Category Archives: Bird Notes

Sept. 19, 2025 – Animal Census Day

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Luckily for me it was a clear morning for the day of my first animal census. With coffee and binos in hand I headed up to the top of the lighthouse tower and began the count of every seal, sea lion, whale, and bird in sight… needless to say it took me much longer than expected! The sun was quickly heating up the tower and by the time I was finished counting the hundreds of sea lions, beads of sweat were dripping down my brow. Despite the heat, it was plenty worth the effort as I spotted some interesting animals – most notably, a Northern Fur seal! This little fellow was hiding in amongst the Cali’s and Stellers on the East corner of the island, not making many friends as it was crawling overtop the sea lion’s bodies and getting consistently yelled and snapped at.

Animal Census Report:

* Note the animal census was time limited to the morning only. Due to bright sun & shadows, cormorants were not distinguished by species.

Mammals:

  • Steller sea lion: 371
  • California sea lion: 906
  • Harbour seal: 89
  • Northern Fur seal: 1
  • Humpback Whales: 6

Birds:

  • Glaucus-winged Gull: 201
  • California Gull: 1
  • Western Gull: 6
  • Cormorant Spp: 701
  • Black Turnstones: 8
  • Surfbird: 14
  • Savanah’s Sparrow: 1
  • Western Sandpiper: 1

Facility work:

It was a busy day trying to fit in all my tasks on top of the animal census, as I was leaving the island for the weekend. Thankfully Richard was patient with me trying to get packed to go last minute.

  • Electric fence repairs – corner post on jetty snapped and got replaced.
  • Cleaned solar panels
  • Water sampled – just in time!
  • Batteries filled (early as I would be away on Saturday)
  • Animal census
  • Compost and tidying of house

Weather:

  • Sky: Mainly clear and sunny
  • Wind: 5-10kts
  • Sea state: calm
  • Air temp: 23C

I was sad to be leaving for any time at all, given the excitement of the animal census. Thankfully, Bella and the students were incoming to keep an eye on the place in my absence. I’ll be back to it Monday morning!

 

Sept. 18, 2025 – Water refills, Sea lion sillies, and Shorebirds

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A bit of a foggy morning, but nevertheless magical morning on Race Rocks. During my morning perimeter walk I found a few posts of the fence knocked over and the sea lions brazenly taking over the jetty. I need to work on my scare tactics it seems. Greg and Richard arrived again this morning with hopes to fix the water maker. Unfortunately, the desalinator still needs new parts so we pulled out the hoses to fill the storage reservoir from the skiff. The guys went and grabbed another tank full to fill so I’ll have plenty to use while the water maker issues get fixed.

Wildlife Notes

  • 3 actively feeding humpback in Race Passage, sea lions also mobbing around the whales picking up the leftovers
  • Observed the sea lion with flasher in mouth in the same spot again
  • A California sea lion had previous entanglement, with partial rope still embedding in the neck
  • A couple little shorebirds swooped in, and with the help from Merlin I identified them as a Western Sandpiper and a Sanderling

Facility Work

  • Electric fence repairs
  • Cleaned solar panels
  • Took daily water sample
  • Assisted with re-fills of water tank via fire hose with Richard and Greg
  • Swept and mopped basement floor of main house

Weather:

  • Sky: Foggy in the morning, gone around 11am. Sunshine with distant haze from fog to the south and some smoke from prescribed burnings to the NW. Fog came in again heavy and quick at 4:30PM, virtually no visibility until it cleared at 6pm.
  • Wind: W 8-10kts in AM, down to SSW 3-6kts by afternoon
  • Sea state: Calm, small ripples <0.5m swell
  • Air temp: High 12C; Low 10C

Flocks of gulls feeding

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Wildlife

Surface feeding by large flocks of seagulls around great Race island ,on a slack tide.

Entangled SSL on north west section of Great Race island today.

5 sparrows noted.

Weather: flat calm conditions in morning. 5 to 10 knots wind throughout the day.

Facility work: Repairing broken poles along fence line, solar panel cleaning, cleaned windows on student residence and main residence.

Visitors:

Two kayakers west of Great Race Rock and one paddleboarder circumnavigating Great Race, both at slack tide.

Vessels: Busy with tour boats around noon, 4 lined up to go through middle channel. 17 tour boats noted throughout the day.

