Tag Archives: harbour seal pup

August 3 – Station Boat

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The Race Rocks 14′ Boston Whaler boat has not been used in a while. After the elephant seals cleared the ramp for their post swim afternoon nap, I lowered the boat to the water with the electric winch. Once I made sure the motor was running properly, I took the boat out for a quick 20 minute ride, including idling to take photos and look in the binoculars. I had back up by VHF radio and cellphone in case anything went awry. Pearson’s boat Second Nature was in the area, taking alumni on tours around the Ecological Reserve. The station boat is running well. I look forward to more around the rocks tours over the coming weeks. I do need to troubleshoot the GPS/SONAR unit before I go out next. Oddly, it was working fine in the boathouse. Race Rocks would be boring if everything worked all the time.

The sea lion population continues to climb with 60 on Middle Rock and 13 on Great Race by the jetty. That is a big difference to yesterday afternoon when there were no barks or belches coming from the main island, just the occasional elephant seal bellow or sleep apnea snort.

Facility work:

  • Launch boat and take it out for a spin
  • Tidy boat house
  • Clean windows on ecoguardian’s house

Vessels:

  •  Ecotourism: 27
  •  Private: 5

Weather:

  • Sea: up to 2′ chop
  • Sky: Partly cloudy, fog (and foghorn) from 20:26 onwards
  • Wind: W 16-30 knots
  • Air temperature: low 11°C, high 13°C
  • Seawater temperature at max flood: 10.1°C

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

August 1 Census

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Census Results:

Mammals:

  • Elephant seal: 2 (female and male)
  • Steller sea lion: 34
  • California sea lion: 11
  • Sea otter: 1
  • Harbour seal: 78

Birds:

  • Bald eagle: 1
  • Canada goose: 3
  • Cormorant: 33
  • Gull: 584
  • Black oystercatcher: 20
  • Pigeon guillemot: 131
  • Whimbrel: 1
  • Surfbird: 28
  • Black turnstone: 137
  • Song sparrow: 2
  • Least sandpiper: 1

Facility work:

  • Reacquaint myself with the standard operating procedures and various systems on the island
  • Check boat electronics, safety equipment, and winch
  • Clean solar panels
  • Sample seawater

Vessels:

  •  Ecotourism: 23
  •  Private: 5

Weather:

  • Sea: Rippled
  • Sky: Clear in morning, then partly cloudy
  • Wind: Variable light winds overnight until sunrise ~06:00, when wind switched to easterlies varying from 3-14 knots throughout the rest of the day
  • Daytime air temperature: low 13 C, high 24 C
  • Seawater temperature at max flood: 10.6 C

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

A Steller Monday

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What started out as a very foggy morning turned into a blue sky and sunshine kind of day with an unbelievable sunset!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Animal Notes:

 

 

A large male Steller sea lion has been hauled out on the rocks near the jetty all day and he make the makes the California sea lions look tiny in comparison! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A female elephant seal spent the morning sunbathing in the water behind the student house. I think this may be the same one that’s been hauling out on the South Island. She’s yet to come ashore here though. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spotted 3 harbour porpoises just outside the reserve this morning, I see so many back home in Vancouver so I’m surprised that this was the first time I’ve seen them here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came across a giant pacific octopus at low tide (deceased unfortunately) but it made a great meal for a young gull and an even better learning opportunity for the students that are currently on the island!

 

 

 

 

Finished the night off by watching the sunset with the blonder of the two new otters as it floated off the rocks behind the student house. (No photos, just enjoyed the moment).

Facility Work:

  • Filled the cistern 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • One ecotourism vessel
  • Two private vessels

Weather Events:

  • Monday, March 18:
    • Sky: Foggy morning, clear blue sky until sunset
    • Wind: High of ESE 11 knots, Low of SE 1 knot
    • Sea: Glassy all day long
    • Temperature: Low 7oC, High  13oC

** 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?

Spring is trying!

