I was greeted by a windy morning; the predicted 20-25 knot winds were at 25 knots. I started the generator and did a quick cleaning of the solar panels, hoping to harvest what I could today.

Being less welcoming outside, I decided to do some inside work and washed the basement floor. Christine mentioned it was due, and it allowed me to keep busy.

Christine had cut up some wood by the jetty, so I decided to bring the rounds in and perhaps split them later. When I got to the woodpile there was a sea lion (or so I thought) resting against the pile. I walk towards it and it didn’t want to move; I could have literally walk over and pet it. This is not normal sea lion behaviour. I backed off and tried to figure out why it wasn’t moving. It appears to be injured. I also noticed it wasn’t the same as the other sea lions…it’s a juvenile elephant seal. Awesome, a new friend! I took a few pictures and sent them to Greg to check out. The message was forwarded to VAMMR and they have asked me to monitor the seal. For now, the seal is resting on the Jetty

The seal was bleeding above the front flipper and on the flipper

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• ran the gas generator
• fence repairs
• washed basement floor
• split and stacked wood

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 26
• Private: 7

Weather

Cloudy in the morning, then Sunny in the afternoon. Winds WNW 17 to 33 knots. Daytime temperatures 14 to 18 degrees.

Started the morning by starting the gas generator. The weather shows mainly cloudy today, so I will run it for a few hours to build up charge this morning. While the generator was running, I went about the duties for the day. First up was walking the fence and moving the rouge sealions back to their side of the fence, then repairing the sections they knocked down.

Hoping to see some sun later in the day, I climbed up and cleaned the solar panels. Perhaps early morning is a good idea, as they still had a bit of moisture from the dew. It was my first day cleaning the panels, so it took a few panels to get my technique figured out.

Lots of eco-tourism boats today. I climbed the tower at one point and could see boats of various sizes all around. There were lots of Humpbacks, so they were in different areas viewing the whales. I spent some time viewing and identifying the wildlife from the top of the tower. Tomorrow is the census, and I wanted to figure out how I will view all the wildlife on the outer islands. Anyone who has climbed the tower knows it’s a workout; I counted the stairs on one of my trips up…91 to get to the ladder, then 8 steps on the ladder.

I did some weed whacking of the pathways to remove the overgrowth. With the nesting seagulls, we didn’t want to disturb the nests, but now the paths are being overtaken by the foliage. I systematically trimmed and then saved some battery, so that I could use the blower to remove the mess. I did about half of my goal before I needed a battery recharge. And then once I resumed, I ran out of trimmer line. I’ll pick up this task another day once I get new line.

After gathering the water sample today, I closed the shed door and the handle came off in my hand! Fortunately the door hadn’t closed, so I could push it open. I recalled seeing spare handles in the house, so I went on a hunt to remember where they were. Replacing the handle was a bit of a challenge with he salt water having rusted everything.

With the salt water. the door handle gets pretty corroded.

Saw the sea lion that had the plastic around his neck earlier. They seem to be doing well and the wound has healed. The sea lion has an obvious ring around its neck for life now.

Sea Lion is doing well, but will have a scar for life

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• ran the gas generator
• checked batteries
• fence repairs
• Some weed whacking
• Fixed maintenance shed door knob

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 24
• Private: 6

Weather

Cloudy with sunny periods.  Winds 2 to 8 knots, direction variable. Daytime temperatures 12 to 14 degrees.

Spent my first afternoon on the rock getting oriented with the animals and the fencing. The water sample was the first order of business, as I took over about 30 minutes before the sample time. The first order of business was telling one of my new friends that they needed to vacate the jetty so that I could get to the sampling location. They knew they needed to move, and it didn’t take much cajoling.
I walked the fence and made sure everything was set correctly, then went into the house to unpack my stuff and settle in. Later I went out to do some work and one silly sealion was in the middle of the jetty! I tried to gently coax him back into the water, interested in how he got there. He didn’t go slowly, and took out the fence. Now I had a repair to do…such is life.

