Tag Archives: gull chick

Yippee we made it

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Jump for joy

Wildlife notes:

The chicks near the house that hatched on June 28 made it past their 4 week birthday. Seeing what goes on around here, that is an accomplishment! At three weeks old their wing feathers were just starting to grow.

Four week old chicks

The other exciting news is two whimbrel visited the east beach briefly.

Whimbrel

 

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • topped up battery fluid
  • weeding around desalinator building

Vessels:

13 ecotourism

Weather:

Fog lifting by noon, sunny afternoon. Moderate westerly breeze most of the day, building to near gale in the evening. Daytime temperature range: low 10, high 15.

Hiding in the shadow

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A panting parent (they do this to dissipate heat) with their young chicks hiding in the shadow.

Wildlife notes:

Many new chicks have hatched. I was happy to see the relatively calm “sidewalk” gull has a new chick. This gull has had a hard time of it right in the favourite path of the male elephant seal. He mostly enjoys the grassy hollow these days but previously he crossed the walkway daily. The nest is close to and several inches below the walkway, which has saved her last remaining egg from being crushed – the other egg disappeared in mid June.

Sidewalk gull’s new wet chick.

Two purple martins investigated the fog sensor pipes protruding half way up the south side of the lighthouse tower.  Gary will bring a purple martin nesting box to the island. Hopefully they will find it to be a suitable home.  A hummingbird was spotted but moved too quickly for a positive identification or photo.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • weeding brick walkway by Energy House.
  • house cleaning

Vessels:

28 ecotourism

Weather:

Clear skies, winds light and variable most of the day, switching to a moderate westerly breeze late afternoon, high of 25 degrees.

Unwelcomed visitor

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The male elephant seal was disturbed this morning to find a new female in his favourite grassy spot.  He chased her around, bit her, climbed on her and sent her down the boat ramp into the water. This all took a while as both had to stop frequently to rest. I had a chance to watch him in the water – effortless!

Wildlife notes:

Still only a few nests have chicks hatching. The chicks that hatched on June 28 are growing rapidly.  They wander less than a foot away from their old nest and sit motionless and cuddled together when an approaching eagle sends their parents to the air.

3 day old chick.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaned windows
  • house cleaning
  • month end report
  • seawater data entry

Vessels:

17 Ecotourism boats

Weather:

Partly cloudy, winds SSW to WSW, 11 to 23 knots, high of 16 degrees.

July 27 and 28 – Weekly Census

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Ecological Notes:

  • I counted 40 Steller sea lions hauled out on Middle Rocks, the highest number so far this month.
  • About 200 black turnstones, ruddy turnstones, and surfbirds have been hunkering down in the east bay in the strong west winds for the past two afternoons and evenings.
  • See the photo gallery below for the ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 27):
    • Sky: Fog at 07:40 until late morning, partly cloudy until fog at 17:00 onwards
    • Wind: W 9-29 kts
    • Sea: Rippled in morning, then up to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 13 oC, High 21 oC
  • Today (July 28):
    • Sky: Fog overnight until late morning, partly cloudy until fog rolled in at 16:00
    • Wind: W 18-32 kts
    • Sea: Rippled in morning, up to 3′ moderate in afternoon
    • Temperature Low 12 oC, High 14 oC

Weekly Census (observed on July 27):

  • Elephant Seal: 3
  • Steller/Northern sea lions: 40 on Middle Rock
  • Harbour seals: 132
  • Bald eagles: 2 (1 juvenile and 1 adult)
  • Canada geese: 6
  • Black oystercatchers: 21 (18 adults, 3 chicks)
  • Cormorants: 6
  • Glaucous-winged gulls nesting on the main island: 189
  • Glaucous-winged gull chicks: approximately 200 (It is hard to get an exact number due to their camouflage)
  • Gulls not nesting (some glaucous-winged and some other species) on the south end of the main island and outer islands: 156
  • Pigeon guillemots: 182
  • Surfbirds: 16
  • Black turnstones: 192
  • Ruddy turnstones: 6

Visitors:

  • No visitors

Facility Work:

  • Scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, routine tidying and checking infrastructure around the island.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

July 21 and 22

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Ecological Notes:

