Tag Archives: glaucous-winged-gull

21 July Update

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Today I scrubbed the tank room door with TSP (grease cleaner/remover) in order to paint it. Because it needs time to dry I decided to go and sand down the jetty in preparation for its paint job. In the short span it took me to do so our elephant seal friend managed to worm its way halfway into the tank room from ~10 metres away… Again!

After some prodding it finally manoeuvred out of the doorway. Although it seems rather humorous, this incident raises more serious questions about measures we will have to take in the future if the elephant seal population continues to rise.

The jetty, for example, which is the most preferred spot for water entries and exits, is hardly large enough to accommodate the two adult males we have here as it is.

 

Also, an update on the progress of the 3 chicks shown left. Many chicks on the island are starting to show signs of trying to fly.

A different 3 have decided to block my doorway for the past week or so.

Yesterday Chris Blondeau came to clean camera 2 (the underwater camera) and there were six other visitors who toured the island.

 

Elephant seal encounters

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The elephant seals have had some funny encounters with some of the other animals on the island. There have been some close calls between the seals and the gulls, though I’m not sure on whose part.

 

 

 

 

 

On their way to and from the water each day, the seals cross over bird nesting areas (which are hard to avoid on the island). Recently they have been visiting the water more often so this is becoming a larger problem for the gulls who frantically call in defence of their young. I must say they put up a good fight. The above shots show two gulls who, while attacking Misery, dare to land on his back to distract him and deter his path. It made for quite the stand off.

Chunk with Sea Lion

The elephant seals have also been interacting with the sea lions more, who have been hanging around the jetty more frequently. Unlike the gulls, the sea lions (both Stellar and California) happily share the space. Yesterday when docking the boat there was a sea lion on the boat ramp amidst 4-5 elephant seals in the water and on the ramp. However, if confronted the sea lion knows who the alpha male is and makes for a quick depart, as this one (pictured right) did just after the photo was taken.

 

 

The fog is lifting!

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View looking to North Race

Today was my first view of the mainland for the past couple of days excluding a few glimpses here and there.The past week has brought constant fog and winds of 20-40 knots which means boat traffic has been minimal. (At least as far as I can see!)

 

Newborn Black Oystercatcher

Today though, the sun has come out and with that yet another newborn. The Black Oystercatchers  (Haematopus bachmani) are hatching. These birds live mainly in the intertidal zone. Where the chick is shown in the photo below is where it just hatched and effectively camouflages itself. Quite a difference from its nest to that of the gulls’.

On another note, the elephant seals are spending more time wading in the water and are holding their breath for longer periods. I was startled the other day when I looked near the jetty to see one limp underwater only to realize it was snoozing and would come up for air every few minutes.

Glaucous-winged gull juvenile

 

And finally, an updated picture of one of the three infant gulls in past posts. It has become more difficult to get pictures of all three because they are more mobile now.

 

 

 

 

New and old faces

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Glaucous-winged Gull with chicks

The past few days have seen a good deal of development with the wildlife on the reserve. Newborn gulls and elephant seals are still competing for the spotlight. The picture below of the gulls are the same three that Mike posted as newborns on his last post (June 29th) and luckily they have indeed been thriving since.

 

Hatching glaucous -winged gull chick

A few more are born each day and they can take hours to fully hatch.

 

 

 

 

 

Elephant seal with green tag #5086

Yesterday we had two new visiting elephant seals. One had a green tag which implies that it was tagged by a team in California, on an eco-reserve in Ano Nuevo. March 10th, Alex posted a photo of an elephant seal that had been tagged twice. This appears to be the same one (minus one of its tags). She’s done a beautiful job of moulting.

 

 

 

 

Mike’s Last Day

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I am off for the summer and Julie will be taking over, keeping a watchful eye over the animals and encouraging the public to maintain respect for the their well-being by motoring slowly within the reserve and maintaining a comfortable distance.

Same three gull chicks taken earlier

The big news of the last few days is the birth of numerous Glaucous-winged Gull chicks. They look adorable for the first few weeks with their leopard spots! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the parent can find enough food for them to thrive.

 

Newborn Glaucous-winged Gull June 29, 2012

These two pictures of the chicks were taken 24 hours apart. In the first you can see the egg-tooth of the emerging chick.

