eye injury | Race Rocks Ecological Reserve-

Another day of blue sky and sun but unfortunately another day of wind too! 30 knots today and it looks like it will continue through the rest of the week.

Due to the weather I did not see any boats on the water today aside from cruise ships and freighters on the horizon.

I was able to clean all the house windows on the outside before the wind nearly took the brush out of my hand and I had to move onto indoor cleaning and organizing.

When moving the sea lions from the jetty this morning I did notice that one of the California sea lions has what appears to be an old eye injury. His other eye is normal, his body condition is great, and it is overall not concerning. Just thought it was worth mentioning because it caught my eye – no pun intended.

Not the most eventful day today, but great nonetheless!

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

Weather:

Sky clear, a few clouds
Visibility 15+ NM
Wind: 30-35 knots W
Sea state: fast moving, white caps breaking at .5 m

Visitors:

Greg visited with a water delivery on Friday
One eco-tourism boat in the reserve yesterday evening.
One vessel fishing within the reserve on Friday afternoon. They approached the sea lions around the jetty very closely and their dog on board barked loudly at the animals. They approached the animals within a stones throw and hovered for roughly 20 minutes. The animals appeared distressed and fought with each other as they tried to move away from the boat (it was too close for them to enter the water).

Ecological:

On Thursday evening a river otter came onto land near the jetty. We wonder if it was trying to steal seagull eggs.
On Friday afternoon two caspian terns flew overhead. The seagulls were not happy to see them and chased them out of the reserve.
Related to the post linked above, we spotted an oyster catcher nest on the west side of the island. We think it could be the same one that Mike spotted in 2012!
There are five goslings total, one family with two and one with three. The family of three has been joined intermittently by the other two. The two chicks seem confused as to which geese are their parents, and they’ve even managed to sneak under a wing with the rest for shelter. The parents continuously try to separate them from their own three chicks and the parents of the two follow closely behind.
We have observed the geese moving around the island trying to find fresh water. When it rains it is easier for them to come near the structures and drink the water from our roofs. When it is dry, they are limited to what they are able to find in the pools high on the rocks, usually full of algae and very dirty. We have been learning about their adaptations to drink salt water here.
The two oyster catcher chicks that we spotted earlier in the week have maintained their elusive nature. We haven’t been able to spot them again, as they are hidden by their parents among rocks where the seagulls are not able to attack.
This week has brought an influx of stellar sea lions, particularly smaller youngsters.

Census: