This photograph taken at Race Rocks by Alex Fletcher in January 2012 was featured in the British Columbia Magazine Winter 2014. This female elephant seal (Squall) was born at Race Rocks and was successful in leaving theisland without injury.
Tag Archives: squall
Animal Visitors
Yesterday two Whimbrels were seen on the south shore of Great Race and this morning a posse of California Sea Lions was swimming about South Rocks barking in their distinctive manner. Garry alerted me to another weaner elephant seal pup on West Rocks. Today we have 5 e-girls here at the station: Bertha, Squall, Divot (she has raw sores/holes in her skin but seems otherwise healthy), Goat (this one crawled up to the weather station in the middle of the island), and 5086 (Fifty/Fiddy) whom I believe we first saw in December. I had thought Squall had left as I didn’t see her for a few days but turns out she had crawled up into the boathouse to get some peace and quiet!
Plenty of recreational fisherfolk are fringing the reserve. I suppose it makes a cunning sort of sense to hunt near the place where most of the fish are, but there is a self-serving element to that way of thinking that is reflective of why we need to have parks, reserves and preserves in the first place! Personally I prefer finding my dinner on the shore within the intertidal zone where I can be sure of what I am catching and can ensure there are plenty left to restock the locale. Unfortunately for me I won’t be eating creatures from the reserve though!
Today 6 kayakers lingered for quite a while at Middle Rocks; the Sea Lions didn’t like it and went in the water. We think of kayaks as benign but i have found that most animals prefer to know when the humans are coming and kayaks allow us to sneak up on them, ironically causing more panic than a motorized vessel. Yesterday I observed a huge submarine pass within 2 miles of the island. I reckon it was a Trident nuclear sub as it was escorted by the American Coast Guard. I can’t imagine the Sea Lions liked that either!
Bertha comes back!
A big sleek elephant seal arrived yesterday and proceeded to block the boat ramp until I shooed her away and was able to launch. At some point she rolled over and I saw the big scar on her belly! Bertha had returned, but was looking sleek and fully recovered from the challenges of giving birth and feeding her newborn 3 months earlier. Neither Squall nor Bertha paid much attention to one another, but I haven’t mastered the nuances of e-seal communication techniques so I may have missed something!
photos 1-3 credit Helene Cyr
A little tickle with the paddle after cajoling and pleading had no effect…
There are plenty of pigeon guillemots around to cheer up my day! I love their bright red/orange feet and the way they splash into the water when they settle down.
Change of Guardian
I am making final preparations to leave Race Rocks today after a 2 month shift. Mike Robinson will be returning to take over responsibilities. It has been a good time with some good storms, great students, and one special little elephant seal.
On Friday late afternoon for the first time I saw Squall in the shallow water near the jetty. She didn’t venture any deeper than 2 ft and was usually only partially submerged.
She spent a lot of time with her head in the 
water and sliding around on the rocks in the small breaking waves. She has been making her way down to the boat ramp area most evenings and back up in the mornings.
I have been working on finishing up two projects: compost container and building a base for a flammables container in the boat house.
There were 4 eco-tour vessels in the reserve on Saturday and 1 on Sunday.
Squall has just positioned herself directly in front of the basement door blocking my exit, I will miss her.
Squall discovers water
The wind picked up to around 50 knots W after midnight last night and has been blowing 30 to 40 knots all day.
On Thursday I got a break in the weather and went off island to get supplies for repairing the siding on the South wall of the Tank Room and for making a compost container. Students are coming for project week tomorrow and will be doing some service projects during their stay.
Over the past week Squall has made her way around the S side of the light tower and back to the W side of the main house. Yesterday, while crossing over the cistern, she came across a puddle and had, what I believe was, her first experience with standing water. She was quite interested in the water and spent a while probing it with her flippers and snout, inhaling it a few time in the process.
Bertha Departs
The last 24 hrs have been pretty active on the elephant seal front. Yesterday morning I woke up to find Squall, the pup, right up against the door of the house, Misery laying about 12 ft away and no sign of Bertha, the mother.
Bertha had been looking increasingly skinny, tired and pale the past days and had likely given the pup all the milk, and Misery all the mating, that she could give. She has been remarkably self-sacrificing and resilient, an impressive job of being a mother. I like to think that she is out there somewhere feasting on fish and getting some well deserved rest.
Now that Bertha is gone though, and can no longer distract Misery, he seems to be getting more aggressive. Yesterday he chased the pup several times and had his jaws around it twice, if he had wanted to do the pup harm he easily could have, but he did not. Apparently, in past years, Misery has tried to mate with a young pup. The pup eventually made his away around the N side of the house and hid under the staircase. Misery again chased it later around the E side of the house where it seems to be out of his reach.
The pup stayed on the East side of the house shown in the photo last night and is still there today. It has been making a lot of noise, presumably calling for its mother.
Change of Guardian
On Saturday afternoon I arrived back on Race Rocks after a month away. I will be here about two months then Mike will be returning.
Last night the elephant seal family moved from the engine room area over to the middle of the island, closer to the main house. The younger male (Chunk) was on Great Race this morning but tried to get close to Bertha and was promptly chased off by Misery. After having witnessed Misery’s brutal attempt at being a father last year (that resulted in a disemboweled and eventually dead pup), it is nice to see him being less aggressive this year and to see the pup looking so plump and healthy.
Yesterday there were 3 boats in the reserve: 1 dive boat, 1 eco tour and 1 pleasure craft. Today there has been 1 eco tour vessel in the reserve.
Wind NE 30 knots, sunny.
My Last Morning…
for two months. Alex returns to the reserve while I fly south to Mexico.
It was an amazing 6 weeks, mostly due to the Elephant Seals. To be able to spend so much time in their close proximity was an opportunity I may never have again (til next January!) Here a few more pictures taken on my tiny point and shoot. We’ll be getting a good camera and telephoto lens soon…
Bertha’s dexterous tail flexing while Squall drains her milk. He is quite persistent.
Fat and Happy
Zeke the sub-adult male…
Big Boss
Lil’ Fatso
The baby elephant seal is growing at an astounding rate. He has become a fat little sausage of a seal with lots of energy, awareness, and determination. Dad has steamrolled him a few times but he is pretty adept at wiggling out of the way and I have witnessed him take a few snaps at the “Lawn-master”, who has proceeded to back off. Spunky little dude! Mom is going into heat and Mystery getting a bit more aggressive now. I guess I am the closest thing to a rival here. I’ll post some impressive shots of him very soon!
Winter’s Chilly Lash
Strong Northeasterly winds have buffeted the island for the last 4 days bringing snow, hail and breaking waves over the jetty. The Steller Sea Lions returned to their perch on the South Rocks last night, perhaps now that the worst of the cold has passed. The Phocids (the family name for seals; in our case Harbour and Elephant) seem pretty much immune to the cold. Phocids are able to divert blood flow to their blubber layer to help control their temperatures.
photos 1,3,4: Helene Cyr
Squall the newborn elephant seal seems to be doing well. His fur is thick, I suppose to make up for his lack of blubber. I refer to it as a male but since true seals have retractable nipples, internal testicles and an internal penis sheath for streamlining it is difficult to determine gender. He sure is cute though…
Two adult males engaging in vocalization threat displays….. Big Nose wins!