Facility work

• fence repairs in a few places
• brought driftwood log up that Christine cut

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 23
• Private: 5

Weather

Scattered clouds.  Winds 12 to 19 knots, predominantly West. Daytime temperatures 12 to 16 degrees.

This is my last night here for a bit. Chris will take over the Eco Guardian role tomorrow until Sept 20th. There are many projects planned (energy system replacement, new fences, new water line to the cistern, new locks, new door) and unplanned (the failure of the diesel generator) that will keep things busy and interesting for him. The broom is no longer needed at this time of year so I will be passing him what I consider to be the most valuable tool right now – the steel wheelbarrow!  Pushing it in front of you is a effective and safe way to encourage the sea lions to move off the Jetty and the boat ramp. It keeps distance between you and them and you can also beat it as a drum which sometimes works.  Today I decided to buck up the long, prized, Douglas-fir log on the boat ramp figuring all I had to do was start up the chainsaw and they’d clear out.  They didn’t mind the saw at all and some didn’t move more than 20 feet away! It was a bit unnerving at first but I was able to focus on the task at hand. I got 2/3 of it off the ramp and will get the rest when I return.

The handy wheelbarrow with the chainsaw and one round. I moved all the sea lions off the top of the boat ramp but the rest wouldn’t budge, even with the chainsaw running.

Wildlife notes

There are very few gull chicks around who still can’t fly. A couple of them are injured and others are just a lot younger, coming from parents who suffered the assaults of the egg thief or perhaps inexperience.  Even with the chicks mostly gone, the parents continue to defend their territories. Two new branded California sealions were observed today.  As with every day these past two weeks, many humpback whales were observed in and beyond the reserve.

X 537 laying on the western shore, one of the two new finds today. Hopefully we can learn his story one day.

Facility notes

• ran the gas generator in the am
• cleaned the solar panels
• fence repair
• cut fire wood
• much house cleaning and organizing for the next eco guardian

Weather

Skies partly cloudy becoming overcast by evening. Winds SE 1 to 9 knots becoming W 5 to 9 in the evening. Daytime temperatures 12 to 20 degrees.

Wildlife notes

I didn’t realize until recently just how far a sea lion could travel in a day or two.

Of the nine branded California sea lions sighted on Race Rocks in the past month, 3 have satellite transmitters. The three are part of a joint study between Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and UCLA, monitoring disease and movement ecology of California sea lions (CSL) captured on the Columbia River. The three seen here at Race Rocks are numbers 3-22, 3-24, 3-52.

For 3-22, the satellite transmitter only worked for a few weeks so the researchers couldn’t provide much information on him.

For 3-24 they have data from Aug 2024 to April 2026. He was branded in Oregon, swam as far south as the Channel Islands (an important haul out and rookery) near Los Angeles California and as far north as Texada Island, BC. This total distance is probably over 3500 km.  He made stops at Race Rocks in Dec 2024, Sept 2025. They say he spent a great deal of time in Northwest Bay BC hauling out on the log booms and eating herring.

Center stage, facing directly at the camera is 3-24 on Race Rocks, Sept 1st. He is still here today.

The travels of 3-24 from Aug 2024 to April 2026.

The area with the most dots is Northwest Bay BC, where 3-24 spent a lot of time hanging out on booms and feasting on herring.

Number 3-24 has travelled a great distance since being tagged in Aug 2024 but with 3-52 we get an idea of just how quickly they can get around. The map below just shows 3-54’s recent movements from Aug 15 2026 to Sept 1 2026. On Aug 15th he was in the Columbia River, Oregon and five days later on the Aug 20 he was up in Barkley Sound, BC. Another five days later he was back down in the Olympic Peninsula, WA. He then swam down Juan de Fuca Straight and three days later on Aug 28 he was on Race Rocks. I saw him here on Aug 30th. Two days later on Sept 1st he was near the top end of Texada Island, BC, which is about 250 km away from Race Rocks! I figured if he swam day and night without stopping for the 2 days he would need to the maintain a travelling speed of 5.2 km/hr and asked the researchers if this was really possible. They said it was and provided the values below from relevant research papers:

• Maximum swim speed 3m/s or 10.8 km/hr
• Maximum travel speed approximately 5.4 km/hr (Wright et. al. 2010)
• Maximum 24-hour travel distance during the migration 235 km (Gearin et. al. 2017)
• Six of the nine instrumented CSL had one day travel distances of at least 176 km (Gearin et. al. 2017)

The travels of 3-52 from Aug 15 2026 to Sept 1 2026.

