Tag Archives: elephant seal

Cleaning and Maintenance

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Ecological Notes:

  • 7 Elephant Seals, including 2 “pups” still using the grass areas
  • Monday saw a dramatic reduction of animals and birds in the reserve (almost no guillemots or Sealions, and about half the number of gulls) but they are gradually returning.
  • An anecdotal possibility is that Sunday night had a 50+ knot storm, lining up with a high tide and lots of big ocean swells, making the reserve a very nasty place to be!
  • Noticing more Black Oyster Catcher nests. These are more just an indentation in the gravel, and the birds rely a lot on the camouflage of the eggs. Due to high egg loss rates (here, primarily gulls snatching them), Oyster catchers can lay up to 3 or 4 replacement clutches in a season.

Very distant photo

Visitors:

  • Guests left Sunday
  • 4 Pearson College students on Monday, for an informal visit, with some discussions on marine mammal adaptations life in the ocean.
  • Was also nice to re-instate the visitor log in the newly painted and repaired Visitor Welcome Box

Facility Work:

  • Trouble shooting power interruptions originating from the Student Building
  • Cleaning and minor repair to the housing on the Camera 5 unit.
  • There’s an old prairie saying “Make hay while the sun shines” …… out here, the addendum could be “Clean stuff while the rain falls!” Rain makes it much easier to clean paths and windows, and through the rain collection, provides water for the pressure cleaner.

DND events:

  • 6 or 7 loud blasts today, all sealions left the rocks again

 

Weather Events:

  • Westerly winds, 15-20 knots brought rain showers in the morning. Mostly sunny with cloudy periods in the afternoon. Calm seas. Clear skies and 20 knot westerly winds in the evening

 

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

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Wildlife Returns

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Ecological Notes:

  • The Elephant Seal that left the grassy area 2 days ago, is now in the little bay at the east side of the main island. Spending a lot of time diving. Really tough to spot!

That’s her, the little grey spot left of center! Photo taken from the top of the tower!

  • The other seven Elephant Seals (including the 2 “pups”) still mostly lounging in the sun, but most took at least one dip in the water by the pier.

  • Greater White-fronted Goose returned, and spending time with the Canada Geese.

 

Facility Work:

  • More Painting, minor parts repairs

 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 2 Private boats, stayed centered in the channel, sealions took note, but not overly disturbed

Weather Events:

  • Light westerly winds, building over the day to 25 – 30 knots by evening. Threatened fog in the morning from the west, but burnt off by the time it got close. Cloudy with sunny breaks throughout the day.

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

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Elephant Seal Galumphing

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Ecological Notes:

  • As of yesterday, it appears one Female elephant seal has left the island. This leaves what appears to be 4 adult females, 1 juvenile male, and 1 each male and female “pups” (they’re getting pretty big!)
  • Lots of swimming in the sunshine, and a lot more energy as they finish their molts. sample of  Elephant Seal Galumphing …….
  • California Sea lion, thermo-regulating by holding their flippers out of the water.

Thermo-regulating

Facility Work:

  • Not enough rainwater to pressure wash, so more firewood, repairs, paint prep and first coats (before photos, watch for follow ups)

 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Photo tour boat, proper passes
  • 2 Private boats, center channel

Weather Events:

  • light westerly winds, increasing to 20 knots late afternoon, calm sees and full visibility

 

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

 

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Water testing

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Ecological Notes:

  • 8 Elephant seals still on the grass mostly, 2 went for swims today

In addition to full time awareness, this is why you always use a broad beam flashlight at night!

  • Canada Goose nest from yesterday produced only the 2 goslings, other eggs gone now, may have been non- viable and left for the gulls

Facility Work:

  • More firewood

Feature Event:

  • In addition to daily Temperature and Salinity tests with digital equipment, it’s good to do monthly checks with the older methods, out of interest, and can be used to test the calibrations of the new equipment.

 

Weather Events:

  • Clear and sunny all day, clouds on the perimeter.  Winds westerly 15 – 20 knots, rising to 25 – 30 knots late in the afternoon.

 

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

 

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Antenna Re-mount

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Ecological Notes:

  • 5 female Elephant Seals, 1 juvenile male (about female size)
  • Elephant Seal pups: 2, 1 is a young male
  • Many big old California Sealions tried to take over the pier today
  • Can see several paired up Black Oyster Catchers, but no “nests” visible from the angles I could view from a distance. Also didn’t note any defensive behavior.

