Tag Archives: elephant seal pup

Month End, and Bye for now!

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Thanks for another fun term out here at Race rocks, Will be back in the fall!

Ecological Notes:

  • 2 adult female Elephant Seals
  • The Female that had the pup here this season is particularly vocal and bossy!

(video coming)

  • 2 Elephant Seal pups, 1 might be a small yearling
  • With the warmer weather, all the Elephant Seals enjoy their daily dip in the water.

(video coming)

  • As usual, the Geese are very protective of their nests

  • But the “baby” Elephant seal seems to take great pleasure in harassing the gees at their nests

  • Orca only observed passing the reserve once in the last week (but from other reports, they may have passed by unnoticed or early in the morning)

Visitors:

  • 1 volunteer came out to help Richard with projects

  • 2 sets of students came out for orientation and tasks assignments, they also enjoyed some mini presentations from the Eco-Guardian
  • Richard  came to work on his projects when the students were here

Facility Work:

  • Battery electrolyte levels
  • Fuel Transfers
  • Full general house clean
  • Tidy student house after visitors
  • Ongoing solar panel cleaning, and battery electrolyte top ups

  • Valve replacement and servicing on the salt water pump to fill the cistern
  • Filling the cistern, and then flushing the pump with fresh water
  • Some desalinator runs, successful running on just solar as well 
  • All month end reports and filing

DND events:

  • Some blasts on Friday, no noted disturbance

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • As most Whale sightings were east of Victoria, only a occasional Eco-Tourism vessel visits
  • Some Private boats

 Noted Infractions:

  • none

Weather Events:

  • Sunday, April 26:
    • Sky: Mostly clear overhead, with a few clouds rolling through in the afternoon …. north and south of the reserve had more clouds, and low lying mist/fog to the west and south
    • Wind: W 5-10kts until noon, then rising to 30kts by midnight
    • Sea: rippled most of the day
    • Temperature Low 8.2oC, High 13.3oC
  • Monday, April 27:
    • Sky: Foggy until mid-afternoon, clear and sunny to overcast
    • Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 20oC
  • Tuesday, April 28:
    • Sky: Foggy until mid-afternoon, clear and sunny to overcast
    • Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 20oC
  • Wednesday, April 29:
    • Sky: Mostly clear overhead, with a few clouds rolling through in the afternoon 
    • Wind: W variable to 8kts, shifting to S mid day, then rising to W 18kts late afternoon
    • Sea: rippled 
    • Temperature Low 8.3oC, High 14.2oC
  • Thursday, April 30:
    • Sky: Mostly clear overhead, with a few clouds rolling through in the afternoon 
    • Wind: Rising through the day to 25kts, variable directions all day
    • Sea: rippled most of the day
    • Temperature Low 8.6oC, High 15.6oC
  • Friday, May 1:
    • Sky: Foggy until late-afternoon, mixed sun and clouds afterwards
    • Wind: W 15-25 kts, rising slightly in the evening
    • Sea:  light chop turning to 2 ft chop and whitecaps late in the day 
    • Temperature Low 8.6oC, High 15.6oC, cool windchill though (while cleaning solar panels on the roof!)

 

 

** Any wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

https://tempestwx.com/station/190757/

 

Weather – Past:

https://tempestwx.com/history/190757

Solar Panels

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Ecological Notes:

  • Brief view of an adult Elephant Seal
  • Elephant Seal pup is still wandering around a bit
  • Gulls still mostly paired off, no nesting behaviour yet
  • Most Oyster Catchers also paired off
  • Separately, orca and a Humpback Whale have passed, but outside the reserve

Visitors:

  • Greg Dropped off some supplies, and service the student house toilet

Facility Work:

  • Toilet service
  • Desalinator runs
  • Fuel Transfers
  • Solar panel cleaning…….. I know I’ve pasted photos like this before, but it’s one of my favorite views out here ...

The daylight, storing power for the nightlight

DND events:

  • Several loud blasts, (seemed louder than other recent blasts) … noted some bird disturbance 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Occasional Eco-Tourism vessels

Weather Events:

  • Wednesday, April 08:
    • Sky: Basically clear, with slight haze up high
    • Wind: E 5-10kts, shifting to SE about noon and dropping to no wind late afternoon, rising again slightly in the evening
    • Sea: rippled 
    • Temperature: Low 5.8oC, High 11.8oC
  • Thursday, April 09:
    • Sky: Clear, slight haze
    • Wind: E 5-10 kts, riding to ESE 10-15kts in the afternoon and dropping during the evening
    • Sea:  light chop 
    • Temperature: Low 5.8oC, High 11.8oC
  •  Friday, April 10:
    • Sky: High overcast
    • Wind: 
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature: Low 5.8oC, High 11.8oC 

      ** Any wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! ** Weather – Current:https://tempestwx.com/station/190757/ 

      Weather – Past:

      https://tempestwx.com/history/190757

 

 

 

