What a great first day alone at the station in terms of wildlife! Since sunrise there were constant whale blows in all directions, probably half a dozen humpbacks at any given time. Later in the afternoon I was treated to a spectacular show by a young humpback whale who began breaching on the East side of the island and then didn’t stop as it breached its way North for nearly an hour. One of the whale watch guides counted 24 breaches in a row… go little guy go! I found the sea lion with the flasher in its mouth again and decided to make a report to DFO and the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. Typically they need at least 2 entangled animals with consistant sightings to warrant a rescue attempt, so I’ll be keeping my eye out. I also spotted the Cali with the transmitter tag (likely the one Ian saw previously) along with some branded and flipper tagged sea lions. With all the mammals stealing the light, I nearly forgot about the birds. Interestingly, I encountered a Turkey Vulture scavenging among the sea lions and managed to take its photo in flight (below).

Wildlife Highlights:

• Humpback whales 6-10; juvenile breaching
• Turkey vulture
• Branded and tagged sea lions

Facility work:

• Minimal fence repairs, just a few lines touching the ground that I tightened up
• Took my first water sample measurement at peak flood
• Plans to continue work on the water maker and continue my site briefings were foiled as the wind picked up. Greg & Richard decided to come out tomorrow instead.
• Took the day to familiarize myself with the SOPs and where things are at the station.

Weather:

• Sky: Mostly clear skies
• Wind: W 8-10kts in AM, down to SSW 3-6kts by afternoon
• Sea state: Calm, small ripples <0.5m swell
• Air temp: High 12C; Low 10C

Vessels:

Lots of vessel activity in and around Race Rocks. Peak whale watching around 12 and 3pm or so where there were up to 10 vessels nearby.