marine ecology educational resource, remote-control webcams,elephant seal colony,Sea lion haulout,sustainable energy, solar energy
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 0-5 knots South.
- From 17:00 onwards, 15-20 knots West.
- Sky: clear and sunny most of the day.
- From 17:00 onwards, some clouds and rain.
- Water: calm
Ecological
- Census day!
- One sea lion was branded U958.
- Colour wise it looks like a Steller, but if you look at the head I think it was a California.
- Laura and her class found a sculpin (type of fish) head.
- Four of what I suspect to be Short-billed Dowitchers today. Fun to watch!
- Didn’t see the killdeer today, which is unusual.
- Steller (Northern) Sea Lions: 66
- Harbour Seals: 60
- California Sea Lions: 57
- Elephant Seals: 13 (4 on Great Race, 9 on Middle Rock)
- Pigeon Guillemots: 269
- Seagulls unspecified: 154
- Surfbirds: 57
- Canada Geese: 17
- Black Turnstones: 17
- Cormorants unspecified: 14
- Harlequin Ducks: 9 (5 males and 4 females)
- Black Oystercatchers: 6
- Savannah Sparrows: 6
- Short-billed Dowitchers: 4..https://www.racerocks.ca/short-billed-dowitcher/
- Bald Eagles: 2 (2 adults, 0 immature)
Boats
- A couple of eco-tours came by.
- Second Nature came out multiple times, delivering 4 groups of students.
- On her second last return, she had overheating issues, so Kyle had to come out in Haiku for the last trip.
Visitors
- Kyle, James, Laura, and 26 students came out to Race Rocks today.
- The students were doing a walk about with Laura, discussing marine biology for their upcoming final exam.
- James did some work on the Davis Weather station and got most of it working again.
Other
- Four DND blasts today.
- 10:05, 10:07, 11:24, and 11:26.
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 5-10 knots North
- Sky: clear
- Water: rippled
- Amazing pink/red sunset!
Ecological
- Just one elephant seal on Great Race today.
- Three elephant seals on Middle Rock though.
Maintenance
- Some goose work.
- Set up and took away barrels for diesel transfer.
Boats
- A couple of eco-tours came by.
- Second Nature came out with diesel.
Visitors
- Kyle and two English volunteers came out with diesel.
- I gave the two lads a tour while Kyle transferred the diesel.
Other
- Some DND blasting today.
- Medium blasts at 11:30, 11:32, and 12:13.
- Bigger blasts at 14:47 and 14:49.
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind at 7:00: 10-15 knots West
- Wind at 10:00: 10-15 knots North East
- Wind at 15:00: 5-10 knots South West
- Wind at 20:00: 20-25 knots West
- Sky: mostly clear, rain at 15:00
- Water: 1′ chop
- A rather large moon appeared in the early evening.
Ecological
- One adult elephant seal departed, leaving just the one.
- The weaner returned by the slightly unconventional route: north side of the jetty.
- A murder of crows.
Maintenance
Boats
- A few eco-tours came by today.
Other
- Some DND blasting today.
- Blasts at 13:37, 13:39, and 14:15.
Weather
- Visibility: 5 miles, later 15
- Wind: 10-15 knots NW, later 5-10 NW
- Sky: raining/overcast
- Water: 1′ chop
Ecological
- This morning two elephant seals arrived on the middle of the island.
- One was the weaner, and at first I thought the other was the female.
- But then I realized it was a new young adult male. A yearling or so.
- They both slept all day, and had no interaction.
Maintenance
Other
Weather
- Visibility: 10 miles in the morning, later 15.
- Wind: 5-10 knots North
- Sky: overcast and some rain
- Water: calm
Ecological
- Just the weaner on Great Race today.
- He has a bit of a snotty nose. I suppose he has a cold?
- I encountered my first pair of aggressive Canada Geese today.
- Perhaps the nesting has begun?
Boats
- The Pacific Scout Pilot boat passed through Race Passage today.
