May 8th Census
I postponed my census from yesterday until today due to weather. I think yesterday’s wind must have blown away all the animals, not a single sea lion out front!
Today was much nicer for counting and way more animals, although this may be the longest I’ve gone without seeing a whale here. Not a single one yet and its been a week!
Mammals:
- Elephant seals: 3 females
- Harbour seals: 32
- Steller sea lions: 37
- California sea lions: 21
Birds:
- Gulls: 114
- Cormorants: 19
- Pigeon guillemots: 153
- Oyster catchers: 8
- Canadian geese: 6
- Bald eagles: 3
- Raven: 1
- Harlequin ducks: 6
Gulls are starting to build their nests!
I will note that 2 brown pelicans have been hanging around the last few days, and Ollie the sea otter as well but I did not see any of them today.
Vessels:
- Ecotourism: 5
- Private: 4
Tuesday Update
Nothing too wild to report today!
4 student groups from Pearson came over today which is always fun, and it was the perfect day for it! Sunny and no wind.
Everything animal wise is status quo, the elephant seals seem to take turns at the boat launch dipping in the water. There are 2 pelicans that have been here the last few days and I will never not get excited when I see them!
Sadly (but planned) my dad headed back to the mainland today so its just me and the animals out here now! It was so nice having him out here.
Today’s facility work:
- Topped up generator with diesel
- Cleaned solar panels
- Checked and topped up batteries
- Weed whacked the pathways
- Started gardening between the bricks of the old wheels
Tomorrow is supposed to be windy and rainy so preparing for an inside day.
Sunny Sunday
What a day! Finally no wind, so much sun, and the glassiest water you’ve ever seen. If there were any whales out there we for sure would’ve seen them but unfortunately there were none to be found!
Speaking of unfortunate, I did spot an entangled Steller who happens to be the same one spotted here in August. Hopefully we can arrange a rescue soon!
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- Today, May 5, 2025
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- Aug 12, 2024 (Taken by Christine)
Ollie is still snuggled into the kelp patch, and the harbour seals are suspicious as usual.
Lots of fishing boats out and about but only a couple came through the reserve and were very respectful of the animals hauled out.
I cleaned the windows and solar panels, and started on some gardening with lots more to come!
Back on the Rock!
Hello again!
I arrived back at Race Rocks and couldn’t be happier! I brought my dad again for the first few days and its been lovely so far.
There are 3 female elephant seals, one of which is tagged L334, I reported her last year and found out she came from California. Last May they told me she was 1 year old so now she is 2! The other female is the same size as her and there is also one adult.
Ollie the sea otter has been spending his days in the kelp behind the student house, and I’m always happy to see him.
We’ve also had a brown pelican hanging out near the jetty which is always exciting! Poor guy spent the day being harassed by gulls though.
It’s been pretty windy since we arrived and I’m already looking forward to a break from it on Monday when it slows down. I still got some work done, split wood, topped up the battery electrolytes and got myself situated. 6 ecotourism vessels in the reserve today despite the strong wind. No whales though!
Animal Census
- Bald eagle adult 3
- Bald eagle juvenile 2
- Black Turnstones 18
- Gulls 122
- Cormorants 50
- Pigeon Guillemots 87
- Oyster catcher 12
- Canadian goose 7
- Harlequin Ducks 8
- Pacific Wren(?) 2 comes flying out of the shrubbery too
fast to get a picture
Mammals
- Sea Otter 1
- Steller sea lion 22
- Harbour seal 43
- California sea lion 24
- Elephant seal female 2 juveniles, Adult female has also been around the last couple days again, but not coming up to the top area at all
Quick updates
Ecological Notes:
- 2 juvenile female Elephant Seals, hauled out in the main grass area, but visiting the water once or twice a day.
- Noted a California Sea Lion with damage to one of his pectoral fins …. bone and tendons appear to be ok. Looks like a patch of about 6X12 inches of skin removed.
- The Northern Fur Seal was reported to me as being on his second favorite rock out here, near the NW end of the reserve
- Sea Otter (reported as being Ollie) in the kelp to the west
- Lots of Pigeon Guillemots spreading around the main area, pairing off with courting behaviour
Visitors:
- 1 – Richard from the shore front team delivered Diesel and groceries
Facility Work:
- Replace another faulty light switch in the main house
- Transferred fuel to drums and moved most to the generator building, and added some to the furnace tank in the main house. I find it safer and easier to transfer in drums when by myself.
