Monthly Archives: May 2002

eagles were displaying some unusual acrobatics

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Monday, May 20, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 12.2 C  Min. 8.8 C  Reset 10.0 C  Rain 3.8 mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature Bald Eagles today. The eagles were displaying some unusual acrobatics,they would take off, fly in circles closer and closer then one of them would go almost upside down right under the other bird and splay it’s talons towards the higher one.I have seen them fly at each other like this when one has some food the other wants but neither bird had anything in it’s beak or talons.We watched them for about 20 minutes until they were well north of the island.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 3 pleasure craft and 2 ecotour boats through the reserve also one rigid hull with divers,which at one point had obviously lost sight of it’s divers. Fortunately a tour boat out of Sooke was in the area and had spotted the divers and was able to guide the dive boat to them for pick-up. The dive boat made about 10 frantic trips around Gr. Race but the divers had drifted quite a distance SSW of the reserve when finally picked up.We are always nervous when there are divers out here and always relieved to see everyone return to the boats safely.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:03 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast Vis. 15 Miles  Wind West 4 Knots  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 5:29 AM

Managed to plant green onions and carrots

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Sunday, May 19, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 12.2 C  Min. 7.0 C Reset 11.0 C  Rain 0.2 mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature Bald Eagles today.The Eagles did not make many attempts to come over Gr. Race today until early evening, could be because we were outside most of the time working in the garden.Managed to plant green onions and carrots with a little help from a budding 3 yr.olds green thumb! The showers are helpful but could do without the incessant wind! Enjoyed watching 3 crows trying to take a bath in a puddle no bigger than a tea cup,for some reason they don’t visit the pond as do the gulls,sparrows,geese and starlings.
HUMAN INTERACTION: There were 8 pleasure craft and 5 ecotour boats and 2 kayakers through the reserve today.Station boat to Pedder Bay.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:58 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Part Cloudy  Vis 15 Miles  Wind Calm  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 5:33 AM

International Boundary Survey Measurements.

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Saturday, May 18, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 13.3 C Min 7.1 C Reset 11.9 C  Rain 0.4 mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature and 3 juvenile Bald Eagles today.The gulls were busy as usual keeping the eagles away from the ‘big’ island. The goslings enjoyed the pond this morning and needed more than a little ‘encouragement’ to move on by the adults! The other pair of geese spend some time with the ‘family’ but no sign of any more goslings.Counted 15 gull nests but so far no eggs.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 1 Dive boat this morning which returned for 2nd dive in the afternoon.There were 5 ecotour boats and 7 pleasure craft through the reserve today.  Station boat to Pedder Bay and back.We had three visitors from Washington State, David,Tim and Mike for the day long task of gathering the annual International Boundary Survey Measurements.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:08 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy  Vis 15 Miles Wind South West 7 Knots  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 5:47 AM

Mature Bald Eagles tried many times to land –thwarted at every attempt by the gulls and Oyster Catchers

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Friday, May 17, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 13.0 C  Min. 7.3 C  Reset 11.1 C Rain 5.2 mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 Mature Bald Eagles today which tried many times to land on Gr. Race but thwarted at every attempt by the gulls and Oyster Catchers.With the great eyesight they have I’m sure the eagles have seen the 5 little tasty goslings running around. We look for the goslings every morning hoping to count 5! so far so good!
HUMAN INTERACTION: 3 Ecotour boats, 5 pleasure craft in the reserve today. The Second Nature in late afternoon with Laura, Garry and Marcus for a little filming.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:21 PM

 

Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Part Cloudy  Vis. 15 Miles  Wind North West 15 Knots Sea 2 Foot Chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:02 AM

Enjoying watching the 5 little goslings

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Thursday, May 16, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 12.1 C  Min. 5.9 C Reset 9.9 C
MARINE LIFE: 1 mature Bald Eagle today.Enjoying watching the 5 little goslings,they sure cover a lot of ground in a day trying to keep up with the adults. They are pretty wobbly on their feet but cute! We are watching the other pair of geese carefully but so far no more chicks.No Oyster Catcher eggs have hatched yet but should be any day now.The gulls are gathering bits of grass and building nests but have not seen any eggs as of yet.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 3 pleasure craft through the reserve today.Station boat to Pedder Bay and back early a.m. for groceries and mail.Second trip after 17:00 to bring Grandsons(and their parents) over for long weekend visit.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:28 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Clear �� Vis 15 Miles �� Wind West 7 Knots �� Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 5:27 AM

Environmental Systems First Year Exam at Race Rocks

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For the last 24 years, the first year environmental systems students have had their final term exam at Race Rocks. In May of 2002, Laura Verhegge continued the tradition with her two classes. They endured the west wind and went through the six stations of the exam. In this video the students and Laura provide the commentary about the investigations.