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Ecological Notes:

  • 2 Female Elephant Seals nursing their pups
  • 3 Elephant Seal pups. Pup #1 on his own again
  • Still no big Male Elephant Seals present
  • Although it looks chubby, a very small harbour seal pup(?) hauled out on the boat ramp next to the pier. This is only the second time I’ve ever seen any harbour seal in that location.

  • Signs of an early spring ….. the Geese, and the Black Oyster Catchers are pairing off and defending locations …… and the Early Crocus are sprouting

Visitors:

  • Cedric from Seafront Support kayaked out for a social visit.

Facility Work:

  • Cutting firewood
  • Started re-establishing the electric fencing on the pier, but had the high  winds bring a log over and took it back out
  • Made, and installed a replacement part for the toilet in the Student and science building

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • A large sailboat motored through the reserve in front of the pier, but maintained proper distance and speed while enjoying the sights.

Weather Events:

  • Friday, February 03:
    • Sky: Cloudy with occasional sun peaking through, low haze to the south, visibility to about 10 miles
    • Wind:Morning winds E 10 – 20 kts, backing to NE 20 – 35 kts by noon
    • Sea: waves up to 1 meter
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 9oC
  • Saturday, February 04:
    • Sky: High overcast, scattered low clouds to the south
    • Wind: N winds, veering to ENE,  12-18 kts
    • Sea:  light chop
    • Temperature Low  7oC, High  9oC
  • Sunday, February 05:
    • Sky: High overcast, scattered low clouds to the south
    • Wind:E winds, veering to W in the morning,  gradually rising from 2 kts to 30 kts by evening
    • Sea:  light chop
    • Temperature Low  7oC, High  9oC
  • Monday, February 6:
    • Sky: High overcast, occasional very light showers
    • Wind: S winds, backing to ESE,  5-15 kts
    • Sea:  light chop
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 8oC

 

** 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?

July 25 and 26

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Ecological Notes:

  • Two humpback whales passed through Middle Channel, just north of the main island, yesterday morning.
  • Yesterday afternoon’s high of 27 oC was evident with many of the gulls panting in an effort to regulate their temperature.
  • I am seeing more black turnstones, ruddy turnstones and surfbirds, especially congregating in the evenings in the east bay.
  • See the photo gallery below for the ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 25):
    • Sky: Partly cloudy
    • Wind: E 6-11 kts
    • Sea: Rippled
    • Temperature Low 12 oC, High 27 oC
  • Today (July 26):
    • Sky: Partly Cloudy
    • Wind: Variable 1-19 kts
    • Sea: rippled
    • Temperature Low 17 oC, High 25 oC

Visitors:

  • Greg came from Pearson College today to deliver supplies.

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 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.

Seal Pup

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Ecological Notes:

  • Each morning has had an abundance of eagles, including many juveniles. Also noticing more and more carcasses of younger gulls, suggesting the eagles are learning to hunt here.
  • A not so common visitor to the main boat ramp today. Normally,  Harbour Seals stick to the outer rocks and edges of the island, avoiding the common sea lion haul outs. This little guy was hauled out on the main ramp, and interestingly, not one sea lion came up the ramp the entire time he was there. Checking with my camera from a distance, he had a little gash above his eye, but after a long nap, he made his way back down to the water with little effort.

Visitors:

  • Shorefront Coordinator delivered fuel, groceries, packages, and parts for the desalinator.

Facility Work:

  • Some basic house maintenance, fencing repairs (as always with the storms coming through!) and random lumber tidy up.
  • Troubleshooting the hardline (voip) phones with IT department, remote resets, but still no success.

DND events:

  • Several large blasts. Noted lots of disturbance with the sea lions, perhaps still on edge after the storms.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ecotourism vessels enjoying the sights and sounds of the reserve.

Weather Events:

  • Oh what the difference a day makes! The previous days storms had westerly winds gusting over 60knots, with waves spray coming right over the helipad, and the pier was totally awash most of the day. As power was down at Pearson College, no internet until mid day.
  • Today though had westerly winds of 15 – 20knots, light swell and mixed clear and cloudy periods.

