Category Archives: Island Visitors

Winter setting in ….

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Ecoguardian Notes:

  • (lack of photos due to no reliable  internet, and running this through a phone hotspot) Will try to add photos later!

Ecological Notes:

  • noted 2 Sea lions with raw injuries, trying to monitor them as they heal

Visitors:

  • 4
  • Greg, Marine and Seafront Operations Coordinator, and Cedric – grocery and fuel delivery, and help with some maintenance
  • 2 Techs form Environment Canada, to work on the weather electronics on the tower….. some success, but found more work than they anticipated

Facility Work:

  • Diesel delivery – 570L
  • We had wind speed (but no direction) on the monitor in the house, but now have wind direction, (but no speed!)

DND events:

  • A few blasts, scheduled to continue until Nov 13. Humpback Whales south, and west of reserve, none noted to the north.

Weather Events:

  • Yesterday (Tuesday November 08)
    • Sky: Mostly clear with some clouds moving past
    • Wind: NE 15-20 kts
    • Sea: Waves to 1 metre
    • Temperature Low 2oC, High 4oC
  • Today (Wednesday November 09):
    • Sky:Mostly high overcast, mixed cloud and clear overnight
    • Wind: N/NE 10-15 kts
    • Sea: 1/2 meter chop
    • Temperature Low  4oC, High  8oC

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

In Memoriam : Pam Birley

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For many years we had the privilege of having many contributions to the Race Rocks website by Pam Birley of Leicestershire, England. Pam was a regular observer on our remote-controlled cameras, and she made the most observations of any outside viewer on the website. For 10 years, from 2004 to 2013, she produced a monthly set of images, which we consider to be  a most valuable baseline record of the animal life at the ecological reserve during those years,  https://racerocks.ca/pam-birleys-images-of-race-rocks-2004-2013/

Clicking on   https://racerocks.ca/?s=Pam+Birley&submit=Search illustrates how prolific Pam was in reporting on unique as well as regular events at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.  In 2005 and 2008  we were able to accompany Pam and her husband Dennis on trips to Race Rocks. She loved keeping track of activities of the sea birds and marine mammals and several times she was the first to report the birth of an elephant seal pup early in the year. We also mused that if a shingle was loose on a roof of one of the buildings, Pam would be the first to let us know. 

We are so sad to hear recently of her passing and we will miss her contributions greatly 

August 14 and 15

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It was a short but great stay for Carl and Brady Hughes. They managed to see all of the expected mammals and got to know the Glaucous-winged Gull community quite well during their visit. Carl spotted the season’s first Sooty Shearwater on Saturday and attempted overnight audio recording that night. He will post his recordings to iNaturalist and eBird. The compost rejuvenation project continues with 48 more buckets of aged compost removed from the first chamber.

Ecological Notes:

  • All three elephant seals were seen on August 14 and 15.
  • Passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird, Barn Swallow and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. A Northern Harrier flew north over Great Race on Saturday.
  • A juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher was wandering the paths in the fog on August 15.
  • The branded Steller’s sea lion sighted on August 12 has a history! Originally branded at Rogue Reef, Oregon in July 2003, he has been sighted at least 70 times. Previous sightings on Race Rocks include Dec 2007, May 2008, Sept 2009, Aug 2014, and Aug 2017. The most spectacular resighting, though, involved an escape from a pod of Orca in the San Juan Islands in 2020.
  • Humpbacks and Orca are being seen regularly, but generally at great distance.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Sunday, August 14):
    • Sky: Sunny with light cloud. Scattered fog patches
    • Wind: W 8-23 kts
    • Sea: up to 1′ chop
    • Temperature Low 12 oC, High 16 oC
  • Today (Monday, August 15):
    • Sky: Fog most of the morning, clearing to partially cloudy in the afternoon
    • Wind: W/WSW 11-37 kts
    • Sea: calm to 3′ chop
    • Temperature Low 11 oC, High 17 oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
  • Battery electrolyte level topped up.
  • Compost renewal project continues.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ship traffic is increasing.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Second Nature taking visitors back to Pearson College.

Bonaparte’s Gull

Early morning fogbow

Almost empty!

