Tag Archives: chicks

First Oystercatcher chicks, an orca and a harlequin duck

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 20-25 knts W
  • Sky: Clear
  • Water: small white caps

Boats/Visitors/Sightings

  • Quite a few ecotour boats today, with a couple of private boats as well
  • A weirdly shaped plane flew over this morning

Birds

  • I spotted two Oystercatcher chicks near the crane as I was standing on the jetty. I grabbed a photo from far but they were gone by the time I got close. I have walked around the entire shore and haven’t seen any other chicks yet – looks like we had some literal early birds.
  • Saw a harlequin duck near the east shore of the island. Photographed below.

Marine mammals

  • Caught a lone orca swimming past Pedder Bay, but by the time I went to get a photograph it was gone.

Dangerous time for the chicks

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Weather

The Summer pattern is now well established : Pretty calm in the morning and increase of the wind in the afternoon to 30 to 40 knots depending on the day. West wind is predominant.The water temperature is around 12 degrees Celsius.The days are getting shorter and it is chilly in the morning.

Ecological

It is babies time for the seagulls and some of those small chicks got in pretty bad situation:I saw one getting killed by another gull( territory story) and a a huge vulture got another one just under my window.The eagles are very active after dawn. We had not one  Sea lion to Yesterday and like by magic they appeared :30 and more of them, mainly on South rocks. The whole island is getting white and smelly! Yes it ‘s definitively Summer on Race rocks

Maintenance

Usual tasks :solar panels, desalinator on…etc . I will be on training at the college almost the whole week … Also I realized  how it’s tricky to manage  this boat when there is 30 knots and strong current and swell! it is not impossible but be prepare to be totally damp when you arrive!

Vessel

Many ecotourism boats to the end of the afternoon