The Sea Lion Olympics! I’ve seen the male synchronized swimmers practice here at Race Rocks and was impressed. These are amazing athletes.  I think 3-24 has a good chance in the long distance open water swim event and  3-52 m at the mid distance or the long distance relay event.

Facility work

Today was extremely busy, filled with sad and happy news. The sad news is the diesel generator needs major repair and will be out of commission for a while. The happy news is all the holes in the rock are now drilled and we have begun laying the new fence line.

• cleaned solar panels
• finished drilling holes
• started assembling and laying the new fence lines

Vessels

I was preoccupied for parts of the day, so the vessel count is incomplete. The same dive boat has been here three days in a row. I wonder if they are filming a movie?

• Ecotourism: 15
• Private: 4
• Paddleboard: 1

Weather

Clear skies. Wind 3 to 13 knots, direction variable. Daytime temperatures 12 to 21 degrees.

Wildlife notes

The red-footed booby drew crowds today!  It travelled a long way and there were a lot of very interested birders here to see it.

I started putting together the travel data for some of the branded California sea lions that we observed at Race Rocks this past month but I am tired and ran out of time this evening so I will have to finish it tomorrow.

An California sea lion in a quiet spot away from the barking herd.

Facility work

The last fence repair at the Jetty lasted a whole 48 hours and only needed a small adjustment today!

• cleaned solar panels
• ran the gas generator in the morning, solar brought it up to a full charge by 5pm.
• fence patrol and repair
• drilled more anchor holes for the new electric fence line

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 24
• Private: 12

Weather

Clouds increasing in the afternoon. Winds mostly westerly 12 to 16 knots. Daytime temperatures 13 to 15 degrees.

Wildlife notes

The super El Nino is bringing some rare birds to coastal BC.  A red-footed booby was seen in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on the outer rock islets hanging out with the cormorants and sea lions.  This was the second sighting in BC, first for the Victoria area! It was first spotted at 3 pm but was not relocated later.

Other rare birds that twitchers have been lucky to see this summer are the Nazca booby, Cocos booby, elegant tern, Hawaiian petrel and the short-tailed albatross. These opportunities to see unusual birds are exciting but the events driving them are not always good for local birds and other wildlife or sea creatures.

Red-footed booby, Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, Sept 6 2026. Photos by Nathan Hentze, Rocky Point Bird Observatory/Eagle Wing Tours birding trip

The other highlights of the day were the first views through the windows I passed this morning.  Through the first window I discovered the Jetty was held over night – the California sea lions did not break through the electric fence and this was the first time in the past week it held for 24 hours without repairs! The delight out the second window was a humpback whale tail sinking into the sea.  In the third window I watched a fish leaping out of the sea pursued by a sea lion.  There were many sea lions and whales out feeding.  I am already thinking how hard it will be to say goodbye to this place in a few days.

Facility work

• cleaned solar panels
• ran the gas generator
• ran the desalinator
• fence repairs except on the Jetty!
• drilled more holes for new electric fence

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 26
• Private: 11

Weather

Scattered clouds. Fog in the early evening.  Winds 1 to 18 knots, direction variable. Daytime temperatures 12 to 18 degrees.