Progress on the compost project

Young Pigeon Guillemot with adult

Elephant seal in the East Bay

 

Traffic jam on the ramp

California Gulls

Young Glaucous-winged gulls almost ready to fly

Young Glaucous-winged gulls almost ready to fly

Male elephant seal

Sleeping Harlequin Duck

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Male elephant seal

Cruise ship traffic

Juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher

Juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher showing diagnostic markings in tertials

Brown-headed Cowbird

August 12 and 13

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Two new visitors, Carl and Brady Hughes came to Race Rocks on Friday. They will be put into service helping clean solar panels, windows and decks. Carl will also assist with bird reports and attempt to record night-flying migrants passing over the island.

Ecological Notes:

  • Increasing numbers of California Gulls around the island. This smaller gull doesn’t tend to intermingle with the nesting Glaucous-winged Gulls very much.
  • Passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird and Barn Swallow.  Readers are reminded that Race Rocks is an eBird hotspot and more detailed updates on bird sightings can be found at Race Rocks, Capital District, BC, CA – eBird Hotspot
  • Two Ruddy Turnstones continue to be seen.
  • Sea lion numbers continue to climb. A branded Steller’s sea lion (183R) was seen on the north rocks near the jetty.  Information is being sought and updates will be provided.
  • Whale action picked up on Saturday, Aug 13 with multiple sightings of humpbacks and Orca.
  • Low tides continue to expose the intertidal areas in the early morning.
  • Only one young elephant seal was seen on Aug 12 and none on Aug 13. The alpha male continues on the island, often resting near the researcher residence.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Friday, August 12):
    • Sky: Overcast, with a few sunny periods
    • Wind: W 13-33 kts
    • Sea: up to 3′ chop
    • Temperature Low 11 oC, High 19 oC
  • Today (Saturday, August 13):
    • Sky: Cloudy most of the day
    • Wind: Variable calm-24 kts
    • Sea: calm to light chop
    • Temperature Low 13 oC, High 17 oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed. Two loads of water pumped from the Second Nature to the holding tank. Desalinator pump expected in the next week. Deck at the ecoguardian house partially scrubbed.
  • Compost renewal project continues.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ship traffic is increasing.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Second winter Heermann’s Gull

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron with California Gulls

Very large mussels (with boot for comparison)

Velvety Red Sponge

Purple sea urchins, leatherback chiton, lined chiton, see anemone exposed at low tide

killdeer

Elephant seal on the move

California sea lions

 

Gulls can have vicious disputes even in the water

Young gull swimming in East Bay

Surfbird

Black Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone

Branded Steller’s Sea Lion 183R

August 8 and 9

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We said good-bye (for now) to Jeremias and Abi on Monday. It was great having them on the island, helping with the chores and sharing their interest in this amazing place. I am here for another couple of weeks or so, and so have undertaken a new project to rejuvenate the large compost bins near the ecoguardian’s residence. The weather has shifted from the calm and beautiful days on the weekend to more typical wind and fog of “Fogust”.

Ecological Notes:

The elephant seals continue, much to the delight of the ecotourism boat operators who always check out the ramp for them.

Steller and California sea lion numbers are still on the rise. I’m looking forward to a good count on this week’s census.

Black Turnstones dominate the east bay, with high numbers still continuing. About 200 are on the island in the late afternoon.

Many of the young Glaucous-winged Gulls are stretching their wings, jumping into the wind in preparation for their first flights.

Harbour porpoises, including one with a youngster, were seen on August 8. No whale sightings in this report, but only one day of visibility was a factor.

Weather:

Yesterday (Monday, Aug 8)

  • Sky: Clear and sunny all day
  • Wind: Variable 4 to 29 kts
  • Sea conditions: rippled to light chop
  • Temperature: Low 13 oC, High 22 oC

Today (Tuesday, Aug 9)

  • Sky: Heavy fog in the morning and late afternoon. Partially cloudy for a few hours mid-day.
  • Wind: W 11 to 26 kts
  • Sea conditions: unknown to 3′ seas late afternoon
  • Temperature: Low 12 oC, High 16 oC

Visitors:

Volunteers Abi and Jeremias departed Monday morning.