- Split and transferred more firewood
- Oil filter, oil, and fuel filter changed on Generator.
- Batteries electrolyte levels topped up
- Noticed drop in daily battery percentage over the last 2 weeks, found specific gravity readings were very low, trying an equalization charge
- Main house window cleaning
- Collected up fencing blocks left spread around after the last modifications to the fencing system
DND events:
- More radio simulations of boater conflict ….. again, no mention before or during, causing some discussion among other boaters
Noted Vessel Traffic:
- A solo kayaker, travel through and around the reserve on Tuesday.
- More Eco-Tourism vessels
- Several people fishing just outside the reserve, pulling lines and visiting the main area without fishing
Weather Events:
Mostly typical spring weather, changing direction, but lots of clear sky days with slight haze. Only a couple days of higher winds
- Monday, April 21:
- Sky: Slight haze, but mostly sunny all day
- Wind:mostly W mixed 5-20kts
- Sea: rippled to slight chop
- Temperature Low 8oC, High 12oC
- Tuesday, April 22:
- Sky: Very slight haze, but mostly sunny all day
- Wind:ESE 2-12kts changing to W 15 kts by evening
- Sea: flat calm
- Temperature Low 9oC, High 13oC
- Wednesday, April 23:
- Sky: Very slight haze, but mostly sunny all day
- Wind: low ESE winds, shifting to SE 10kts mid day
- Sea: calm all day
- Temperature Low 7oC, High 13oC
- Sky: Very slight haze, but mostly sunny all day
** Any 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:
Animal Census
- Bald eagle adult 5
- Bald eagle juvenile 4
- Black Turnstones 23
- Gulls 98
- Cormorants 77
- Pigeon Guillemots 64
- Oyster catcher 14
- Canadian goose 7
- Harlequin Ducks 17
- Pacific Wren(?) 4 comes flying out of the shrubbery too
fast to get a picture
Mammals
- Sea Otter 1
- Steller sea lion 28
- Harbour seal 57
- California sea lion 33
- Elephant seal female 2 juveniles (adult female has not been seen in a while)
Animal Census
- Bald eagle adult 2
- Bald eagle juvenile 3
- Black Turnstones 18
- Gulls 83
- Cormorants 56
- Pigeon Guillemots 22
- Oyster catcher 8
- Canadian goose 7
Mammals
- Norther Fur Seal 1
- Steller sea lion 18
- Harbour seal 42
- California sea lion 20
- Elephant seal female 2 juveniles (adult female has not been seen in a while)
Elephant Seals and Northern Fur Seal
Ecological Notes:
- 2 Juvenile female Elephant Seals coming and going daily, Haven’t see the full adult female in a few days…… Last couple days she was here, she spent a lot of time bellowing from a high point on the rock, maybe she heard other animals in the distance(?)
- The Northern Fur Seal was hauled out on the most north west rock in the reserve (reported to me by an Eco-Tourism vessel)… but is now on the rocks next to the crane shed (just east of the jetty)
- Sunday, the Fur Seal spent most of the afternoon rolling and grooming in the water off the end of the jetty
- Many of the Sea lions spent the afternoon rafting and thermo-regulating in the water
- It seems each day I find new blooms
Visitors:
- 2 technicians from Environment Canada came twice, to service all relevant equipment and attempt to get the display unit in the Eco-Guardian residence up and running – returned a couple days later to reset the system
Facility Work:
- reset the wind indicator/ reporting system up in the tower via phone instructions from EC
- replaced the rest of the fencing on the jetty
- Moved drums to prepare for diesel delivery
- Weekly battery maintenance, including electrolyte top ups
DND events:
- Several radio broadcasts simulating emergency situations….. the first couple were a little concerning, as they didn’t announce the simulations before hand!
Noted Vessel Traffic:
- Several Eco-tourism vessels
- A submarine travelled south of the reserve on the surface, un-escorted though.