August 23 Weekly Census

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First things first! Time to check out the solar panels, while at the same time, keeping track of what animals and birds are being seen. Census is usually conducted on Friday, but since I didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon, I opted to do it today.

The solar panels were in better shape than I expected given the look of the Science Building windows. I remembered all of the valves that needed to be opened to provide water on the generator building roof, so a single trip up the ladder was all that was needed. Once those were taken care of, it was off to tackle the Science Building. There are some great new tools available for reaching the second story windows, but they are quite unwieldy, especially for someone who is just a little over 5 feet tall! As I feared, the gull artwork was baked on, so although there was improvement, the windows were not fully clean when I was done.

Next, a trip up the tower to count marine mammals and gulls. I found a key outside the door as I entered. The fob looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I thought one of the guests might have dropped it yesterday, so left it at the bottom of the stairs. A hundred steps up, I remembered why it looked familiar–it was the key to the hatch to the outside of the light. Down 100 steps and back up 100 steps. A double workout for today!

While at the top, I called my friends at Rocky Point Bird Observatory just the other side of Bentinck Island and arranged a neighbourly wave. There is a gap in Bentinck that provides a great view of Race Rocks from the other side.

Census complete, I headed back to ground level. Hmmm..Where are my glasses? You got it–back up at the light! Another trip to the top!  Although I had done a count of gulls from the top, I decided to count the young birds again. They are difficult to see from the light. At ground level, I found about three times as many as I had counted from the birds’ eye view.

The sea lions had dumped most of the posts and their concrete blocks off the jetty again. I managed to get them back up before the tide rolled in and repaired the fence–again. I have to say, I felt that I’d put in a full-day’s labour before noon!

Weekly Census
Observed today because of arrival too late on Friday for a fair census

Mammals:

  • Steller sea lion: 327 (including entangled female detected yesterday)
  • California sea lion: 142
  • Harbour seal: 64

Birds:

  • Canada Goose: 7
  • Black Oystercatcher: 5
  • Pigeon Guillemot: 34
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 1
  • Black Turnstone: 15
  • Brandt’s Cormorant 2
  • Pelagic Cormorant 30
  • Western Gull 2
  • California Gull 270
  • Glaucous-winged Gull 1042 (including about 300 young)
  • Brown Pelican

Facility work:

  • Clean the solar panels
  • Cleaned windows on the north and west side of Science Building
  • Returned posts and concrete blocks to the jetty and repaired the fence
  • Topped up batteries

Weather:

  • Sky: sunny and clear all day
  • Wind: variable 0 – 18 knots
  • Sea: rippled
  • Air temperature: low 15 °C, high 26 °C
  • Seawater temperature at max flood: 11.6 °C

Photos from today:

Entangled Sea Lion still being seen near the jetty.

Mom and pup Harbour Seal exuding cuteness

Jetty stripped almost clean of all the fencing posts

Young Glaucous-winged Gull in the early morning sunlight

One of several private vessels seen near the rocks today.

Looks familiar!

 

Race Rocks ER #97 Warden’s Report May 2025

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Ecological Reserve warden Garry Fletcher went out to Race Rocks in May 2025 with Laurag Verhegge and Isabelle Groc on the new Pearson College Boat with College staff Richard Taggart and Mike White and electrician Jordan Cole, who was going out to test and repair corroded attachments on some of the solar panels.

At the mouth of Pedder Bay near the small island on the north side we came across a sea otter foraging for crabs. This was a great opportunity for Isabelle to get some good photos for her project she is doing on Sea Otters.

On our arrival at the Ecological Reserve, we were greeted at the jetty by the Ecoguardian hired by Lester Pearson College, Christine Chourmouzis. Christine will be there through the next few weeks in July. I might add that I have appreciated her excellent coverage of events at Race Rocks in this log for this website, and she has been an effective warden in looking after the operations on the island.

 

Isabelle Groc and Pearson College Marine Biology teacher Laura Verhegge

One female elephant summer has stayed on the island for the summer, normally they have all left by now and return later in the year. She is moulting now.   One photogenic California Sea lion also greeted us on arrival.

Christine has also discovered several new plant species on the island. She showed these to me and I have posted them on iNaturalist where they can be seen. Eventually they will get their own page in the Biodiversity section here.

