There has not been many boats coming through, probably due to the poor conditions.
Notes:
The weather since our last post was very rough, we had winds of over 50 knots (about 100km/h) and some very rough surface conditions.
We have been having some equipment issues but we are back and have some great photos to share!
On Saturday we spotted an oddity – a Canada Goose with a mostly white neck. It really stood out from the rest of its feathered friends and it was a rush to the camera for us. We think it may be leucistic. Leucism is not one specific condition, and this ‘depigmentation’ probably has an underlying genetic cause.
We have seen a variety of eagle but most exciting was the bird about 20 feet in front of the house, perched on top of a freshly caught seagull!
On Sunday a seagull with a badly injured and nearly missing wing was around, perhaps the result of a predator attack gone badly for both parties. It was completely alert and walking around with the other seagulls but we haven’t seen it since and presumably it succumbed to its injuries or predation.
Canadian Coast Guard Ship John Cabot, an offshore fisheries science vessel, paid the area a visit. The vessel hung around for about an hour and looked to be doing something with a lifeboat, maybe training? CCGS John Cabot was just recently constructed at Seaspan Shipyards and was launched in July, champagne bottle and all, by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Visibility has been erratic – we will have a census posted when first possible.
Leucistic Canada Goose (1)
Contrast with a regular goose. (2)
(3)
An eagle eating a freshly caught seagull. (1)
We were spotted… (2)
A perching eagle.
A predator looks to have taken a bite, but this seagull escaped… minus a wing. Ouch!
CCGS John Cabot, and an enclosed style life boat. (1)
The lifeboat is hoisted back on board the ship. (2)
A beautiful moment as the sun comes through the clouds.
It looks like these sea lions don’t mind each others company.
The bones of a deceased seagull protruding from the mud, this is probably the remains of a chick from nesting season earlier this year.
A dunlin foraging for food.
Look at those little sealions!
Sometimes life as a sea lion can look appealing.
Cormorants perching close together.
It looks as though this large group of seagulls is feeding on something in the water.
A float of some sort in the water near a kelp patch, this could be lost fishing/crabbing equipment.
With rain comes fresh water. These geese seem to prefer drinking and bathing in fresh water but can drink some salt water.
Sea state calm, some interesting wave patterns due to currents in the mid day
Visitors:
Greg visited with a contractor yesterday along with some island supplies
Not too many visitors in the reserve this time of year. A steady trickle of eco-tourism boats on the less windy days, maybe 5-10.
Yesterday we watched the HMCS Brandon leave from its home port, Esquimalt. An impressive vessel in capabilities and design, you can learn more about it Here if you are interested!
Ecological Notes:
On Tuesday we were lucky to be present for a spectacular display of orcas in the strait, roughly 2 NM to the S of Great Race Rock. The pod seemed to be hunting something, perhaps a sea lion. It was an incredible sight to observe, with the whales flying out of the water and slapping the surface with their tales.
We continue to see humpback whales daily, surrounding the rocks here and a bit further into the strait. Most of the time we first notice the cloud of water that forms when they surface, exhale, inhale, and dive.
Today we were joined by a small group of whales, smaller than humpbacks and not orcas (small dorsal fins). We are thinking that these could have been minke whales since they seemed larger than porpoises.
Yesterday evening we found an adult glaucous-winged gull sitting in the intertidal near our jetty. It wasn’t moving and seemed to be positioned in an uncharacteristic way, with wings splayed. We weren’t able to identify any physical injuries, although noted that it wasn’t able to make any normal seagull noises, and seemed to be attempting to regurgitate something. We were hopeful that we might be able to transport it to the nearby wild arc rescue center nearby, but unfortunately it was deceased by this morning. We are wondering if it could have swallowed a piece of human trash that may have become lodged, although we were not able to see anything when we examined it.
The sea lions are noisier than ever but seem to have found their places among the rocky intertidal. It is amazing to watch them fish in the early mornings, often surfacing with large salmon with a flock of seagulls close behind! I (Mara) noticed two young tagged sea lions this week that seem to be staying close to each other throughout their time here. It’s hard to say if this happens more often since it’s tough to identify individual animals among the over 1000 currently here!
Additional Notes:
There has been quite a bit of blasting on the DND land over the past week to two weeks. Most of the time it is not unreasonably disruptive, but when there is a particularly large blast all of the animals on the island rush in the opposite direction.
Soaking in some sunshine
An incredible number of california gulls this week
View of washington
A lucky gull feasting on a regurgitated fish from sea lions
A pair of ruddy turnstones dropping in
Young california sea lion
Stunning sunset last night
Olympic mountain range peeking through sunset clouds