 

 

 

Mad Momma

The Gull parents are quite protective. I have had my hat knocked off and felt their warm white rain a few times… Last night I got splashed in the eye, much to my discomfort and annoyance. I’m sure there is a poetic justice to the experience though; at least from the Gull’s perspective!

End of May

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Hold the presses! I just got back from the top of the tower where I was washing the windows. My eyes were drawn to a huge lump on Middle Rocks. With the binoculars I could see what appears to be 3 bull elephant seals, a few cows and a juvenile. That makes at least 14 elephant seals in the reserve! I wonder if it is Misery?

It is hard to tell that June begins tomorrow, due to the fog and damp. But there are certainly signs of summer beginning to show up in spite of the weather. The first Glaucous-winged Gull eggs are being laid, the Oystercatchers are getting more secretive

 

But the really BIG news is that a new-to-me bull elephant seals arrived yesterday. He isn’t as big as Misery but he is bigger than Zeke. I would guess he is a few years away from becoming a Beachmaster. He caused quite a commotion rampaging around and roughing up a few females before he found a nice spot to sleep for the next few days. I have named him Chunk, for both his size and the large scars down his back, which appear to be caused by a boat propellor a few years ago. (Ed note: These were actually caused by a fight with Misery last year. ) The scars look fairly well healed but some pretty big chunks were carved out by the prop.

 

Busy whale-watching season

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The weather has settled after a couple of blustery days and the sun is shining. Erik and I are refuelling the station which involves transporting about 6,000 litters of diesel fuel from Pedder Bay Marina to the island. We should be completed this afternoon. Hopefully this will last about one year, but that depends on conserving energy/electricity wherever possible.

Seven Pearson students spent last weekend here and we may get another group this coming weekend, however that depends on getting a new part for our desalinator. Without water it is challenging to host our guests, and I may have to ration our dwindling supply for a few weeks until the new part arrives. I counted just under 20 whale-watching vessels in the preserve last week, averaging 2 a day with 4 or 5 on the weekends. I will monitor the numbers more closely as tourist season arrives. DND continues to explode ordinance on Bentinck Island, much to the annoyance of every living thing in the reserve. The percussive shock waves rattle the windows and seem very incongruous with the spirit and intention of this place. I can’t quite understand why they won’t perform their exercises in an inland location where the noise and pollution can be better contained. I believe they are violating federal guidelines and hope they will take measures to ameliorate the effects of their mandate.

 Dunlin

Hundreds of pigeon guillemots are banding the seashore around Great Race and they add a colourful and busy presence to the island. Three scruffy young female elephant seals are busy moulting their pelage. Little scraps of old skin and fur are littering the island, adding to the biological detritus that makes up the bulk of the soil layer along with guano, shell and decayed plant material. A few California Sea Lions are in the area along with the Stellar and Northerns.

 Stellar Sea Lion

 We have a new camera now with a good telephoto lens so I hope to edu-tain you with beautiful pictures of magnificent animals…. stay tuned!

Animal Census Apr 18, 2012

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Stellar Sea Lion – 20

Elephant Seal – 12

Harbour Seal – 200

Glaucous-winged Gull – 200

Brandt’s Cormorant – 250

Pelagic Cormorant – 10

Black Turnstones – 30 w/ 2 juveniles

Surfbirds – 10

Raven – 4

Crow – 1

Dunlin – 2

Sparrows – 6

Pigeon Guillemots – 150

Harlequin Ducks – 100

Canada Goose – 20

Bald Eagle (adult) – 4 (juvenile) 8

Black Oyster-catcher – 40

34 people have visited in the least 2 weeks

Home for Some

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It is good to be back after two months of travel out in the world. Alex did a great job on the ongoing projects the station demands. Cheers buddy!
Squall is now 3 months old and in spite of all the doubters who thought she wouldn’t make it, she is doing awesome. She is sleek, fat, curious and spunky.

There is a yearling female on the jetty as well but she is going through an uncomfortable moult and she has an infection in her mouth that is bleeding and oozing. I hope she heals up in a hurry….

There are about 200 glaucous-winged gulls competing for nesting sites. They hang out all day but they all leave at dusk to sleep somewhere a bit safer I guess…