I was not able to find any Romanzoffia or mist maidens in one of their usual spots but the long ago introduced Turkish gladiolus has spread to a few new locations East of the Ecoguardians residence.

The Glaucous winged gulls were in full nesting mode and one aggressive adult even knocked my hat off while I was on a sidewalk.

One nest contained eggs of different colours.  I am am not sure if that is normal.

Some records are not being recorded on the Davis weather instrument and after a full cleaning some sensors are still not recording so we are looking into that.

 

 

 

 

 

We will be asking BC Parks for a replacement of the ER sign. It has withstood the harsh environment for a good length of time now but is showing wear and missing one section.

 

 

 

Christine did the seawater measurements while we were there.  A probe is lowered of the end of the jetty to a meter depth every day at the time of the maximum flooding current. These records are submitted monthly to the Institute of Ocean Sciences at Pat Bay. This link provides the seawater records for past months .

https://racerocks,ca/tag/seawater-data/

 

One of the ecotourism boats passed by while we were there. In a past agreement made with the ecotourism companies and BC Parks, boats are required to stay in the center of the channel in order to comply with regulations for marine mammal viewing .

 

I noticed that the concrete and wood refuse left in piles from previous construction and repair work that was supposed to be taken off the island by a BC Parks vessel are still there after many reminders by Pearson College staff.

Past warden’s reports are at this link

https://racerocks.ca/category/er-warden-report/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More signs of spring and a surprise visit!

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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
  • 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.

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
  • 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

Animal Census

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Birds

  • Harlequin duck                       6
  • Bald eagle adult                     4
  • Bald eagle juvenile                7
  • Black Turnstones                  34
  • Ruddy Turnstones                 8
  • Gulls                                       112
  • Cormorants                            74
  • Pigeon Guillemots                 48
  • Oyster catcher                        12
  • Canadian goose                      7

 

Mammals

  • Norther Fur Seal                      1
  • Steller sea lion                       19
  • Harbour seal                            36
  • California sea lion                   23
  • Elephant seal female             3, 1 adult, 2 juveniles 
  • Sea otter  – while not at the reserve, Ollie was reported to me as being over by william head

Back again!

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Happy to be back at my home away from home!

Ecological Notes:

  • 3 female Elephant Seals, 1 Full Adult and 2 juveniles
  • The Gulls are slowly pairing off, no full courtship displays or nest building noted yet

A few squabbles here and there

  • So far, I’ve only found 2 of the 3 previously noted active Canada Goose nests…. I think the one by the composting are has been abandoned

The gulls are quite quick to take advantage of spoiled eggs

  • The harbour seals on the southern rocks seem to be very skittish …… wondering if there have been undocumented orca hunts in the reserve, maybe at night(?)

Visitors:

  • Just the waterfront coordinator during the Eco-Guardian exchange/transfer

Facility Work:

  • fuel transfers
  • Monthly report levels checks
  • general quick facilities check on arrival, moving to scheduled routine checks

DND events:

  • Heavy Blasting one one day

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Some eco-tourism vessels, all following good practices and procedures
  • 1 private vessel exploring the reserve

 Noted Infractions:

  • Private vessel approached the haul out area by the crane/jetty area a little close and head on orientation, startling the sea lions, all moving and several entering the water…. I feel the nervousness of the sea lions was increased by the previous days blasting though

Weather Events:

  • Thursday, April 03:
    • Sky: sunny and clear, very occasion cloud patches
    • Wind: Mostly W, 5-10 kts in the morning, dropping to very light in the afternoon, rising to near 20kts over the afternoon/evening
    • Sea: calm seas
    • Temperature Low 8.5oC, High 10oC
  • Friday, April 04:
    • Sky: Mostly clear, with some high overcast at times
    • Wind: NE shifting to E 5-15 kts
    • Sea: calm seas
    • Temperature Low 7oC, High 11oC
  • Saturday, April 05:
    • Sky: Bright, high overcast
    • Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
    • Sea:  calm seas
    • Temperature Low 8oC, High 10oC

 

 

** 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:

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

BIRD LIST – Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

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The following Bird List for Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was reorganized by Ernie Chang of Metchosin, BC. in November 2024 in order to have the correct AOU NACC order and to add observations recorded in iNaturalist. The Race Rocks species list and image gallery with all species recorded in the Ecological Reserve is the source of the Race Rocks List.