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned; electric fence checked and in good condition. Battery bank checked and topped up with distilled water on Monday. Generator was run during fog on Tuesday morning to top up battery levels. Compost rejuvenation project got underway.

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. More alumni from Pearson College toured the area on Tuesday. Cruise ship traffic is picking up.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Farewell to Jeremias and Abi. Safe journeys ahead!

View from the solar panel array at sunrise

Young Glaucous-winged Gull testing its wings

California Sea Lions and their most popular poses

A (very) little bit of sunshine

 

Glaucous-winged Gull pair doing courtship/bonding display.

A beachload of Black Turnstones (and a few Surfbirds)

Alumni tour from Pearson College

Young elephant seals on the move

Compost project supervisor

Large root masses at the top of the old compost

The first buckets of aged compost into the hole

August 4 and 5

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Thanks to everyone on the island and the transport team for a wonderful welcome back. It’s been a year, and my brain is spinning with things I think I should remember and new things to learn. I will be posting many bird sightings to the Race Rocks hotspot (Race Rocks, Capital District, BC, CA – eBird Hotspot) on eBird during my stay here. I really like Nick’s succinct summaries and will be following his format for the most part.  I will also be updating a personal blog with many more words and photos here: http://nightingaleadventures.blogspot.com/

Ecological Notes:

The large elephant seal remained onshore on Aug 4, but headed to the ramp and nearby waters much to the joy of whale watching boats on Aug 5. There is at least one young elephant seal still in the area as well, and it made its way almost to the lighthouse on Aug 5.

Steller and California sea lion numbers are growing with several groups of Californias now being seen around the island.  Next week’s census should be considerably different than last week’s.

Brown Pelicans continue to be seen with a group of 10 heading west in late afternoon Aug 5.

California Gulls are clustering on the south part of the island.  I’m expecting these numbers to increase over the next weeks.

Three Heermann’s Gulls were with California Gulls on Aug 4.

A flock of about 15 Barn Swallows headed south over the west side of the island mid-morning on Aug 5.

One humpback whale was seen in the company of whale watching vessels south of the island on the morning of Aug 5.

Weather:

Yesterday (Aug 4)

  • Sky: Overcast in the morning, clearing in the afternoon
  • Wind: W 16-25 kts
  • Temperature: Low 13 oC, High 16 oC

Today (Aug 5)

  • Sky: Clear, except for fog that rolled in for about two hours in the morning
  • Wind: Variable from ESE 3 to W 21 kts
  • Temperature: Low 11 oC, High 20 oC

Visitors:

Volunteers Abi and Jeremias continue.  Garry Fletcher arrived with Greg and Ann for the Ecoguardian changeover on Aug 4.

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned; electric fence checked and repaired as required.

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Changing of the eco-guard. Nick leaving, Ann arriving.

Glaucous-winged Gulls are ferocious protectors of their young.

California Gulls amassing at the southwest corner of Great Race

Sharing a meal- Glaucous-winged Gulls

During breeding season, the mouth lining and feet of the Pigeon Guillemot become bright red.

Pigeon Guillemots in flight.

Not birds–flies! The quantity of organic matter on the island attracts a lot of them.

Surfbirds

Black Oystercatcher family

One of 15 migrating Barn Swallows over Race Rocks on Aug 5.

Do you really want to fight a sea lion for a meal?

Improved Solar Power

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Ecological Notes:

  • 5  Elephant Seals
    • The Beachmaster (Bernard) has left the island, most likely for one more big feed before molting
    • 2 Adult females, both starting their molt

    • 2 new (to me) animals here, either very large pups, or small yearlings …. waiting to see if they do a normal molt.
    • The only remaining pup that was born here has completed it’s first baby fur molt, and has been tentatively exploring the area by the pier, when encouraged by another new pup I don’t recognize

Tentative first tries

Meeting a new buddy

Moved into the water while he had support

 

  • 3 known Canada geese nests now, one was right by the door to the house. The gulls robbed all the eggs though, so I dismantled that nest so that they would build somewhere else.
  • Gulls and Black Oyster Catchers are pretty much all paired up now, although I have not seen any nests yet as it’s still a bit early in the season

Visitors:

  • 4 contractors stayed for 2 days to work on the solar power system
  • 3 guests of the Ecoguardian  over 2 different time slots
  • College instructors and their guests came for a brief visit and overview of the reserve

Facility Work:

  • Replacement of damaged solar panels
    • added a new array or 4 panels
    • redid most of the wiring involved

There was an immediate improvement  to the system, resulting in a reduction of generator fuel use by about 1/3. This will only improve as the days get longer and brighter.