Mammals:

• California sealion: 648 plus 22 on outer islets (Aug 30: 457  July 25:17)
• Stellar sealion: 261 plus 90 on outer islets (Aug 30: 205, July 25: 29)
• harbour seal: 24 (Aug 30: 136)
• humpback whales: 10 inside the reserve, many more outside

Birds:

• gulls: 581 plus 126 chicks (Aug 30 >2200 including chicks)
• cormorant: 316 (Aug 30: 73)
• black oystercatcher: 6
• pigeon guillemot: 1 (July 25: 234)
• black turnstone: 68
• surf bird: 4
• harlequin duck: 2
• song bird: 6

Notes on Census

Animals seen this week but not observed today include: Canada goose, bald eagle.

The humpback whale count may not be accurate as it is hard to know if the same whale is resighted. The humpbacks have been around every day this week but today was spectacular!  They were breaching and slap happy, slapping their pectoral fins and tails. These behaviours help reveal just how large they are! I am so sorry I can’t share a picture of this.  The camera is still in the shop.

The California and Stellar sea lions on Middle Island, Turbine Rock and North Island were difficult to distinguish. On these outer islands there were 112 sealions. I estimate about 80% are those are Stellar and 20% California.  In the past week the number of California sea lions went up by 40% (another 213 arrived) and Stellar’s went up by 70% (another 146 arrived).

Sea lions in the flats between the Jetty and East Beach. There is still dirt showing so there is room for more! There is so much guano our red roof appears almost white.

For last weeks census there were >2200 sea gulls. There were no visiting flocks seen on the outer shores or rocks today. The 581 gulls observed today likely represent the nesting gull parents on the island. A few weeks ago Eva counted 400 chicks. Of the 126 chicks left in the area, I would guess half of these are able to fly and could leave.  It is interesting to watch the parents run away from their nagging hungry chicks.  I saw one chase and hound its parent while both were floating in the water. The parents don’t guard the chicks as closely and the older chicks are allowed to socialize with each other.  Many of the chicks are strong flyers but they haven’t found their adult voices yet.  It is a bit surprising to hear the chick chirps and squeeks coming for a near full size bird over head.

Facility work

• Ran the generator for two hours in the am and the sun brought the batteries up to 100% by late afternoon
• Cleaned the solar panels
• Fence repair (several times!)
• Drilled more holes with the Hilti

Vessels

It was an incredibly busy day on the water

• Ecotourism: 26
• Dive boat: 1
• Private: 11

Weather

Amazing cloud developments on the distant shores, skies clear overhead.  Winds 1 to 11 knots, direction variable. Daytime temperatures 13 to 18 degrees.

Wildlife notes

New sea lions are still coming to Race Rocks.  The fence at the Jetty is destroyed and they have claimed that piece of prime real estate.  In other parts of the island, their intrusion beyond the existing fence line is more a slow sneaky creep.  I am starting to see them everywhere, even in the clouds. Despite it all, I am growing fond of them.

The sea lions on the Jetty and in the sky. I will have to send them all off in the morning so I can collect the sea water data.

Visitors

Three technicians from Shift came to plan the power system upgrade.  Chris, who will be the Eco guardian from Sept 11 to 20 also came out today. The diesel generator technician won’t come until Tuesday but the gas generator is working out well so far. I ran it for a couple hours early this morning and the solar panels kept the batteries at 100% all day.

Facility work

Greg and Richard dropped off a battery powered Hilti hammer drill today and showed me where they wanted the new fence line to run. I have started drilling holes in the rock for the anchors for the new fence line.

Metal rods marking the locations of the drilled holes.

The log from yesterday is still tied up but I am not sure if this a good time of year to be cutting it up on the boat ramp.  The sea lions didn’t mind listening to the hammer drill today and I wonder if they would feel the same about the chainsaw.  I need to wear the hard hat, face shield and ear muffs but with that gear on and focused on the saw, I am afraid of loosing my situational awareness. It is also very slippery right now with their scat smeared about.

• cleaned solar panels
• repaired the electric fence
• drilled holes

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 26
• Private: 7

Weather

Partly cloudy. Wind 1 to 9 knots, direction variable. Daytime temperatures 11 to 15 degrees.