Two weeks old

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Wildlife notes

Ms. B. Lackie, the female elephant seal pup is two weeks old today. While the name “Blackie” suits her well now, one day she will lose her jet-black coat. I named her after  Mr. B. Lackie, “Blackie” the cat at the AES weather station at Cape St James, Haida Gwaii in the 1980’s. My old friend was the Officer in Charge at the station for many years and often told stories of the cat, in particular the huge volumes of mail the cat received by helicopter. The staff there signed Mr. B. Lackie up to a variety of mailing lists, he had his own TB Vets mailing stickers, magazine subscriptions and was even a member of the Federal Liberal, Progressive Conservative and the Socreds Parties. Mr B. Lackies’ obituary was published in the Zephyr, an Environment Canada publication in 1987 … some light house humour, like the old flaking sandwich board sign we have here stating “Visitors’ hours 2pm to 3pm daily”.

Sylvia and Ms. B. Lackie

Since it is her two week birthday I’ve posted extra photos of her that you can click on to make larger.  For comparison, click here to see her one day old photos.

The California sea lion that died on the boat ramp a few days ago was given a sea burial today.  It was pulled off the ramp, taken by boat and released into the mighty current.

Greg and Richard pulling the California sea lion into the water.

California sea lion beside the boat.

Facility work

  • moved logs around
  • transferred fuel – 530 L of diesel was delivered today

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 1
  • Private: 0

DND Activity

Two window rattling blasts this evening.

Weather

Partly cloudy. Periods of light rain. Gentle to moderate northerly breeze. Daytime temperature 9 degrees.

 

Weather change

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Wildlife notes

All is well with the elephant seal pup on day 9.  I hope the pup gets a lot bigger before a male shows up to mate as it will need to be sturdy and move out of the way quickly.  The adult females go into estrus (become receptive) at the end of the nursing, about 24 days after giving birth. She gave birth on the January 20th so she will be receptive around Valentines Day.  They have an 11 month gestation period but the fertilized egg doesn’t implant in uterine wall for a few months. This gives mom time to fatten up again before she comes back to land in the spring to molt.  After nursing, molting is her next biggest energy draw, as she also fasts during this event. The fertilized egg will implant in June or July, giving the pup fetus 7 months to develop.

Mom and pup on Day 9

On this first drizzly and partly grey day in a long time I’m sharing an image of a Harlequin duck in the sun on East Beach that I took a few day ago.

Facility work

  • battery fluid top up
  • moved wood from the boat ramp and got a line on another log
  • cleaned the stove and greasy range hood – a repeat of last time,  to see photos

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 1
  • Private: 0

Weather

Partly cloudy in am, overcast in pm. Short periods of light rain. Winds light to gentle northeasterly breeze. Daytime temperatures 8 to 9 degrees.

Day 7

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Wildlife notes

The elephant seal pup is a week old today. It is putting on weight, rounding out a bit and getting stronger.  At two weeks old they should double in size from when they were born.  Some gulls finally had a few stabs at the placenta but the mom does not tolerate them nearby.

Elephant seal pup on day 7

Thayer’s Iceland gull by the Jetty

Facility work

A lot was (and still is) going on today – four alarms on my phone were set: 3pm check intake hose on pump, 7:45pm water sample, 8pm nighttime check in, 10pm turn off desalinator.

  • wheelbarrowed cut firewood rounds to the Keeper’s House basement
  • one round of filling the cistern, will continue on higher tide tomorrow
  • produced fresh water while the generator was running

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 1
  • Private: 0

Weather

Mostly overcast. Gentle northeasterly breeze. Daytime temperatures 4 to 6 degrees.

Jan 24 Census

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Mammals:

  • Steller sea lion: 54 (168 Jan 15)
  • California sea lion: 105 (69 Jan 15)
  • Harbour seal: 43 (20 Jan 15)
  • Elephant seal: 2

Birds:

  • Gulls: 202 (399 Jan 15)
  • Cormorant:  452 (271 Jan 15)
  • Bald eagle: 2 mature, 3 immature
  • Black oystercatcher: 10
  • Harlequin duck: 4
  • Black turnstone: 2
  • Raven: 2

Wildlife seen this week inside the reserve but not observed today include: killer whales, surfbirds, Canada geese, Brants, song birds. The most obvious visual differences seen since the last census is the increase in the number of cormorants and the reduction in Stellar sea lions.

Just some of the 452 cormorants on the western shore.

A much smaller group of Stellar sea lions on the South Islands than see in the photo from the Jan 15th Census

Surfbirds and black turnstones seen earlier in the week.

Wildlife notes

It has been a peaceful day here.  The skies clear and waters calm. The elephant seal and her 5 day-old pup are sleeping and nursing in the sunny hollow.  The pup is strong enough now to hold its head high and reach the upper teat. Two branded sea lions were photographed and reported to NOAA.

Elephant seal and her 5 day-old pup seen from above.

