It finally happened, after a solid week’s streak of avoiding of solid streaks. Today’s strong wind and the decision to head out without a brimmed hat or broom ended in this unfortunate reminder to stay vigilant during gull nesting season! Lesson learned.

Needless to say, today was a bit more of an inside day after that.

Facility notes
– Cleaned panels
– Cleaned windows
– Topped up battery levels / Generator inspection
– Main house pantry clean / inventory

Weather
Windy! Mix of sun and clouds, winds West-by-Northerly from 13 to 35 knots. Temperatures 12 to 20 degrees.

Vessels
– ecotourism: 13
– private: 4

A rolling fog mixed with wildfire blanketed the rocks intermittently, bringing the horizon in and out of view all day.

Facility notes
– Cleaned panels
– Generator ran automatically from 5am to 11:30pm
– Ran desal pump (full tank now!)

Weather
Hazy, foggy and everything in between. Wildfire smoke has settled in, mixing with an intermittently heavy fog throughout the day. The extra precipitation was great this morning for cleaning panels.
A westerly wind blew from 6 to 18 knots, picking up to 25 in the evening. Temperatures from 10 to 13 degrees.

Vessels
ecotourism: 10
private: 3

As an Ecoguardian surrounded by the ebb and flow of shoreline life, while ocean winds burst with a fluid cast of seabirds- one spends their days saturated in sights of beauty. During nesting season, the rocks are also fairly saturated with everything passing through these birds. They’re leaving evidence of a lot of seafood, and I’ve been seeing them mostly regurgitating up small silver fish for their young. There was what looked to be a pile of regurgitated octopus arms on the rocks by the jetty when I went to collect the sea water data, but it had been reclaimed by the time I returned with the camera.

This 2019 post by previous Ecoguardians explains in more detail the variety of tidbits left behind by the gulls when they’re unable to find enough fish: Suspicious Seagull Suppers, A Busy Few Days

I’ve noticed a fair number of gulls have been eating something very red- much of the guano by the house (and on the windows) has been unusually vibrant today.

Facility Work
– Cleaned panels
– Cleaned windows
– Battery maintenance

Weather
Temperature 13 to 24 degrees. Winds from 0 to 17 knots.

Vessels
ecotourism: 11
private: 5

Three more Canada geese seen hanging around by the house today. The seagulls have not taken kindly to their presence; over the course of the day I noticed them slinking across the spaces between nesting sites, chased out by protective parents at every turn. Unfortunately for me, many of the spaces between nesting sites are also where I walk! A significant amount of goose droppings have been added to the list of things to avoid while getting around.

Our entangled sea lion is thankfully still here. He spent most of today lying on the end of the jetty.

Facility Work
– Cleaned solar panels
– Washed linens
– Finished AED setup in main house, washed door glass

Weather
Sunny. Very little wind; Westerlies shifting to South easterly from the afternoon, 3 to 12 knots. Temperatures from 11 to 19.

Vessels
ecotourism: 10
private: 5

I’ve been alerted to a California sea lion entangled in some netting hanging out down by the jetty. The line is cutting into the front of his neck, and he seems to be spending as much time as possible lying flat to relieve the pressure. The hope is that he sticks around long enough for a fellow Ecoguardian on the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Service (VAMRS) team to come help him out.

It’s heartbreaking to see such a beautiful creature in pain, especially as this is my first time coming into such close and regular contact with marine mammals. Unfortunately, this sea lion is only one of many entanglements that we’ll likely see around the rocks this year. The page marine mammal injuries details more of the ways human activity can endanger the animals we share wild waters with.

Yet even as sad as the situation is, the response by so many reaching out to let us know of the situation from eco-tour naturalists to private visitors, has been heartwarming. As much as we bear responsibility for so much damage, I find hope in the folks working to treat the natural world with the care and respect we owe it. And hopefully, they can come soon for a rescue operation!

Facility Work
– cleaned panels
– wiped stair railings in main house
– generator fuel check + inspection

Weather
Sunshine, big fluffy cumulus ringing the horizon all day. Morning blowing southern 10 knots, westerlies picking up from 12 to 29 knots later in the day. Temperature from 12 to 16 degrees.

Vessels
ecotourism: 18
private: 4