Wildlife notes

All is well with the elephant seal pup on day 9.  I hope the pup gets a lot bigger before a male shows up to mate as it will need to be sturdy and move out of the way quickly.  The adult females go into estrus (become receptive) at the end of the nursing, about 24 days after giving birth. She gave birth on the January 20th so she will be receptive around Valentines Day.  They have an 11 month gestation period but the fertilized egg doesn’t implant in uterine wall for a few months. This gives mom time to fatten up again before she comes back to land in the spring to molt.  After nursing, molting is her next biggest energy draw, as she also fasts during this event. The fertilized egg will implant in June or July, giving the pup fetus 7 months to develop.

Mom and pup on Day 9

On this first drizzly and partly grey day in a long time I’m sharing an image of a Harlequin duck in the sun on East Beach that I took a few day ago.

Facility work

• battery fluid top up
• moved wood from the boat ramp and got a line on another log
• cleaned the stove and greasy range hood – a repeat of last time,  to see photos

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 1
• Private: 0

Weather

Partly cloudy in am, overcast in pm. Short periods of light rain. Winds light to gentle northeasterly breeze. Daytime temperatures 8 to 9 degrees.