I don’t think my time here has ever flown quite this fast!
Between visitors, rescue work, whales, and beautiful weather, the past month has gone by in the blink of an eye. It has been incredible and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be able to work out here.
I know I’ll be back, but until then – here are a few of my favourite moments from October.
** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **
Last night’s northern lights were as incredible as I could’ve hoped for! This is the second time now that I have been lucky enough to witness them from Race Rocks.
This morning the sky was still colourful – this time with a beautiful sunrise accompanied by a logging humpback just off the south side of the island. It slept there as I completed my morning fence repairs, surfacing for a big breath every few minutes.
The sea lions had a hay day with the fence over night, and I’m sure there will be just as many repairs needed tomorrow. Good thing I love them anyway!
Both female elephant seals are still here which always makes my day, they aren’t big fans of the sea lions but manage to tolerate them.
Greg brought 3 loads of water over today – topping the fresh water tank up 4000L which means its now full!
I filled the generator up with diesel and we brought the small tank up as well so I won’t have to try and move it on my own any time soon. I spent the afternoon topping up battery electrolytes and rolling fire hoses before moving inside to get some work done.
Another beautiful day out here, sure doesn’t seem like October!
** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **
Well, just like that it’s been 6 weeks and it’s time for me to return to the mainland. The wind is gusting 65km/hour right now, giving me one final storm before my departure. The animals are all hidden away, protecting themselves from the weather. All except the male elephant seal who is still harassing the gulls.
I thought I’d wrap up my final blog post with my favourite photos and moments from this trip. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!
Pinnipeds:
Cetaceans:
Ollie the Sea Otter:
Birds:
Northern Lights:
Sunsets:
That’s all from me for now, but I’ll be back!
** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **
Last night after the sun set and the sky became dark, I experienced one of the most jaw dropping events of my life. The northern lights doused the sky in colour and I genuinely could not believe my eyes. With a 360 degree, unobstructed view with little to no light pollution, Race Rocks is the best place to have witnessed the show.
It started out as faint white streaks in the distance before erupting into dancing greens and pinks. I nearly gave myself whiplash trying to see them in every direction around me. I ended up laying on my back in the middle of the path and staring up at the sky until late into the night/early morning.
I had read in the news that it was a possibility to see the northern lights in BC but I never imagined it would be anything like that. That kind of experience is something I thought I’d have to travel far for, not look out my window and see.
The geomagnetic storm that caused this is the strongest storm of its kind in over 20 years and is supposed to last through until Sunday so I plan to keep an eye out for it tonight as well. Who needs sleep right?