  • A pod of humpbacks is still spending time to the southwest of the island. I spotted several last evening from the kitchen window while I was doing dinner dishes.
  • There are now two female elephant seals near the boat ramp. They are similar size. The one who I first spotted today, has a bit lighter fur and more scars on her back, as compared to the other who has been around on and off for a few days.
  • I have seen about 50 dead gull chicks around the island. There could be more in the areas I can not see. A few of the chicks have been ripped apart by a bird. I am not sure if it was an eagle or gull. Most of the dead chicks do not have any obvious signs of death, they are just lying in the grass near nests.
  • See the photo gallery below for more ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 21):
    • Sky: Fog overnight until mid-morning, partly cloudy for the rest of the day
    • Wind: W 19-32 kts
    • Sea: up to 2′ chop, low westerly swell
    • Temperature Low 11 oC, High 14 oC
  • Today (July 22):
    • Sky: Partly Cloudy
    • Wind: W 13-33 kts
    • Sea: up to 3′ moderate
    • Temperature Low 12 oC, High 15 oC

Visitors:

  • No visitors

Facility Work:

  • Cleaning solar panels, routine tidying and checking infrastructure around the island.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

July 13 and 14 – Weekly Census

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Ecological Notes:

  • The sea lion population is growing. For the past few days there have been 18 Steller sea lions hauled out on Middle Rocks. That is up from four sea lions one week ago. One of the sea lions has a brand. It appears to say 620R, although the researcher I contacted in Oregon mentioned it is what they call a bad brand and he was unable to determine the brand from the photos I sent. I will keep a look out for the sea lion and see if I can get a better view. The researcher will check his records to see if he can identify the sea lion and be able to record the resighting.
  • The super moon on Wednesday night rose in the southeast at 10:00pm. It was a big bright orange orb that looked more like the rising sun, than the moon.
  • Today’s extremely low tide of -0.2m or -0.7′ was at 10:13am. The overnight high tide at 00:55am was 3.0m or 9.8′. It is apparently the lowest tide in a decade. I was fascinated to see the extended edge of the water all around the many islands. I looked at the exposed intertidal zone from a distance and up on the jetty, so as not to disturb the many delicate species.
  • See the photo gallery below for more ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weekly Census Results from July 13:

  • Steller/Northern sea lions: 18
  • Sea otter: 1
  • Harbour seals: 133
  • Bald eagles: 2 (1 juvenile and 1 adult)
  • Canada geese: 9 (5 adults, 4 goslings)
  • Black oystercatchers: 11 (8 adults, 3 chicks)
  • Cormorant: 4
  • Glaucous-winged gulls nesting on the main island: 247
  • Glaucous-winged gull chicks: approximately 200 (it is hard to get an exact number due to their camouflage in the grass and hiding under their parents)
  • Gulls not nesting (some glaucous-winged and some other species) on the south end of the main island and outer islands: 96
  • Pigeon guillemots: 142
  • Black turnstones: 2
  • Western sandpiper: 2

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 13):
    • Sky: Part Cloudy
    • Wind: W 12-32 kts
    • Sea: rippled, then up to 3′ waves in afternoon and evening
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 16oC
  • Today (July 14):
    • Sky: Part Cloudy
    • Wind: W 15-27 kts
    • Sea: rippled, then up to 2′ chop in afternoon
    • Temperature Low 11oC, High 13oC

Visitors:

  • No visitors

Facility Work:

  • Scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, routine tidying and checking infrastructure around the island.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

July 11 and 12

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Ecological Notes:

  • I believe most of the gulls eggs have hatched, based on the nests I can see with one to three chicks and discarded empty eggs nearby. The gull parents feed fish to their young. I am impressed how many whole little fish a gull catch then regurgitate for their chicks.
  • I am seeing more nursing harbour seals and pups around the south and east sides of the island. Today, I heard a pup communicating with its mother by little grunting sounds.
  • This afternoon, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a river otter scurry along a path by Tank Shed. I could not see if it was heading for the water or underneath the boardwalk, as they are elusive.
  • See the photo gallery below for more ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 11):
    • Sky: Clear
    • Wind: W 1-33 kts
    • Sea: rippled, then 2′ chop in evening
    • Temperature Low 11oC, High 20oC
  • Today (July 12):
    • Sky: Clear, fog between 08:45-09:30 with foghorn
    • Wind: W 16-39 kts, gusts up to 44 kts (81 km/h)
    • Sea: 1′ chop in morning, then up to 4′ waves in afternoon and evening
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 15oC

Visitors:

  • Yesterday, Greg came from the college to refill the diesel tank.