Facility Work:

  • Moving beach wood, cut some to stock up firewood
  • Remounted VHF antenna, ONLY because the deck builders ran out of time. First I tried the hard ways, then just dismantled it on the bench and cut the wood away from the mount.

 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 1 Sailboat, doing it the right way! Motor on, sail in centered position and loose, straight down the center of the channel slowly, without disturbing the wildlife.

 

Feature Event:

  • Learning to use the chainsaw, but having to pause when an elephant seal wanted to pass.

 

Weather Events:

  • Medium Winds from the west, rising in the evening. Clear skies all day, good for Solar Power generation. Light cloud moving in the evening after sunset.

 

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

 

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Elephant Seal ID adjustment

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Ecological Notes:

  • 6 Elephant Seals – turns out to be at least 1 juvenile male! So,currently 5 females and 1 male (no new animals, just new id’s)
  • Elephant Seal pups: 2, but also, 1 of the pups appears to be a male as well!

Enjoying the sun

 

  • No real changes in Sea Lion or Harbour seal numbers
  • Have been seeing the Sea Otter at lower tides in the uncovered kelp forests

Facility Work:

  • Piling firewood, more sorting old materials

Feature Event:

 

Weather Events:

  • Sunny, with medium to high westerly winds all day
  • Last night was very high winds! Kept the flag down last night and today.

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

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Traffic Jamb

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Ecological Notes:

  • 6 female Elephant Seals, 2 “pups”
  • Lots of time in the water, then spread out over all the pathways to warm up in the sun.

Grumpy traffic jamb on the walkway …

**** VERY ZOOMED IN video! ****

 

Facility Work:

  • Sorting waste wood from old deck
  • Last night’s rain gave 2 tank loads of water for the pressure washer

Weather Events:

  • Light cloud and light easterly winds in the morning gave way to a sunny afternoon with moderate winds, rising as the wind changed to westerlies.
  • Evening wind rose to 30 – 35 (gusting to 40) knots westerly.

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

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Pressure Cleaning

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Ecological Notes:

  • 6 female Elephant Seals, 2 “pups”
  • Lots of time in the water, staying close to the ramp
  • 2 Canada Goose nests lost all their eggs to other birds, they are extra aggressive now!

Just Chillin’

Visitors:

  •  Shorefront Manager, food and de-ionized water delivery

Facility Work:

  • Fine Tuning Deck work
  • Pressure washing until rain water storage was dry

Never ending

Fresher look

Then, you run out of rain water for the pressure washer!

DND events:

  • 4 Detonations YESTERDAY (Wednesday April 28) …… noted animal anxious startled, especially those in the water

Weather Events:

  • Mostly sunny, some light overcast. Light westerly winds

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Bird Courting Time

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Ecological Notes:

  • 6 female Elephant Seals, 3 molting very heavily
  • 2 Elephant Seal pups, one spent much of the day soaking in the water at the end of the boat ramp
  • Although not right in the reserve, observed one Humpback whale, about 1 mile south, and Transient Orca between the reserve and Bentinck Island. Identified as the T101’s and T100B’s
  • Lots of courting behavior observed with the Pigeon Guillemots, and also the Harlequin ducks

Pigeon Guillemots

Harlequin Ducks

Facility Work:

  • Pressure washing main building

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 5 EcoTourism boats, spread throughout  the afternoon
  • 3 separate sport boat went through the reserve at high speed, luckily no obvious disturbance of the animals other than noticeable wake

Weather Events:

  • Cloudy with sunny breaks, Calm seas

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

 

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Surface Temperature and Salinity

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Ecological Notes:

  • 6 female Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seal pups: Only 2 pups on land

Packing tight to preserve heat!

  • lots of nest building by the Gulls and Oyster Catchers

Checking out a good spot

Bringing the goods!

 

Black Oyster Catcher

Facility Work:

  • Continuing the fine work done by the previous Eco Guardians, more scrubbing and pressure washing

Feature event:

  • Daily Water Sampling – Taken each day and reported monthly to The Institute of Ocean Sciences

Waiting for the pier to clear ….

The peanut gallery …

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

 

Weather Events:

  • Cloud coverage, light drizzle, and Calm Seas

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?