- Kayak group, I monitored while they were in and out of the various currents. The group leaders were very good, and responded well when ever anyone got caught in a bad current.
Noted Infractions:
- None. I’ve let vessels know the Sea lions around the jetty area seem to be extra touchy, and vessels all responded appropriately. There are lots of really small ones and females in the groupings.
Weather Events:
- Wednesday, April 09:
- Sky: High overcast with sunny periods
- Wind: Variable calm – 5 kts
- Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
- Temperature Low 9oC, High 11oC
- Thursday, April 10:
- Sky: Low overcast, shifting to low fog to the south and west mid afternoon, scattered rain showers, followed by sunny breaks
- Wind:E 5-10kts shifting to W 15-25kts mid day
- Sea: morning chop 1ft, flattening as the wind shifted to W, then rising to 3-4 ft swells and chop on top
- Temperature Low 9oC, High 12oC
- Friday April 11:
- Sky: Although cloudy on both shorelines, the area above Race Rocks and the strait was mostly clear and sunny all day
- Wind: W 20-25 kts
- Sea: 2-3 ft chop and swell
- Temperature Low 9oC, High 9.5oC
- Saturday April 12:
- Sky: Heavy clouds to the north and south, but mostly clear and sunny overhead
- Wind: W 20-35kts
- Sea: light chop turning to high waves by evening
- Temperature Low 7.5oC, High 10oC
- Sunday April 13:
- Sky: light haze, but overall sunny
- Wind: W 5kts shifting to E by mid morning
- Sea: flat calm plus current
- Temperature Low 7oC, High 11oC
** Any 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:
More signs of spring and a surprise visit!
Ecological Notes:
- 3 female Elephant Seals, 1 adult and 2 juveniles, still coming and going, no full haul out
- A surprise visit from a Northern Fur Seal!
- In addition to the more regular Black Turnstones, noted some Ruddy Turnstones today
- The Pigeon Guillemots are showing up in larger numbers, with many frequenting the rock pile where they like to nest
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- the nesting rocks
- Not that long ago, we would say ” this is an all male haul out area” ….. sources tell me this is in fact, Male, females, and yearling pups(haven’t seen nursing yet today, although I’ve photographed a few here doing that too)
- The Black Oyster Catchers are mostly paired up as well
- It appears that 2 of the 3 pairs of Canada Geese have given up on egg laying for the season (the gulls have been raiding the nests), but the one pair by the crane shed still has 2 eggs they are taking care of.
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- These 2 still stand guard over their empty nest
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- by the crane shed
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- This solo one has been by the student house all season
Facility Work:
- swapped out an electrical switch to restore light to the room I prefer to sleep in
- Checked and topped up the battery electrolyte levels
- Moved and stacked some of the split firewood
- Done before I got here, but a straight forward “why didn’t I think of that” solution to the storm rattled doors on the water tank shed
Noted Vessel Traffic:
- Some Eco-Tourism vessels visiting the reserve.
- 1 private vessel noted
Noted Infractions:
- Private vessel approached the haul out area by the crane a bit too close and straight on, startling all the animals off into the water, including the rare (to this area) Northern Fur Seal
Weather Events:
- Sunday April 06:
- Sky:Overcast, low clouds on the Olympic Peninsula, rain showers started in the morning, more squalls as the wind rose later in the day
- Wind: N 5-10 kts, shifting and rising to W 25 kts by early evening
- Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
- Temperature Low 8oC, High 13oC
- Sky:Overcast, low clouds on the Olympic Peninsula, rain showers started in the morning, more squalls as the wind rose later in the day
- Monday April 07:
- Sky: Overcast with sunny breaks, low cloud over the Olympic Peninsula, light rain in the afternoon
- Wind:mostly N 5-10 kts, switching to west and rising to 25 kts in the afternoon before dropping back down during the evening
- Sea: light chop
- Temperature Low 9oC, High 10oC
- Tuesday April 08:
- Sky: Overcast with sunny breaks, heavy cloud to the south, occasional showers
- Wind: N 5-15kts, rising to 25kts, gusting to 25kts, from the West late afternoon
- Sea: 2 ft swells from the north during the day, switching to 2-3 ft chop late afternoon
- Temperature Low 9oC, High 11oC