Race Rocks List (in AOU NACC order) iNaturalist list (link to gallery)
Order Anseriformes: geese and ducks:
Chen caerulescens (Lesser Snow goose)
Anser albifrons (Greater white-fronted Goose) Anser albifrons – 1 (Greater White-Fronted Goose)
Branta bernicla (Black Brant Goose): Branta bernicla – 1  (Black Brant)
Branta hutchinsii (Cackling Goose): Branta hutchinsii – 1 (Cackling Goose)
Branta canadensi (Canada Goose): Branta Canadensis – 18 (Canada Goose)
Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard): Anas platyrhynchos – 1 (Mallard)
Anas carolinensis (Green-winged Teal): Anas crecca carolinensis – 1 (American Green-winged Teal)
Histrionicus histrionicus  (Harlequin duck) Histrionicus histrionicus – 8 (Harlequin Duck)
Melanitta perspicillata ( surf scoter) Melanitta perspicillata – 1 (Surf Scoter)
Bucephala albeola (Bufflehead) Bucephala albeola – 1 (Bufflehead)
Mergus merganser (Common merganser) Mergus merganser – 1 (Common Merganser)
Order Podicipediformes: grebes:
Aechmophorus occidentalis (Western Grebe): Aechmophorus occidentalis – 1 (Western Grebe)
Order Columbiformes: doves:
Columba livia (Rock Dove): Columba livia domestica (Feral Pigeon)
Order Charadriiformes: other shore&seabirds
Haematopus bachmani (Black oystercatcher): Haematopus bachmani – 19 (Black Oystercatcher)
Pluvialis squatarola (Black-bellied Plover): Pluvialis squatarola – 1 (Black-bellied Plover)
Pluvialis dominica (American Golden Plover): Pluvialis dominica – 1 (American Golden-Plover)
Charadrius vociferus (Kildeer): Charadrius vociferus – 1 (Killdeer)
Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel): Numenius phaeopus – 1 (Whimbrel)
Limosa fedoa (Marbled godwit) Limosa fedoa – 1 (Marbled Godwit)
Arenaria interpret (Ruddy turnstone): Arenaria interpres – 1 (Ruddy Turnstone)
Arenaria melanocephala (Black turnstone): Arenaria melanocephala – 19 (Black Turnstone)
Calidris canutus (Red Knot): Calidris canutus – 1 (Red Knot)
Aphriza virgata (Surfbird): Calidris virgata – 5 (Surfbird)
Calidris alba (Sanderling): Calidris alba – 2 (Sanderling)
Calidris alpina (Dunlin) Calidris alpina – 4 (Dunlin)
Calidris ptilocnemis (Rock sandpiper): Calidris ptilocnemis – 1 (Rock Sandpiper)
Calidris minutillam (Least sandpiper): Calidris minutilla – 1 (Least Sandpiper)
Calidris mauri  (Western sandpiper): Calidris mauri – 2 (Western Sandpiper)
Limnodromus griseus (Short-billed Dowitcher): Limnodromus griseus – 2 (Short-billed Dowitcher)
Actitis macularius (Spotted Sandpiper): Actitis macularius – 1 (Spotted Sandpiper)
Tringa incana (Wandering Tattler): Tringa incana – 1 (Chevalier errant)
Tringa melanoleuca (Greater Yellowlegs): Tringa melanoleuca – 1 (Greater Yellowlegs)
Phalaropus lobatus (Red-necked Phalarope): Phalaropus lobatus – 4 (Red-necked Phalarope)
Phalaropus fulicarius ( Red Phalarope): Phalaropus fulicarius – 1 (Red Phalarope)
Order Charadriiformes: Stercorarius Jaegers
Stercorarius pomarinus – 1 (Pomarine Jaeger)
Order Charadriiformes: Alcidae
Uria aalge (Common Murre): Uria aalge – 9 (Common Murre)
Cepphus columba (Pigeon Guillemot): Cepphus columba – 36 (Pigeon Guillemot)
Brachyramphus marmoratus (Marbled Murrelet ): Brachyramphus marmoratus – 1 (Marbled Murrelet)
Synthliboramphus antiquus (Ancient Murrelet): Synthliboramphus antiquus – 1 (Ancient Murrelet)
Cerorhinca monocerata (Rhinocerous Auklet): Cerorhinca monocerata – 3 (Rhinoceros Auklet)
Order Charadriiformes: Larinae: gulls:
Xema sabini – 1 (Sabine’s Gull)
Larus philadelphia (Bonapartes gull): Chroicocephalus philadelphia – 1 (Bonaparte’s Gull)
Larus heermanni (Heermann’s Gull): Larus heermanni – 14 (Heermann’s Gull)
Larus canis (Mew gull): Larus brachyrhynchus  – 1 (Short-billed Gull)
Larus occidentalis (Western gull): Larus occidentalis – 2 (Western Gull)
Larus californicus (Califiornia Gull): Larus californicus – 6 (California Gull)
Larus argentatus – 1(EuropeanHerring Gull)
Larus glaucescens (Glaucous-winged gull): Larus glaucescens – 13 (Glaucous-winged Gull)
Larus hyperbolus (Glaucous gull): Larus hyperboreus – 1 (Glaucous Gull)
Larus thayeri (Thayer’s gull): Larus glaucoides thayeri – 3 (Thayer’s Gull)
Rissa tridactyla (Black-legged Kittiwake): Rissa tridactyla – 1 (Black-legged Kittiwake)
Larus galucesens x occidentalis  -1 (Olympic Gull)
