Monthly Archives: June 2012

Mike’s Last Day

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I am off for the summer and Julie will be taking over, keeping a watchful eye over the animals and encouraging the public to maintain respect for the their well-being by motoring slowly within the reserve and maintaining a comfortable distance.

Same three gull chicks taken earlier

The big news of the last few days is the birth of numerous Glaucous-winged Gull chicks. They look adorable for the first few weeks with their leopard spots! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the parent can find enough food for them to thrive.

 

Newborn Glaucous-winged Gull June 29, 2012

These two pictures of the chicks were taken 24 hours apart. In the first you can see the egg-tooth of the emerging chick.

 

 

 

Mad Momma

The Gull parents are quite protective. I have had my hat knocked off and felt their warm white rain a few times… Last night I got splashed in the eye, much to my discomfort and annoyance. I’m sure there is a poetic justice to the experience though; at least from the Gull’s perspective!

June 26th Update

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Elephant seal in workshop

Hi, I’m Julie and I’m going to be taking over for Mike starting in July. Over the past week and a half he’s kindly been showing me the ropes of the place. More elephant seals have been visiting and currently we have about ten in the reserve. A couple of days ago, one crept into one of the buildings where we take the salinity measurements. He stayed for a number of hours and seemed very pleased to have found himself a cool, shaded, and sheltered area.  Fortunately, he left on his own accord and no damage was done. Mike and I will be sure to keep a closer eye on the doors in the future!

Basking Chunk

Our largest male, Misery, has alas begun to moult and has lost a significant amount of pelage in the past day and a half. Chunk, our second largest, has been losing weight and we predict he will take off and return to the sea in the next few days.

 

 

On another note, the red flags were put up on Bentinck Island yesterday morning and there have been 4 blastings today by the military. Although the elephant seals don’t seem to be bothered terribly, the hundreds of glaucous-winged gulls go haywire each time this happens before settling back down again.

Yesterday, Mike spotted humpbacks passing south of the reserve in the rain.

Bird Notes

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Bald Eagle on Gosling Carcass

The nesting gulls continue their vigil over their eggs. Oystercatcher couples furtively watch over their scrapes located just above the high-tide line, while Pigeon Guillemots incubate their eggs within the cracks and fissures of the rocks. Ironically the blasted rock, remnant of Coast Guard efforts to create more level terrain has provided habitat for them! Caspian Terns remain in the area but have not been noticed to land on the island. Cormorant are seen in the local waters but none appear to be nesting on the island this year.

Canada Geese

This season 4 pairs of Canada Geese hatched 20 goslings; a concern for us as this species that is not native to the West Coast can be quite destructive to some habitats. So far though they have had little effect on the grass (most of which is also introduced), and to date 10 of the goslings have been predated by eagles and ravens.
The West wind has stopped for a couple of days; a big relief and an opportunity to do some work that requires still air. Climbing ladders and cleaning the tower camera for example. I think we managed to solve the problem of intermittent outages of Camera 5 as well.

A New Mammal on the Island!

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Julie has arrived! She will be taking over Eco-Guardian for the summer, keeping a close eye on our animal neighbours, monitoring human activity in the reserve, and doing the maintenance and upkeep required to keep the station running. I will be training her over the next few weeks.

Hungry Red-tailed Hawk

In other news, we had a visit from a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo Jamaicensis) a few days ago.

 

 

 

 

The Chase

I was lucky enough to capture this action-shot as it swept overhead.

 

 

Red-tailed Hawk in Flight

 

 

 

 

June continues to be rather dismal and cold. Temperature has averaged about 12 degrees Celsius here with a high of 15.2…. pout.

 

 

 

 

racerocks.com Sponsors and Donors 2012

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ARCHIVED MATERIAL:

DONORS:
The Hesse Family: Mr. and Mrs. Hesse of Metchosin have been long-term enthusiasts for ornithology. They decided to help us with our Race Rocks Program in 2003 and 2005 with a generous donation to the program. They have both passed away now but have left a generous legacy to the College Race Rocks Program.

