Monthly Archives: February 2017

Census day

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Weather

Calm day with a west wind 5 knots,overcast,cold:2.1 degrees Celsius. The wind picked up in the evening and reached 40 knots around midnight.

Ecological 

We put back to the sea the dead pup. Guy used the crane . One student help,ready to cut the line ( It was not necessary)and the others watchedDSC_0310DSC_0287DSC_0290DSC_0294DSC_0307It is amazing to see how big in only one month this elephant seal pup became!

Census

The census was done with the students

Gulls:134

Harbour seals:37

Steller’s Sea lions : 21

Californian Sea lions:92

Cormorants: 64

geese:5

Elephant seals:3 – 1 adult male , 1 pup , another one on Middle island but which one ?

Oystercatchers :6

Harlequin Ducks :24

Black Turnstones:10

Pigeons -Guillemot:0

Eagles :4

Maintenance

200 liters of oil transferred in the eco guardians house

Vessels

2 Canadian navy boats no 706 and 710 making their way slowly towards Esquimalt at 6:00PM

Other

Guy made a tour with some students and explain all the process for the stockage of energy and desalination of the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beecher Bay Chief’s visit and Students on the rocks for Spring break

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Weather

North East light wind,10 knots at 8:00 AM.calm and overcast. In the afternoon we got some flurries and a some light snow…and fog came from vancouver Island but became dispersed quickly …just enough to have the fog horn on.

Visitors 

Kyle brought the chief of our local First Nation People. He had a meeting with some College Directors and earlier in the morning 5 Students with a volunteer came to stay on the rock for a week: So now 8 countries ( We have 2 nationalities)  are represented in our little world :Canada,China,Finland,France,Israel,Italy,Germany,Japan.

 

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The pup died

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Weather

At 8:00 28 knots from North East. White crest and choppy. Visibility 10 miles.  Temperature :3.8 d. Celsius.It has been windy to the end of the afternoon :35 knots at noon.

Ecological

The pup was still alive around 9AM . He had managed to move just a little bit but later when we came to have a look he was already dead and the birds were already on it.Short life ,actually 1month and 10 days.(This is pretty common and  the mortality is very high with the newborn Northern Elephant seals.) The second one was still sleeping closed to the tower and Chunk was gone. Just the the two pacific other males were there. The geese had been very noisy those last days and it looked like they were preparing for mating. Flowers are everywhere…Spring.

Vessels and plane

We saw 3 watching boats and this was surprising if you consider the wind and sea around Race Rocks yesterday. A plane was above going towards Sooke.Many sail boat around Victoria and we could observe for a long time Amatuana leaving for Spring break.

adventurous pups

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Weather

In the morning we had a light south wind an overcast sky and a good visibility but the wind get stronger in the afternoon and changed its direction to South West with a gust around 28 knots. The air temperature was 4.3 degrees Celsius so cold and grey day with some rain

Ecological

Our main concern is still the pups . They became again adventurous and changed locations: the one under our kitchen window decided to go closed to the tower followed by the young male . He just smelled the baby it was it . The injured one decided to moved towards the rocks and he went pretty far and it looks like  now he is stuck …So…We will see Tomorrow . Maybe he was attracted by the water and the high enough tide will be only Tomorrow afternoon …the question is to know if he will be strong enough to move his body and get out… Chunk didn’t come back

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Maintenance 

We finished preparing the students house. they will come for a week on Sunday or Monday depending the weather. actually we cleaned and washed the basement floor and carpets . So it is ready

Vessels 

3 watching boats

 

Surviving pups

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Weather

East wind 4knots at 8:00 ,calm and overcast sky,visibility over 13 miles. During the day the wind blew  from North and we had a pretty sunny day but chilly.

Ecological

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So far so good  even if the injured one is not so fine! Each pup found a spot and Chunk was gone on Friday morning and the young male too. Just Boss was there sleeping as usual closed to the student house.

Vessels

We saw a big Coast Guards vessel in the passage between Race Rocks and Vancouver Island and an helicopter was following the border line flying low and slowly. Another Coast guard boat (grey and yellow one )was in the waters that same day. 2 or 3 watching boats.

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Maintenance 

2 barrels of 200 litres each transferred  in the yellow tank.

Environment Canada for the weather station on the rock

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Maintenance

A team from  Environment Canada in Richmond  came to repair the weather Station which has not been working well since this Summer. They spent at least 3 hours and fixed the system.DSC_0772DSC_0785

Kyle with Second Nature came and bring 600 hundred litters of oil and we filled up 3 barrels of 200 each,3 more are coming soon. Guy and Kyle changed the pressured water pump in the student house.DSC_0788DSC_0794DSC_0796

Ecological

Each elephant Seal has been in his own spot even the new young male and we appreciated some quiet time! The injured pup was still moving but stayed around the crane, behind it. It is painful to see him in a so bad condition…We see what will happen in the coming days.

Chunk attacked a pup

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Weather

Beautiful day calm,13 knots at 8:00, Overcast to sunny,Visibility at 8:00 13 miles and air temperature :6 degrees.

Ecological

It has been pretty dramatic when in the morning Chunk decided to attacked one of the puppy,the biggest one .For the first time this one was active and moving and shouting on the lawn down the main house. So pictures speak better than words . Here they are:DSC_0574Chunk was trying to suffocate  the pup putting his weight on himDSC_0575DSC_0586after he bit him and had the whole head in his mouthDSC_0585DSC_0603The other adult male arrived and made chunk go DSC_0613DSC_0620DSC_0633DSC_0647half an hour later Boss went to see the pup  but this one was afraid so he left him alone. After for the rest of the day Chunk went closed to the student house,Boss stayed closed to the main house looking towards where chunk was  and the pup was closed to the crank. He can move so nothing looked broken but the injury is pretty deep.  For a lighter note look at the other pup . He found a spot where the big ones cannot go closed to the compost in the grassDSC_0246

I could take all those pictures because when all this happened I was already outside and I had my camera with me.

A sea lion on the grass

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Weather

At 8:00 light North West wind,Overcast sky,13 miles of visibility.The wind became full West later and raised steadily to 30 knots in the afternoon and evening.

Ecological

Chunk was back but Boss gone …The pups were moving more . (The other young male elephant seal is always around and can often be seen in the water) . Many birds now and are getting busier and noisier:pigeons guillemots ,crows,oystercatchers by pairs now,geese ,Harlequins ducks,Eagles in the morning,some shorebirds…a lot of life! In the afternoon we were surprised to see in middle of the lawn under our windows a young californian Sea lion : a branded one (940C) He had something hanging from his neck maybe a small hook and a line. We never saw a lonely Sea lion before  far from the rocks and alone? strange he looked tired?DSC_0317DSC_0624DSC_0645

Boats

it is pretty calm on the waters …we saw a few fishing boats .It is the beginning of the halibut fishing season

Visitors

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Weather

On Monday no wind at all 4knots only at 13:00 North East wind,overcast the whole day

Ecological

Chunk gone

Visitors

Kyle came for the preparation of the students stay next week. He was with 3 volunteers from the college. One of them was Leonie from Germany who has been working at the college for a while . She will be the adult residing with the students next week .

Census

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Elephant seals: 4 (+1 male adult Chunk still on Main the day before)

Harbour seals:55

Californian Sea Lions:90 (2 branded ones : n0:603R and *39H)

Steller Sea lions:35

Cormorants:170

Pigeons -Guillemots:60

Oystercatchers :10

Geese:10

Harlequin Ducks:10

Gulls :630

Black turner stones:15