  • Visiting guests aided the ecoguardian in some tasks better accomplished by have some else there for safety and/or lifting. (including log and firewood prep and other  wastewood and equipment moving and stacking.) they also helped with pressure washing.

Safer to cut down on the rocky shore with someone here with me

DND events:

  • 3 or 4 days of the regular blasting, with safety vessels and Marine Mammal Observers present.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ecotourism vessels are gearing up for the season and visit on a regular basis, often reporting the location of the sea otter and injured or entangled animals to the ecoguardian.
  • 2 jet skis in today … a little loud running against the current, but they kept proper speeds

 Noted Infractions:

  • Only one private fishing vessel in the reserve noted.

 Feature Event:

  • Spring is in full swing. Flowers are blooming, the pineapple weed is growing and of course the birds are all in courting behavior.

Weather Events:

  • very typical mix of spring weather …..wind from all directions on any given day, mix of sun, clouds and rain squalls.

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Race Rocks CAS week 2021, including Wildlife Census

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8 students, 2 elephant seals & over 1200 sea lions for 1 week

The Ecological Reserve hosted instructor Laura Verhegge and 8 IB students from Pearson College for 5 days of learning, exploring, and fun!

Ecoguardian Derek also included some naturalist-level sharing of information about Race Rocks, pinnipeds, bull kelp, and even great views of humpback whales and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orca)!

 And the students did the Wildlife Census

Knowledgeable Visitor

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My solitude has been broken,
Yesterday Garry Fletcher,a former Pearson College teacher and current ecological reserve  warden, came to the island to spend the night.  He was taking advantage of the last weekday low tide for the next 8 days to get some pictures of the intertidal life.  I sure am glad that he did!

Facility Work:
His stay started with an oil change of the diesel generator that is on the island.  This has to be done every 200 hours.

Greg giving me a quick rundown before he has to head back to the college

Cleaning of solar panels (daily)
Cleaning of windows (as needed)
Cleaning interior of secondary residence

The next morning we attacked the reason for his visit first thing in the morning while the tide was still dropping

Here I am paying out the tape  on peg 15 to then take pictures of the intertidal life at low tide.   Garry was collecting this data to compare with baseline photo transects taken many years ago.

Ecological Notes:
Several Orcas were sighted in Race Passage.

Garry also took this video of a sea otter passing us when we were working in the intertidal area.off the North East corner of Great Race Island.

noted Western X Glaucous-winged Gull  hybrid by helicopter pad

 Weather – Current: http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past: http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Environment Canada forecast:

https://weather.gc.ca/marine/region_e.html?mapID=02

Desalinator and Ramp

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Ecological Notes:

  • 1 Male Elephant seal, and 1 young Female Elephant seal on the island
  • Transient Orca passed the entrance to Pedder Bay and Bentinck Island. 4 or 5 humpbacks seen well south of the reserve as well.
  • The young Steller Sealion, joined 4 Adult Steller Sealions and 1 California Sealion out on Middle Rock today. This could be the start of the early returns to the reserve.

“nah ….. you didn’t need to pump right now!”

Visitors:

  • The Waterfront Coordinator brought 2 contractors out today, 1 for completing the service on the Desalinator, and 1 to do some installs on the jetty.

Facility Work:

  • The Desalinator is up and running! We produced 800L of fresh water today as it was given a long run to test all the connections and fittings.

    Desalinator Concentrate Discharge

  • New ramp and ladder were installed on the jetty.

DND events:

  • 2 blasts early in the morning.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 4 Ecotourism vessels sightseeing.

Other Event:

  • CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier vessel tending the V15 Marker.

Weather Events:

  • Westerly winds, 30-35 knots all day. Choppy seas, .5 to 1 meter height. Clear skies with slight haze forming in the evening.

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?