Dr. Anita Brinkmann-Voss : has provided long-term scientific support and yearly financial assistance to the racerocks.com program
Lester B. Pearson College– is one of ten United World Colleges located around the world. Two hundred students from over 80 countries study the International Baccalaureate curriculum during their two years at Pearson College. Garry Fletcher, a former faculty member who taught Environmental Systems and Biology at Pearson College, volunteers as the the educational director of racerocks.com, and webmaster for the website. Garry still works with students and staff to guide the educational content of the site. In addition, Laura Verhegge, also a faculty member teaching Biology and Marine Science provides additional guidance to the program. Pearson College operates the former Race Rocks light station facilities as a education centre under an agreement with BC Parks. Chris Blondeau, the Director of Operations for Pearson College provides the Operational Management of Race Rocks. A job-sharing arrangement in order to provide an employee of Pearson College as the on-site Ecoguardian is supported by Lester B.Pearson College which is the lead proponent and partner directing the racerocks.com project.
TD Friends of the Environment
 In 2011 Race Rocks was the recipient of a TD Friends of the Environment Grant
Telus
 TELUS has been a major supporter of the racerocks.com since its inception. This link provides the history of our long term relationship and dependence on TELUS.

Apple Learning Interchange The QuickTime live audio and temporary portable video streams are being hosted by the Apple Learning interchange over the Akamai Internet distribution network.

In the design of the Race Rocks Taxonomy central index file, I have been able to rely on the freely available JavaScript DHTML code supplied by Andy Wooley of Milonic. The availability of such free assistance on the web has been essential to the building of that taxonomy.
Join us in our $UPPORT RACE ROCK$ ENDOWMENT DRIVE
 

   A Bold Initiative: racerocks.com utilizes modern technology to maximum advantage to create a dynamic educational web experience utilizing the extraordinary marine eco-system at Race Rocks, Canada’s most southerly point on the Pacific Coast.

Real time streaming video has webcast continuously since 2000. Digital images of marine life from above the sea at Race Rocks and below the ocean from remotely controlled cameras, and transmission of real time weather data is made available.

The knowledge of the First Nations and their connection to Race Rocks is explored and explained as the Salish people share generations of experience in living in harmony with the abundance that once dominated this region.

Creative educators have developed internet-based curriculum resources to stimulate students and teachers to engage fully in the racerocks.com educational program. Researchers have also shared their studies and discoveries as we gain a new and deeper understanding of the ecosystem.

The Place

For centuries, deep ocean currents and the great rivers of the Georgia Basin have converged in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between southern Vancouver Island and Washington State. Race Rocks reveals itself as nine rocky outcrops thrust from the ocean floor in the middle of the Strait.

For generations the people of the Salish Nation prospered in this region at the entrance to the Salish Sea. The extraordinary richness of this diverse ecosystem represented by Race Rocks is valued today as it was then. Race Rocks has been an ecological reserve since 1980 and is becoming Canada’s first internationally recognized Marine Protected Area under the Ocean’s Act.

The small, rocky outcrops are home to California and Steller’s sea lions, and a birthing place for elephant seals and harbour seals. It is a migratory stopover for many species of birds, and a nesting habitat for four marine species. The life on these rocky island outcrops are only a small portion of the ecosystem. Underwater, the biodiversity in the productive waters is unsurpassed on our coast. New leading-edge bathymetry reveals Race Rocks as a giant underwater mountain. The historical significance of the buildings and equipment of the Race Rocks Lighthouse and the teachings of Salish elders merge with more recent science to explain the overall picture of the environment at Race Rocks.

