This week the highlight was definitely the lightning storm! This is the only time we’ve seen lightning on Race Rocks, and it was very cool to see it. Over there. Not hitting the lighthouse.

We still have a resident female Elephant Seal! She goes to sea most nights and returns in the morning. We like the idea of her munchin’ on animals all night long, and that would align with the crazy amount of pooping she’s been doing. Typically Elephant Seals have very few excretions while on land, but this lady has been painting the town orange.

Very few Whale Watching boats this week, and the California Sea Lions decided to spend the week elsewhere, maybe munching on all those spawning herring up island?

Mammals:

• Stellar Sea lions: 27
• California Sea lion: 10
• Harbour Seal: 16
• Northern Elephant Seal: 1

Birds

• Gulls: 64
• Cormorants: 157
• Eagle: 4 Adult, 4 Juvenile
• Turnstones: 55
• Canada Geese: 7 – 3 breeding pairs
• Oystercatcher: 16