Return to Education video archive index

Northern Sea Lion , (Steller Sea lion)

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Several hundred Northern Sea Lions, Eumetopias jubata, formerly known as “Steller’s Sea Lion” visit Race Rocks in the winter months. They are now on the Endangered Species list as their numbers in the Northern Pacific have declined significantly in recent years. “I got this clip on a calm day when the swells were breaking on the islands and the sea lions were hauled out in a sheltered area just below the tower. By creeping up slowly on the ground, I was able to look down on them from a few meters distance without disruption. In this way, some of the normal patterns of behaviour can be observed. Note that there are a few Californian sea lions mixed in with this group and the occasional barking sound comes from them. The low growls are from the Northern Sea Lions.” (GF)

See other images of the Northern Sea Lion in the Race Rocks Taxonomy

Can hear the Harbour seals ‘growling’

Posted on by
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 11.9 C  Min. 7.0 C  Reset 9.1 C
MARINE LIFE: 2 Mature Bald Eagles today. Can hear the Harbour seals ‘growling’ usually they are so quiet but this time of the year, close to pupping they seem to get somewhat irritable- don’t like other seals to get too close-definitely not in the ‘ sharing the haul-out spot” mood.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 2 pleasure craft; 1 dive charter with approx.22 divers off the ‘Nautilus Explorer’ which anchored south side Bentinck Island for the day. The Second Nature in with Garry and guests late afternoon.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:15 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Part Cloudy Vis. 15 Miles Wind West 11 Knots  Sea 1 – 2 Foot Chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:57 AM

First gosling hatch on Race Rocks

Posted on by
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 10.1 C  Min. 7.3 C  Reset 8.7 C  Rain 1.8 mm
MARINE LIFE: 1 mature Bald Eagle today.We can report that some eggs have hatched! How we missed the obvious searching for the hidden I cannot explain but we now have 5 downy, mustard coloured goslings! We have been or thought we had been over every metre of Gr. Race looking for Oyster Catcher nests and did not find the goose nest. We wondered if they would nest but the geese were always on the move, no obvious nest sitting -how could you miss a 5kg bird incubating eggs for 25-30 days? well it seems we did! Anyway the goslings are cute and on the move with both parents attentively herding them along.There is another pair of adult geese that seem to stay in the grassy area on the northeast corner of the island.We searched the area very thoroughly this afternoon but could not find anything resembling a nest nor did we see any eggs.It will be interesting to watch these little geese grow, evidently they fledge in 45-60 days.
No boats to report- windy with moderate seas all day.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:33 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy �� Vis 12 Miles �� Wind West 30 Knots �� Sea 4 Foot Moderate — Low South West Swell.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:14 AM

enviro-systems field lab exam.

Posted on by
Monday, May 13, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 15.1 C  Min. 7.9 C  Reset 7.9 C  Rain 1.0 mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature Bald Eagles -they moved from North Rocks to the Southeast Rocks ever ‘escorted’ by a group of gulls and often a couple of Black Oyster Catchers.There are still no hatched Oyster Catchers, maybe tomorrow. The 3 geese continue to graze the island often the the pair lets the loner within a couple of metres.A group of about 30 harbour seals are spending the day in the east bay area- they like diving into the swells.We see quite a few seals with scrapes that they get moving around on the rocks at low tide.The rocks are covered with thousands of barnacles, these flesh ‘gashing’ animals have very sharp shells – can’t imagine how the seals can get ‘comfortable’ stretched out on top of them but they do!
HUMAN INTERACTION:The Second Nature in ‘bright and early’. Unfortunately the weather was quite nasty this morning -not the greatest of conditions for the students to do their enviro-systems field lab exam.Usually this time of year the exam is a pleasant change from the classroom exams – even some time to relax in the sunshine and eat lunch,even a little socializing but not today strictly ‘business’ ! Late afternoon 3 ecotour boats- not a great day for boating!
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:09 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy Vis 12 Miles  Wind West 27 Gusting 37 Sea 4 Foot Moderate — With Low South West Swell
posted by Carol or Mike S at 5:49 AM