Facility Work:

  • Scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, routine tidying and checking infrastructure around the island. With the clear days, the solar panels have been fully charging the batteries.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. There were much fewer boats today, with the high winds.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

July 7 and 8

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Ecological Notes:

  • With the help of the visitors yesterday and some gathering ecotour boats, I spotted a sea otter hanging out in the kelp bed off the east side of the island.
  • This morning, as I was walking along the path from the house, I saw four large birds flying overhead. Their distinct shapes made me realize right away they were brown pelicans. They looped around and flew off to the east. Maybe they thought  it was too crowded to land at Race Rocks with all the gulls nesting.
  • See the photo gallery and captions for more details on the ecological happenings over the past two days.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 7):
    • Sky: Part Cloudy
    • Wind: W 8-23 kts
    • Sea: rippled in morning, 1′ chop in afternoon
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 15oC
  • Today (July 8):
    • Sky: Part Cloudy
    • Wind: W 12-21 kts
    • Sea: rippled in morning, 1′ chop in afternoon
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 15oC

Visitors:

  • On July 7, Greg, Lawrence and Gretchen visited from the college to help transport supplies and do maintenance tasks on the island.

Facility Work:

  • Scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, tidied around island, desalinator maintenance, and detached old generator exhaust pipe.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Census July 6

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Ecological Notes:

  • I am seeing more gull chicks everyday. Many gull parents are frequently feeding their two or three chicks.
  • I seem to have come to an understanding with some gulls. If I approach near them on the path at a slow speed, we both ignore each other. There are other gulls who freak out if I even look in their direction. As I do necessary work, I limit my movements around the island and avoid certain paths that have nearby nests and chicks.
  • See photo gallery and captions for more details on the ecological happenings over the past two days.

Weekly Census Results:

  • Elephant seal (juvenile male): 1
  • Steller/Northern sea lions: 4
  • Harbour seals: 113
  • Bald eagles: 6 (4 juveniles and 2 adults)
  • Canada geese: 11 (7 adults, 4 goslings)
  • Black oystercatchers: 10 (8 adults, 2 chicks – probably more that are camouflaged)
  • Cormorant: 2
  • Glaucous-winged gulls nesting: 172
  • Glaucous-winged gull chicks: approximately 50 (also hard to spot in the grass and under their parents)
  • Gulls not nesting (some glaucous-winged and some other species) on the south end of the island and outer islands: 97
  • Pigeon guillemots: 123
  • Surfbirds: 3
  • Killdeers: 2
  • Western sandpiper: 1

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 5):
    • Sky: Fog in morning, Part Cloudy in afternoon
    • Wind: W 0-12 kts
    • Sea: calm
    • Temperature Low 11oC, High 17oC
  • Today (July 6):
    • Sky: Overcast in morning, Part Cloudy in afternoon
    • Wind: W 8-22 kts
    • Sea: rippled in morning, 1′ chop in afternoon
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 15oC

Visitors:

  • No visitors over the past two days

Facility Work:

  • Installed bird deterrents on new solar panels, scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, emptied composting toilet, fixed screen door at basement entrance.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Wildlife Observation

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Ecological Notes:

  • 1 female Northern Elephant Seal.
  • 1 male Northern Elephant Seal. 
  • Many Ruddy Turnstones, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds and Western Sand Pipers observed on the east side of the island. 
  • There are many Gull chicks running around the island! The adult Gulls are very protective and will dive down towards me as I walk the path to the main-house. 

Gull Chicks

 

Facility Work:

  • Power washing is satisfying. I finished power washing the south facing side of the student house . 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 4 Ecotourism vessels and 2 pleasure vessels sightseeing in the reserve.

** All wildlife 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?