The Technology

Currently, 360 degree PTZ(pan tilt,zoom) remote controlled camera 1 operates using POE from the top of the tower.  Camera 5 also uses POE ( Power over internet) from the high rock on the NW corner of the island. Another remote camera webcasts from underwater off the North side of Great Race Rocks. The internet signal from these cameras is transmitted by a microwave radio transmitter from the top of the Race Rocks light tower to go on the internet at nearby Pearson College.

Contact Director of Operations of Lester Pearson College and Race Rocks

Join us in our $UPPORT RACE ROCK$ ENDOWMENT DRIVE

The Boys are Moulting

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SIx Pack Abs 6397 male

Juvenile Male and lighthouse

There has been a bit of a gender shuffle in the local elephant seal population. Only one female remains, finishing up her moult but several young males have appeared in their stead.

Chunk Beginning to Moult

This corresponds to what is reported in the literature. Misery has just the slightest pelage loss while Chunk is much further advanced…

  • April to May – Females and juveniles
  • May to June – Sub-adult males
  • July to August – Adult males

Metallic Coast Guard debris

 

I have been removing copper and lead debris from the foreshore and intertidal zone where the Coast Guard dumped them many years ago. Ignorance led to many unsound practices in the years proceeding the new environmental ethos. Both lead and copper are biocides and should not be left to leach into the beach and water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Census First Sea Otter at Race Rocks

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Sea Otter in race ROcks Kelp Beds, photo by Adam Bird

Sea Otter in Race Rocks Kelp Beds, photo by Adam Bird on June 10/2012

Things have been fairly quite lately regarding birds and mammals here, though one of the eco-tour boats reported seeing a Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) in a kelp bed on Monday! The percussive blasts from Rocky Point military testing range scared off most of the Sea Lions last Thursday and only a few have returned in the last couple days. A large pod of orca passed through and near the reserve on Tuesday. Thanks to Suna, Doris and Ishmael for the census.

Elephant Seals: about 10
Steller Sea Lions: 2
California Sea Lions: 2
Harbour Seals: 204
Glaucous-winged Gull: 246
Surfbirds: 18
Pigeon Guillemots: 108
Canada Goose: 13
Bald Eagle: 3
Black Oystercatcher: 12
Northwestern Crow: 1
Raven: 1
Sparrow: 4
Sea Otter: 1
Caspian Terns: 6
Herring Gulls: 20

Sea Otter, Enhydra lutris— Race Rocks Taxonomy

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abjune102012rrseaotter

Adam Bird, aboard a whale watching charter took this photo of a sea otter on June 10, 2012 at Race Rocks .

This is the first image taken of this species at Race Rocks .

This sea otter was observed over several days in the kelp bed off the Middle Rocks in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Sea otters were introduced to the Bunsby Islands, Checlesset Bay north of Kyuquot village on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in 1969, 1970 and 1972. Considerable research on them has been done over the years especially by Dr. Jane Watson, and it is archived on the Friends of Ecological Reserves website in the Checlesset Bay Ecological Reserve #109 archives:

Since then Ecoguardians have taken pictures of sea otters out in the lkelp and along the shore of Great Race Rocks almost every year, here are a few samples:

This tag will bring up other examples of observations of this species at Race Rocks

 

I also observed a sea otter and was able to get some pictures in 2014

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Mustelidae
Subfamily Lutrinae
Genus Enhydra
Species lutris ( Linnaeus,(1758)
Common Name: Sea Otter

Other Members of the Class Mammalia at Race Rock

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Garry Fletcher, 2012

 

Caspian Terns

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Caspian Tern, June 11, 2012

I have noticed several (2-6) Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) in the area for a month or so. They have proven very challenging to photograph but I got a couple good shots this afternoon. It is the world’s largest tern with a length of 48–56 cm, a wingspan of 127–140 cm. The global population is about 50,000 pairs. They have a distinguishing croak that sounds a bit like a Great Blue Heron.

Black Oystercatcher Eggs June 10, 2012

I also finally found an Oystercatcher nest just above the high-tide line on the West side of the island below the engine room.