While some people dread Mondays as they scuttle back to work after the weekend, I get to wake up with immense gratitude for another “day at the office” at Race Rocks. Although I do daily checks on the systems that keep this place running, every day is so different from the next. There is no rushing, but there’s always something to keep busy with. Today I pittered around cleaning up after the gulls, washing the solar panels and outside windows that they painted their droppings on. I also got caught up on paperwork –  an important part of maintenance is to keep good records.

Often between tasks, I am distracted by the wildlife and scenery around me. I pause to watch the seals give themselves a scratch, or I take a photo of the clouds floating by the mountains. This place allows one to slow down and enjoy the little moments.

Monday Office Views

Facility work

• Reports / Data
• Seawater sample
• Solar Panel clean
• Window clean

Weather

• Wind: 5kts SSE
• Overcast
• Air temp: 7C
• Sea state: Calm

Vessels: 1 Ecotourism

A grey and quiet Sunday on the reserve. With the generator finally staying on into the waking hours, I was able to turn the Desalinator on and top up my water supply. Making water from seawater on the island affords us the luxury of having nice showers and even doing loads of laundry onsite. Although I’m always very conservative with my water use (well taught from days living on a boat), it’s nice to know I won’t run out.

Later in the day I had a short visit from Greg who kindly brought me a top up of groceries and supplies for the island. He did some checks, and showed me how to sharpen the chain on the chainsaw. I waved goodbye to him and was once again left to my own devices.

Steller Sea Lions

Facility work

• Desalinator
• Fixed fence
• Seawater sample
• House tidy/organize

Weather

• Wind: 5-15 kts E
• Cloudy, periods of light rain
• Air temp: 6C

It is animal census day again at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Thankfully, a nice sunny mostly clear sky which I’m grateful for when spending the day outside observing the animals around the islands. It was however still quite windy, which might have affected my seeing the smaller birds that I usually spot around the island. With the sun glare today, I did not separate the cormorants into species as it was quite hard to tell when silhouetted.

Animal Census Saturday, March 14, 2026:

Mammals:

• Steller sea lion: 48
• California sea lion: 10
• Harbour seal: 153
• Northern Elephant seal: 2 (Baby and adult female)

Birds:

• Glaucus-winged gull: 326
• Herring gull: 10
• Cormorant Spp: 338 (Pelagic & Brandt’s)
• Double-crested cormorant: 6
• Black oystercatcher: 6
• Harlequin duck: 8
• Black turnstone: 6
• Canadian goose: 9
• Surfbirds: 4
• Bald Eagle: 3 (2 Juveniles)

*Not seen on census day but seen otherwise has been large groups of Pigeon Guillemots wading by the jetty

Facility work

• Animal census
• Batteries top-up
• Seawater sample
• Fixed fence
• Generator checks

Weather

• Wind: 7-19kts NNW
• Mostly sunny
• Air temp: 6C

Finally, a calm day on the island. Early in the morning I spotted the largest group of juvenile Bald Eagles I’ve seen so far, about 8 of them perched high on the rocks on the Northwest side of the island. I went to do my daily checks, however some of my neighbours are getting a bit rude now. There are a pair of Canadian geese who try to attack me as I come and go from the house – I much prefer chasing off sea lions than chasing off geese.

Rude Neighbour (Canada Goose)

Facility work

I was unfortunately a bit under the weather today, so kept my work to the essentials.

• Ran the desalinator to make water
• Seawater sample
• Checked generator and fence

Weather

• Wind: 2-12kts W
• Party cloudy
• Air temp: 5C
• Sea state: Calm

Still a windy and rainy day after a fairly intense storm blew through last night. I did my usual checks when the weather wasn’t so bad and everything seemed to be in fine condition. I enjoyed some storm watching, seeing some powerful waves crash over the rocks on the southern side of the island.

Pupdate: Both seals seemed to not mind the storm too much. I found Ms. B cuddling a rock in her usual spot, while the poor adult female started showing signs of being pecked at by the gulls. This is typical for seals who moult, but I can imagine her annoyance.

Facility work

• Checked and fueled generator
• Seawater sample
• Clean / organize house
• Split wood / make kindling

Weather

• Wind: avg 8kts NW, gusting 25kts
• Rain: 18mm
• Air temp: 5C
• Sea state: large breaking waves

A classic rainy day in the Salish sea. Although the weather is less than desirable the sea conditions weren’t too bad so I saw a few more eco-tourism boats around today.

Pupdate: Baby is still hanging out alone on the East side of the island just past the fence. While the adult female (which I’ve determined is unlikely to be her mum) is spending her days on the west side near the tank shed. She’s been around since March 7th, perhaps going through her moulting.

The highlight of the day is watching a family of killer whales head NE past Rocky Point close to the shore. There were two large males, two babies, and at least 2 females, making probably 6+ animals. Thanks to friends at Eagle Wing Tours, I learned this group were the T050s and most of the T049s. Including the new baby T049A7! I was very happy to see some whale friends, as it’s been very quiet on that front since I arrived.

