A Victoria volunteer channeled his inner David Attenborough when he filmed an elephant seal birth on a little island off East Sooke.

Derek Sterling volunteers with Ecoguardian, a wildlife management program run by Pearson College UWC that looks after the Race Rocks Marine Ecological Reserve.

The island is home to Sterling, a Canadian Coast Guard lighthouse and a wide array of wildlife. On Jan. 13, Sterling was able to capture the moment the population grew by one, recording the birth of an elephant seal pup on the island. Race Rocks is the most northerly birthing colony on the Pacific Coast of North America for the Northern elephant seal, according to a statement from Pearson College UWC.

B次元官网网址淚t was really awesome. Sometimes you get so involved in the photography that you miss out. So, for example, the first time I did it was still photography, and then I didnB次元官网网址檛 appreciate it until I looked at the photos. For the second part, I got set up all properly and took the video so I was able to just stand there and enjoy it.B次元官网网址�

Safe from inside his house and using a long camera lens, he was able to take in the incredible sight.

During SterlingB次元官网网址檚 stint on Race Rocks, he is tasked with keeping everything running on the Island, as well as some data recording, particularly for a long project looking at saltwater salinity and temperature monitoring.

B次元官网网址淪o first thing is this morning, I was down gently moving sea lions off the pier because it becomes dangerous for them if theyB次元官网网址檙e there on low tide,B次元官网网址� Sterling said.

B次元官网网址淭hen I was capturing logs for firewood. I capture them at high tide, wait for the tide to go out and buff them up. And then IB次元官网网址檝e already checked my batteries and my solar power system B次元官网网址� all before my first cup of tea.B次元官网网址�

Having spent decades working as an ecotourism guide around the island, Sterling has long been interested in the volunteer position, but first got involved a couple of years ago. HeB次元官网网址檚 done two stints on Race Rocks.

This current stint is set to last six months B次元官网网址� usually, they last two to three, but Sterling jumped at the chance to stay longer and catch the breeding season.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 kind of enjoying the solitary life. Realizing, of course, that with phone and the internet, youB次元官网网址檙e not as disconnected as that romantic image of the lonely guy at the lighthouse.B次元官网网址�

The small group of islands that make up Race Rocks is sometimes called the B次元官网网址淕alapagos of the North,B次元官网网址� according to Pearson College, due to its high tidal current area that attracts a wide variety of wildlife and plants. It is at various times home to California and Northern sea lions and is also a birthing site for harbour seals.

The area was designated an ecological reserve by B.C. Parks in 1980, restricting public access. Since 1997, Pearson College UWC took over management of the automated lighthouse on the main island, which was first settled around 1860.

Sterling said anybody keen to see the elephant seals can watch them via the islandB次元官网网址檚 webcam, and warned against anyone trying to see them through a boat.

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