Facility work

  • stacking wood
  • kindling
  • general cleaning

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 0
  • Private: 0

Weather

Skies mostly clear, high clouds forming in the afternoon. Winds light to gentle. Direction variable from northerly to easterly.  Daytime temperatures 3 to 7 degrees.

Day 4

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The pup has shed its umbilical cord. It is feeding well and spends time squirming around, stretching, rolling and exploring its flippers and scratching. The placenta is still intact. I watched a raven show some interest but mom sent it off with a big bellow.

It was another glorious day. Today I’ve posted some photos of the scenery and other inhabitants, not just the elephant seals on this fine sunny day.

California sea lion by the Jetty

Crocus flowers closing in the setting sun

Facility work

I had intended to do the animal census today but the generator auto started this morning. I changed my focus to energy consuming endeavors instead.

  • ran the desalinator, produced 652 L of fresh water
  • ran the electric log splitter
  • stacked firewood

Visitors

A group of 14 students, the marine biology instructor and seafront staff were on the island today for a short visit.

Vessels

Ecotourism: 2
Private: 1

Weather

Clear skies. Winds light to gentle northeasterlies. Daytime temperature 3 to 8 degrees.

Day 3

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It is day 3 and no one has taken an interest in the high protein placenta!  The pup is starting to fill out its oversized birthday suit. It is also settling down better after feeding. For the two days it was twitchy and now it is moving on to squirmy, exploring it is body parts and rolling on its back.  It still seems to be itchy and scratches often.

I have been asked to take daily pictures of the mom and pup from the front, back and side so a Pearson student can document the transformation of mom and pup from birth through to weaning.

The transformation is a shocking one. During the nursing period of up to 28 days the mother does not eat. The milk she produces comes from her reserves and for every pound the pup gains, she loses two pounds (see source). By the end she will have lost 40% of her body weight. She will leave the fat little pup behind and head back to the sea to regain her weight.  I won’t be here then but Cedric will have lots of fun watching the pup explore the island and learn how to swim.

I searched through old posts and found these two photos taken by Courtney Edwards on her January 13, 2022 post. They nicely illustrate the weight transfer from mom to pup.

Visitors

14 students, the marine biology instructor and two seafront staff were on the island today.

Facility work

  • battery fluid top up
  • getting firewood
  • reorganizing our basement firewood pile into to wet and less wet
  • started on kindling

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 1
  • Private: 2

Weather

Skies mostly overcast. Light northeasterly breeze. Daytime temperature 4 to 5 degrees.

Day 2

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The last two nights have been spectacular for me – lots of stars, a stunning show of northern lights yesterday and now a sliver of a orange moon setting – but I worry about the skinny pup on these cold nights. Yesterday the low was 7 and as I write it has already dropped to 6 degrees. The pup must consume a lot of energy to stay warm, unlike her massive blubbery mom. I hear their feeding time “conversation” (the mom bellowing to encourage the pup to eat and the pub squawking when it can’t find the teat) during the night so I assume feeding continues in the dark.  The pup doesn’t seem to see very well and usually starts its search around mom’s armpit so I suppose it doesn’t matter much if it is pitch black out. But I am surprised the pup can’t smell the teat to determine which way to search. The mom has to do all the wiggling forward and micro adjustments to help it out.

In terms of feeding, the pup will drink a bit, drop its heavy head and continue in short bursts. The white marks on the pups face, head and back are a mixture of milk from its clumsy search to relocate a teat and from its mom’s nose froth. This froth is a surfactant that stops their lung tissue from sticking together when their lungs collapses under the immense pressure of a deep dive.

Sorry to all you other beautiful creatures out here who haven’t been photographed today.

 

Taking a break from feeding

The pup has finished feeding and is making its way to toward mom’s face.

Mom checking in.

Facility work

  • getting firewood
  • transferring fuel

Visitors

3 student leaders from CALD guiding 9 students, the marine biology instructor and seafront staff.

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 3
  • Private: 0

Weather

Clear skies. Gently northeasterly breeze. Daytime temperatures 6 to 10 degrees.

Birth

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After 10 days on the island, the elephant seal gave birth in the early morning.  It took several hours for them (mom bellowing and pub squawking) to organizing themselves in the right position for the young pup to find a teat.  This is the first pup born here in three years. In 2023 there were three pups, in 2022 two pups, and in 2021, five pups were born. I believe this is the first year that no adult males where present to mate with the new mothers.

The wet pups first feed this morning.

Elephant seal milk is 55% fat.

The placenta lay there the entire day unnoticed by any scavenging birds.

 

Photos below of the pup scratching and snoozing.

A pod of killer whales swam past the west shore this morning. Normally this would be the highlight of the day!

Facility work

  • Produced 360 L of fresh water
  • Moving firewood further on shore

Visitors

Two groups of marine biology students visited the island with their notebooks for a lecture.

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 1
  • Private: 0

Weather

Clear skies. Gentle southeasterly breeze. Daytime temperatures 6 to 10 degrees.