Facility work

• Checked fence
• Clean / organize house
• Split wood / make kindling

Weather

• Wind: SSE Avg 5kts, gusting 35kts in the evening
• Rainy, 11mm
• Air temp: 7C
• Sea state: 3ft chop
• Visibility: 1NM at the lowest

Vessels: 3 ecotourism

The skies were clear enough for me to enjoy a beautiful sunrise this morning. The wind has also settled a bit and I could spend some more time outside without freezing. The seals were hanging out together on the grass but eventually moved apart with Ms. B moving past the electric fence on the East side of the island and the adult female staying on the grass towards the middle of the island near the main house.

Facility work

• Battery top up
• Filled Generator with diesel
• Collected firewood

Weather

• Wind: NW 5kts, gusting 19
• Partly cloudy
• Air temp: 5C

Vessels: 1 ecotourism

I honestly wasn’t expecting to have white wet flakes falling from the sky this morning. But indeed it was snowing…well more like sleet as it didn’t stick to the ground. A chilly morning to say the least! However the seasons here change in one day and by the afternoon the sun was shining once again.

For my daily “Pupdate”: Ms. B. Lackie was having a bit of a day. The adult female (who may or may not be mom? Yet tbd) was on the opposite side of the island, laying in the grass or going to her usual spot wading in the water on the boat ramp. Meanwhile, baby Lackie was eating rocks for breakfast. Yes, literal pebbles. I later found her screaming her head off by the Desalinator bunker.

Facility work

• Fence, Generator, and Solar panel checks
• Split firewood and kindling
• Water sample
• Floors of Main house

Weather

• Wind 9.5kts NW
• Flurries in the morning, sunshine the afternoon
• Air temp: 4
• Sea temp: 8.6

The winds were strong and persistent today, with very choppy waters surrounding the islands. I did my daily checks, including checking in on my favorite pair of Elephant seals who made their way up to in front of the main house happily snoozing in the sunshine. The howling winds made for a not so quiet Sunday but the sunshine gave enough energy to make some water with the desalinator. Although too stormy at the shores to safely collect wood, I did get to making some kindling with the wood in storage so I could cozy up to the stove in the cool evening.

It is International Women’s Day, and I was reading up on the women who lived in the lighthouse in it’s early days. One of those women was Ellen Argyle – here’s a excerpt from the book Keepers of the Light:

Ultimately Ellen was not recognized or even paid for the hard work she conducted over many years serving as the Matron of Race Rocks lighthouse. Her story reflects some of the many challenges women are faced with in a patriarchal society, not just back then but continue to face today. I’m grateful to be here in her footsteps, enjoying quite a luxurious stay in comparison, with equal pay and duties to others who enjoy this job!

Facility work

• Ran Desalinator
• Water sample
• Split and chopped firewood
• Cleaned house

Weather

• Wind 15kt NW, gusting 35kts
• Sunshine, periods of rain in the afternoon
• Air temp: 8
• Sea temp: 8.8
• Sea state: 2ft chop

We had a beautiful morning with sunshine and a bit of a breeze. Unfortunately the students had to leave early as the weather was going to prevent a pickup on the usual Sunday. So I said my goodbyes and helped get them ready for their departure.

We were surprised to see that (what I assume to be) mamma Elephant seal was back! She was at the top of the boat ramp, but baby was nowhere to be seen… however I heard some little screams I was sure were hers. It took me awhile to figure out exactly where her cries were coming from, until she poked her head out from underneath the sidewalk by the Tank shed. While baby was tucked and cozy out of the wind under the concrete, mamma spent most of the day rolling around the shallows of the boat ramp bellowing from time to time.

It’s the end of the week, and my favorite day on the island – animal census day! Probably the most remarkable part of this job is living amongst all this amazing wildlife. I thoroughly enjoy every minute of observing the animals that call this place home.

Animal Census Saturday, March 7, 2026:

Mammals:

• Steller sea lion: 36
• California sea lion: 18
• Harbour seal: 67
• Elephant seal: 2

Birds:

• Glaucus-winged gull: 130
• Herring gull: 8
• California gull: 2
• Pelagic cormorant: 123
• Brandt’s cormorant: 5
• Double-crested cormorant: 2
• Black oystercatcher: 6
• Harlequin duck: 18
• Black turnstone: 6
• Canadian goose: 6
• Surfbirds: 22
• Pigeon Guillemots: 4
• White-winged scoter: 2

Not observed today, but seen recently were 3 juvenile bald eagles and a Turkey vulture. Still no whale sightings.

Facility work

• Battery top up
• Filled Generator with diesel
• Checked on student house
• Collected firewood
• Animal census

Weather

• Wind: NNW 8kts, max gust 25kts
• Sunshine in the AM, periods of light rain in the PM
• Air temp: 10.6
• Sea temp: 8.6
• Sea state: calm, <1m swell