Order Charadriiformes: terns
Hydroprogne caspia(Caspian Tern): Hydroprogne caspia – 1 (Caspian Tern)
Sterna paradisaea – 1 (Arctic Tern)
Order Gaviformes: Loons
Gavia pacifica (Pacific Loon) Gavia pacifica – 2 (Pacific Loon)
Order Procellariiformes: albatrosses,shearwaters:
Phoebastria mutabilis (Laysan Albatross):
Ardenna tenuirostris (Short-tailed Shearwater) Ardenna tenuirostris – 2 (Short-tailed Shearwater)
Order Suliformes: Phalacrocoracidae cormorants
Phalacrocorax penicilatu (Brandt’s Cormorant): Urile penicillatus – 18 (Brandt’s Cormorant)
Phalacrocorax pelagicus (Pelagic Cormorant): Urile pelagicus – 9 (Pelagic Cormorant)
Phalacrocorax auritas (Double Crested Cormorant): Nannopterum auritum – 5 (Double-crested Cormorant)
Order Pelecaniformes: Pelicans and Herons
Pelecanus occidentalis (Brown pelican): Pelecanus occidentalis – 5 (Brown Pelican)
Ardea herodia (Great Blue Heron): Ardea herodias – 1 (Great Blue Heron)
Order Cathartiformes: Vultures
Cathartes aura (Turkey Vulture):
Order Acciptriformes: hawks and eagles:
Pandion haliaetus (Osprey): Pandion haliaetus – 1 (Osprey)
Haliacetus leucocepfalus (Bald eagle): Haliaeetus leucocephalus – 34 (Bald Eagle)
Buteo jamaicensis (Red-tailed Hawk): Buteo jamaicensis calurus – 1 (Western Red-tailed Hawk)
Order Strigiformes: owls:
Bubo virginianus (Great Horned Owl): Bubo virginianus – 1 (Great Horned Owl)
Bubo scandiacus (Snowy Owl): Bubo scandiacus – 1 (Snowy Owl)
Strix varia (Barred Owl): Strix varia – 1 (Barred Owl)
Aegolius funereus (Boreal Owl): Aegolius funereus – 1 (Boreal Owl)
Order: Coraciiformes 
Megaceryle alcyon  ( Belted Kingfisher):
Order Falconiformes: falcons:
Falco peregrinus (Peregrine falcon):
Order Passeriformes: corvidae
Corvus caurinus (North Western Crow): Corvus brachyrhynchos caurinus – 1 (Northwestern Crow)
Corvus corax (Common Raven): Corvus corax – 1 (Common Raven)
Order Passeriformes: Alaudidae
Eremophila alpestris (Horned lark): Eremophila alpestris – 1 (Horned Lark)
Order Passeriformes: Hirundinidae
Progne subis (Purple martin):
Hirundo rustica (Barn Swallow): Hirundo rustica – 1 (Barn Swallow)
Order Passeriformes: Regulidae
Regulus satrapa (Golden-crowned kinglet): Regulus satrapa – 1 (Golden-crowned Kinglet)
Order Passeriformes: Troglodytidae
Troglodytes pacificus (Pacific wren): Troglodytes pacificus – 2 (Pacific Wren)
Order Passeriformes: Sturnidae
Sturnus vulgaris (European Starling):
Order Passeriformes: Turdidae
Turdus migratorius (American Robin): Turdus migratorius – 1 (American Robin)
Order Passeriformes: Motacilladea
Anthus rubescens (American Pipit): Anthus rubescens – 1 (American Pipit)
Order Passeriformes: Fringillidae
Spinus tritis (American Goldfinch) Spinus tristis – 1 (American Goldfinch)
Order Passeriformes: Calcaridae
Calcarius lapponicus (Lapland Longspur): Calcarius lapponicus – 1 (Lapland Longspur)
Plectrophenax nivalis (Snow Bunting): Plectrophenax nivalis – 1 (Snow Bunting)
Order Passeriformes: Passerellidae sparrows
Junco hyemalis (Oregon Junco): Junco hyemalis – 1 (Dark-eyed Junco)
Passerella iliaca (Fox Sparrow): Passerella iliaca – 1 (Fox Sparrow)
Zonotricha atricapilla (Golden-crowned sparrow): Zonotrichia atricapilla – 1 (Golden-crowned Sparrow)
Passerculus sandwichensis (Savannah sparrow): Passerculus sandwichensis – 1 (Savannah Sparrow)
Passer domesticus (House Sparrow): Passer domesticus – 1 (House Sparrow)
Melospiza melodia (Song Sparrow):
Order Passeriformes: Icteridae
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Yellow-headed blackbird) Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus – 1 (Yellow-headed Blackbird)
Agelaius phoeniceus (Red-winged blackbird) Agelaius phoeniceus – 1 (Red-winged Blackbird)
Molothrus ater (Brown-headed cowbird):
Order Passeriformes: Parulidae
Dendroica coronata (Audubon’s yellow-rumped warbler): Setophaga coronata – 1 (Yellow-rumped Warbler)
Setophaga townsendi (Townsend’s warbler) Setophaga townsendi – 1 (Townsend’s Warbler)
Now if anyone wants to volunteer to do the same with the other Chordates, the  invertebrates, algae and fungi on the Race Rocks Taxonomy , examine  iNaturalist records for other Ecological Reserves, Ernie Chang  has produced this handbook: https://ecoreserves.bc.ca/2024/11/29/using-ecoreserves-of-bc-umbrella-for-birds/

