Tag Archives: moulting elephant seal

Gull chicks are hatching

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Wildlife notes:

The first gull chicks are hatching! I may not be so happy about this in the coming days as the gulls become less tolerant of my presence (I got nailed again today). Just as some checks are hatching, a few gulls are still building nests. This week while lowering the flag before a gale, I noticed a new nest with one egg on the west side of the flag pole base.  Now two sides of the pole could be inaccessible should they protest.

The elephant seal has become interested in the crawl space under the Keeper’s house. He’s pushed against the crawl space door and succeeded in dislodging it. I also caught him glancing in the basement window. I hope he never sees his reflection.

Facility work:

We had trades people at the site today.  The woodstove and chimney were cleaned and the fire bricks replaced. This inspired me to do some cleaning inside the Keeper’s house that didn’t require much water like windows and other shiny things.

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaned Keeper’s house windows
  • cleaned inside Keeper’s house
  • thistles

Visitors:

  • Darren and Tavin, WETT Certification
  • Matt, Metal worker
  • Hugo, Volunteer at Pearson College

Vessels:

21 Ecotourism boats, 2 private

Weather:

Winds variable, seas calm, high of 17 degrees.

Moving house

June 26th Census

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Mammals

sea otter: 1
California sea lion: 4 (2 South Islands, 2 Great Race Rock)
elephant seal: 1 (male)
harbour seal: 139 (60 South Islands, 9 South Seal rocks, 29 Middle,  24 Turbine, 17 North Island)

Birds

bald eagle: 4
cormorant: 14
gulls: 415
oyster catcher: 8 adults, 2 chicks
pigeon guillemot: 5
barn swallow: 4

Wildlife notes:

Only 5 pigeon guillemots remained on the island today. The elephant seal has large areas of dark skin showing and spent his day in the same spot. It was a quiet day.

Facility work:

The overcast conditions necessitated running the generator for 4.5 hours.

  • cleaned solar panels
  • thistles
  • kindling

Vessels:

9 Ecotourism boats, 1 private

Weather:

Windy day. Low cloud, distant fogbank, winds W 29 in the morning with gusts to 36 by mid-morning. Cloudy throughout the day, scattered showers. Winds WNW 19 in the early evening.

DND:

Several blasts today.  No obvious signs of distress.

Digital Dexterity

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An elephant seal moving on land is anything but graceful. Their rear flippers are not useful for locomotion on land. They use their front flippers to propel themselves forward on their bellies. Their forelimbs or front flippers however, are capable of precise, controlled movements, perfect for getting that itchy spot or wiping away the flies.

Wildlife notes:

Single eagles visited today. The gulls would really have an easier time if they just worked together in both scaring off the eagles and dealing with the steamroller elephant seal. While all the gulls are flying about and screaming bloody murder, only one brave gull chased the eagle on two trips around the Great Race and the surrounding islands.  The male elephant seal has lost more hair on his nose, around his eyes and the hair on his body is coming off in patches.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • thistles

Vessels:

7 Ecotourism boats, 2 private

Weather:

Foggy morning, temperature 10 degrees, winds WSW 10. Daytime high of 12 degrees, winds steady 8-15 knots from WSW or W.

Friday Update

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The Steller sea lions have taken over the rocks to the right of the jetty which has resulted in the California sea lions inconveniently taking over the jetty and spilling over into the rocks on the left. Usually a calm and careful walk down the jetty clears them off but by the time I get back to the shed they are already back. Some seem to learn quicker than others or are more fearful of humans so those ones find themselves a new spot right away. However there are always a few stragglers that don’t seem to care in the slightest which results in me taking many trips down to the end of the jetty and back.

When I’m here I try to do everything in my power to not disrupt the animals, however it’s important to keep the jetty clear for when our boat arrives as well as for emergencies. It can also be dangerous at a very low tide if there are sea lions on the jetty and something spooks them. It’s a long drop into very shallow or no water and when something sets them off they seem to react first, think later. So really, a clear jetty is for both human and animal safety. Thankfully there are plenty of other areas for them to snooze and sunbathe and eventually they get tired of seeing me on the jetty and find themselves a safer place to relax.

Ollie spent his day in the kelp beds behind the student house again, grooming and sleeping before moving onto the rocks to settle onto a not so comfy looking bed of mussels.

The same 4 female elephant seals are still here. Elephant seals go through something called a catastrophic moult each year where they shed their fur as well as their top layer of skin. It’s quite common to see these guys looking pretty rough but all 4 of the ones that are currently here appear to be in good condition.

Facility Work:

  • Topped up battery electrolytes
  • Started filling the cistern, it is very low so I plan to run the pump tomorrow too

Vessel Traffic:
– 1 ecotourism vessel
– 2 cruise ships on the horizon and multiple freighters/tankers

Visitors:
– Cedric to help me fill the cistern and with a few other tasks around the site

Weather:
Sky: Sun and clouds
Wind: High of 10 knots, Low of 6 knots
Sea: Calm
Temperature: Low 7, High  13oC

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

Moulting Elephant seals

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Eco-guardians Allen and  ilka Olsen

TUESDAY 16 April
Winds have lessened but still brisk and; cool out—West 14/gust 24—mid-afternoon.
Continue to go up tower to prepare for census day tomorrow. I’ll dispense with today’s count
as nothing extraordinary spotted except 4 dunlin and possibly 6 Cassin auklets (too swift for pic).
Birds are definitely pairing and prepping for nesting. Found a dead sealion on east shore well
along in decay.
Two additional moulting E seals came ashore; total now 5. Some vocalize frequently.
Of interest was the vessel traffic: HMCS frigate towed along south shore of Bentick to
Quarantine Cove. One likes to think that the two towing tugs have a lower carbon footprint
than the engine on frigate. Four detonations from DND. Spill Response vessel cruised by. Five-
7 freighters transversing at any time; several cruise ships. Number of wildlife tour boats
definitely correlate to number cruise ships in harbour.
Facility Work: Gathered, split and stacked wood, Washed windows.