- No eco-tours that I saw.
Other
- Lots of DND blasting today.
- There were blasts at the following times:
- 10:38, 11:05, 13:18, 13:20, 15:19, 15:21, and 15:49.
- The first few blasts really startled the birds, especially the Pigeon Guillemots.
- There was one final blast at 21:05. That is very unusual..
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 0-5 knots North, later 15-20 West
- Sky: overcast
- Water: calm in the morning, later a 1′ chop
Ecological
- Two elephant seals on Great Race today.
- Adult male and the weaner.
- They both went down to the water by evenfall.
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e-seal
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same e-seal with friend
Maintenance
- Hand pumped more diesel into the day tank.
- Cleaned the solar panels.
- Topped up more of the battery bank. Over half finished now!
Boats
- Only saw one eco-tour.
- A few fishing boats just outside the reserve.
- DND zodiac out and about during blasting.
Other
- Lots of loud DND blasting today.
- There were blasts at the following times:
- 10:48, 10:50, 11:10, 11:25, 13:36, 13:38, 13:56, 14:19, 14:34, and 14:51.
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 10-15 knots North, later NW
- Sky: mostly clear
- Water: 1′ chop
Ecological
- The weaner was back on Great Race today, over by the base of the tower.
- The other male is still here too.
- I saw some rock sandpipers today. Perhaps I failed to pick them out from the surfbirds yesterday.
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Rock sandpiper and Surfbirds
Maintenance
- Hand pumped more diesel into the day tank.
Boats
Other
- Lots of DND blasting today.
- Big blasts at the following times:
- 9:48, 9:50, 10:06, 10:22, 12:00, and 12:02.
- Bigger bangs at the following times:
- 14:09 and 14:12.
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 5-10 knots North
- Sky: overcast
- Water: rippled
Ecological
- Census day!
- The weaner was gone this morning. Hopefully he is ok.
- Normally I only ever see killdeer at night, but today I saw a pair off and on all day!
- California Sea Lions: 85
- Harbour Seals: 44
- Steller (Northern) Sea Lions: 39
- Elephant Seals: 1 male
- Seagulls unspecified: 269 (same total two weeks in a row!)
- Pigeon Guillemots: 241
- Cormorants unspecified: 57
- Surfbirds: 49
- Harlequin Ducks: 32 (16 males and 16 females)
- Black Turnstones: 22
- Canada Geese: 13
- Black Oystercatchers: 9
- Bald Eagles: 6 (2 adults, 4 immature)
- Killdeer: 2
Boats
- Kyle stopped by for 1 minute to exchange the extra security camera for a new Wifi access point.
- There were several fishing boats literally yards outside the Rockfish Conservation Area.
- A few eco-tours came by.
Maintenance
- Installed the new Wifi access point in the Students’ House.
Other
- Lots of DND blasting today.
- Small blasts at the following times:
- 10:25, 10:27, 10:45, and 12:34.
- Larger blasts at the following times:
- 12:32, 12:53, 14:52, 14:54, and 15:11.
Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 5-10 knots West in the morning
- Around 15:30 the wind picked up to 25+ knots West. 18:00 peak at 42 knots.
- Sky: overcast, then some blue sky, then some rain
- Water: no visible wave crests, but lots of surge
Ecological
- One of the larger male e-seals returned in the morning.
- The weaner is still around.
- Lots of bald eagles in the reserve.
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harlequin ducks
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Maintenance
- Kyle and I took a look at the diesel hand pump and the desalinator.
Boats
- Kyle came out in Second Nature with the 2 person film crew to take some footage.
- Several eco-tours came by later on.
- A few boats out fishing halibut just beyond the reserve.
Visitors
- Kyle and the film crew were on the island for about 2 hours.
Other
- Lots of DND blasting today.
- There were blasts at the following times:
- 10:00~, 12:50, 12:52, 13:12, 13:20, 13:23.