 

** 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?

Big Winds, Monday’s Census

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Weather:

  • Visibility: 15-40 NM
  • Today we discovered that on the foghorn sensor there is a visibility reading display. Normally we base this off of which landmarks we are able to see (Victoria is around 10 NM, North rock is 1 NM, Port Angeles is roughly 15 NM).
  • Sky clear and blue, a few white clouds
  • Wind 25-30 knots W
  • Sea state: Rough. Waves up to .5 m, white caps
  • A climb in humidity today after a relatively calm and dry weekend

Marine Traffic/Visitors:

  • No visitors to the island since Saturday (Greg)
  • Only a few eco-tourism boats today (very windy), but a steady trickle over the nice weekend. We have been seeing an average of 7 boats every day, not including pleasure crafts.

Ecological Observations: 

  • We noticed yesterday that the goose with a limp (affectionately dubbed “limpy”) is no longer here. We aren’t sure if it was attacked by an eagle or decided to move along (the 13 remaining adult geese are here).
  • We were happy to see an adult otter run across the jetty boardwalk yesterday, raising our hopes that the dead river otter seen with “Ollie” the sea otter last week may not have been one from under our shed (creating the possibility of abandoned young if this were the case).
  • The seagulls seem to have gotten even more aggressive as their young begin to venture away from the nest: attacking young of other gulls, diving at our heads, and attacking each other if their individual “territory” (the area around their nests) is invaded. We have to be extremely careful with our movements around the island to avoid scaring chicks into the open where they can be attacked.
  • Many small harbour seal pups today! They are particularly playful at this time of year as they learn to swim and fish with their mothers. We have been enjoying observing their movements from the top of the lighthouse where our presence doesn’t bother them and we can see directly downwards into the water around the island.

Monday’s Census:

  • 515 Adult seagulls (this doesn’t include chicks- they camouflage too well!)
  • 1 male elephant seal
  • 2 Adult bald eagles
  • 13 Canada geese
  • 33 Stellar sea lions
  • 72 Harbour seals (moms and pups)
  • 1 Black turnstone

 

 

 

The Animals Have Been Busy

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Weather:

  • Sky clear, blue
  • Visibility 15+ NM
  • Wind 20-25 knots W
  • Sea state: rippled, whitecaps, small waves breaking at .5 m

A fun link! Our weather station data can be publicly viewed Here.

Marine Traffic/Visitors:

  • On Friday Greg and a plumber visited
  • It has been quite windy but we have continued to see 5-10 whale watching boats per day on average
  • Quite a few fishing pleasure crafts outside of the reserve closer to Pedder bay, but no issues with fishing in the reserve this week so far.

Ecological Observations: 

  • This week we noticed a pigeon guillemot carry fish into a crevice in the rock wall outside our back door. We are excited to keep an eye on it and see if it is nesting! We have continued to notice breeding pairs copulating and flying into/out of crevices around the island.
  • This week there are large amounts of shorebirds visiting.We have seen ruddy and black turnstones daily as well as the occasional sandpiper. The turnstones are particularly elusive and fly away before we notice them quite often.
  • An appreciated bird ID correction from Daniel: The bird which we photographed on June 20 was in fact a whimbrel and not a short billed dowitcher.
  • This week we have seen quite a few harbor seals with their pups swimming or resting on rocks. We haven’t seen any nursing, but they are still quite small (and cute!).
  • The goslings and two parents haven’t returned since we saw them leave by water last Thursday. There seem to be two more adult geese gone today. We wonder if the goose family left for the main island, as the seagulls have become very territorial and aggressive, or perhaps the geese are naturally beginning to leave as they do seasonally.
  • A steady increase of sea lions in the reserve this week. There are now both california and stellar sea lions, and a few younger ones mixed in with the huge stellars that appeared last week.