Animal Census November 25 2024

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RR Ecoreserve ANIMAL CENSUS .
recorded by Derek Sterling
2024-11-25 2024-12-18 2024-12-25
Elephant Seal(male)
Elephant seal (female) 1
Steller’s Sea Lion 289
California Sea Lion 263
Harbour Seal 23
Sea Otter
Orca
Humpback 3
Gray Whale
Species 1
Species 2
Species 3
Canada Geese 27
Harlequin Duck 4
Black Oystercatcher 12
Black Turnstone 28
Surfbird
Whimbrel
Killdeer 3
Dunlin
Black-bellied Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Species 1
Species 2
Species 3
Species 4
Pigeon Guillemot
Common Murre
Rhinoceros Auklet
Species 1
Species 2
Species 3
Species 4
Glaucous Winged Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous X Western Gull Hybrid
Iceland(Thayer’s) Gull
Heerman’s Gull
California Gull
Short-billed Gull
Gull Species unknown 226
Gull Species 2
Gull Species 3
Cormorant total
Brandt’s Cormorant
Double-Crested Cormorant
Cormorant species unknown 283
Pelagic Cormorant
Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle Juvenile 4
Bald Eagle Adult 6
Peregrine Falcon
Raptor Species 1
Raptor Species 2
Raptor Species 3
Western Crow
Raven
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Pacific Wren
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Species 1
Species 2
Species 3
Species 4
Other Species 1
Other Species 2
Other Species 3

 in addition to the “Regular” birds i saw large flocks  (up to about 70 birds each) of Black Oyster Catchers and Black turnstones.

  • Animal Tracking and Injuries:          
    • 1 California Sea Lion identified as “Tuck” disentangled last year at Race Rocks…. still has a large open wound on the back of his neck, but it is quite well healed compared to the original injury