periods of snowfall blowing in from the West.  Pressure falling, more wind expected tonight.

Misery left the main island on Friday evening, I have not seen or heard any sign of him since.  I suspect he might be gone for the season.

Surfbirds

Since the stormy weather Monday I have not seen either of the moulting female elephant seals.  Since Misery left Squall has been more active.  She has been moving around the island more and doing tail biting exercises.   She is attracted to puddles and has gone down to the crane deck a few times and seems curious about the ocean.  I have still not seen her approach the water though.

On Sunday there was a large flock (+150) of Surfbirds (Aphriza virgata) and maybe a few Black Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala) in the East bay.

On Tuesday one eco tour vessel entered the reserve.

Have been working on a new compost containing system lately, have poured 6 concrete footings/anchors over the past few days.  On Monday did maintenance on the fire pump.

Moulting elephant seal

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On Monday a young moulting female elephant seal showed up near the boat ramp. She spent a couple days on the jetty until a NE wind picked up. Squall is still on the S side of the house, she seems to be mostly finished moulting now.  This morning she was making her way N towards boat ramp but Misery perked up and growled, she turned back and stayed on the cistern.

On Monday around dusk a pod of about 7 orca whales passed by the S side of the reserve near the Rosedale Reef buoy.

It has been quite calm and clear the past few days but a 20 knot NE wind this morning.

Project Week-part 1

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On Sunday, I brought 7 students to Race Rocks in two trips in the whaler.  This week is project week at the college so all students are off campus on adventures, being creative, and doing service projects.

 

 

At Race Rocks students are helping with daily tasks of measuring ocean temperature and salinity and monitoring wildlife as well as working on a few projects including erecting exclosures to monitor the grazing and erosion impact of geese and doing repairs to the siding of the tank room that was damaged in a storm in January.

On Monday I brought two students back to campus, the other 5 will stay for the duration of the week. Unfortunately, on the way back out to Race Rocks I hit a piece of drift wood and bent a blade on the propeller.

 

On Sunday there were 3 eco-tour vessels in the reserve.

On Monday Misery gave Squall a chase and caught her on the N side of the main house.  He held her down and was biting her, at one point he picked her up about 3 feet in the air and tossed her.  Eventually she made it in-between some rocks where he could not reach her.  Pam got some good shots of the escape from the web cam: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66339356@N00/6938289865/in/photostream

Yesterday afternoon a SE wind picked up in the afternoon increasing to over 50 knots before dark and pushing some big swells into the island.

Squall discovers water

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The wind picked up to around 50 knots W after midnight last night and has been blowing 30 to 40 knots all day.

On Thursday I got a break in the weather and went off island to get supplies for repairing the siding on the South wall of the Tank Room and for making a compost container.  Students are coming for project week tomorrow and will be doing some service projects during their stay.

Over the past week Squall has made her way around the S side of the light tower and back to the W side of the main house.  Yesterday, while crossing over the cistern, she came across a puddle and had, what I believe was, her first experience with standing water.  She was quite interested in the water and spent a while probing it with her flippers and snout, inhaling it a few time in the process.

Camera 5 working

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The remote camera on the N side of the Great Race is working now, you can access it here: www.racerocks.com/racerock/video5.htm

Note: there are 20 presets which cover all major points in a 300 degree view.

Squall has been staying around the SE side of the tower.  Misery comes and goes, the pup usually keeps out of his reach.

Yesterday there were 2 eco-tour vessels in the reserve.

Facility work: replaced toilet vent fan, replacing basement basin drain plumbing, planning composting containers.

Bird count today: 6 Harlequin ducks, 150 Cormorants, and 90 gulls.

Wind 20- 30 knots from the west all day, rainy.

 

Coast Guard Visit

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Around noon today  a Coast Guard helicopter landed on the West side of the light tower. The pilot and two technicians stayed for about an hour to do a maintenance check on the fog signal and signal light.

 

 

 

 

 

Squall has been around the flagpole, she got more attention today than usual but didn’t seem bothered by the commotion.  Misery was on the island in the morning  and went into the water in the afternoon.

Sunny and warm this afternoon.

Female

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It has a been determined: Squall, the
elephant seal pup,  is a female.

This afternoon she was lying on her back sleeping (and snoring) near the flagpole.  She is now a month old and has been without her mother for 6 days. She had been staying around the North side of the main house and hiding from Misery under he North staircase. This morning she ventured out towards the flagpole. Misery went after her a couple times, at one point had her pinned down with his mouth and snout around her neck. Eventually he left her alone, left the island and was later hauled out on Middle Rock.

There were 2 eco tour vessels in the reserve today.

The DND let off three blasts this morning with about 30 mins intervals between them.

Switched to smaller images on the log to try to improve page loading time.

No wind today, warm and the sunny in the afternoon.

Change of Guardian

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On Saturday afternoon I arrived back on Race Rocks after a month away. I will be here about two months then Mike will be returning.

Last night the elephant seal family moved from the engine room area over to the middle of the island, closer to the main house.  The younger male (Chunk) was on Great Race this morning but tried to get close to Bertha and was promptly chased off by Misery.  After having witnessed Misery’s brutal attempt at being a father last year (that resulted in a disemboweled and eventually dead pup), it is nice to see him being less aggressive this year and to see the pup looking so plump and healthy.

Yesterday there were 3 boats in the reserve: 1 dive boat, 1 eco tour and 1 pleasure craft.  Today there has been 1 eco tour vessel in the reserve.

Wind NE 30 knots, sunny.