Oystercatchers Hatched, Chunk and Misery still sparring!

Mike left last week and I will be taking over for the next two months. My last shift was a year ago and it’s great to see how well Mike and Alex have taken care of the place.

Over the past number of days, Misery and Chunk have been pretty subdued with the exception of Thursday when both headed into the water and had a 6-hour long feud. There are no females on the island so my assumption is that Chunk is testing Misery’s role as alpha-male (which he’s proven to be in check). 

The two contenders

The two contenders: Misery and Chunk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea lion near the jetty during sunset

Sea lion near the jetty during sunset

 

The first sea lion of the summer has been hanging around on the main island and the southern rock.

 

 

 

Oyster catcher with 3 chicks

Oystercatcher with 3 chicks

Another first of the season are the newly hatched oystercatchers, pictured right. This nest is on the north side of the island and there is another on the south side that still has its 3 eggs intact.

 

 

For boat traffic, there averages 10-20 vessels per day in the reserve (weather depending). In the photo below, the gathered whale-watching boats to the west of Race Rocks implies a whale-sighting although it was too far for any good views from the island itself.

Whale watching vessels to the west of the island

Whale watching vessels to the west of the island

 

 

 

 

Another note on boat traffic, this morning four curious boaters from Pedder Bay Marina wanted to explore the island unaware it’s not for public use. I explained the rules of the reserve and sent the apologetic boaters on their way. Pam Birley took some snapshots on Camera 1.

 

 

 

Header images on this website

The different horizontal header images that appear on this website and the log with the title “Race Rocks Ecological Reserve”, were made from images taken at Race Rocks and contributed over the past few years by the Ecoguardians of Race Rocks. A big thanks and acknowledgement to Ryan Murphy, Raisa Mirza, Adam Harding, Alex Fletcher, Julie Bowser and most recently many by Mike Robinson.

Gull colony self-protection measures!

It is my last day out here for a while and Julie is taking over again for the summer. I shall miss my elephant seal friends and a little less so the gulls. I got pooped on last night right on the nose! But as you can see by the picture I am not the only one to suffer an aerial strafing. Have a great summer everyone….

Fecal Bomb on Agressive Juvenile Eagle

Fecal Bomb on Agressive Juvenile Eagle

Log Barge

Canadian Submarine

Canadian Submarine

Darwin Core Archive Species identified in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve in British Columbia

Garry Fletcher,  Lester B Pearson College, 650 Pearson College Drive, V9C 4H7, Victoria, Canada;
Mary Kennedy, OBIS Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, B2Y 4A2, Dartmouth
Corresponding author(s): Garry Fletcher (garryf(use the at sign) gmail.com), Mary Kennedy (mary.kennedy(use the at sign)dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
Received {date}; Revised {date}; Accepted {date}; Published {date}

Citation: Combination of authors, year of data paper publication (in parenthesis), Title, Journal Name, Volume, Issue number (in parenthesis), and doi of the data paper.
Abstract
XwaYeN (Race Rocks) is a showcase for Pacific marine life; including large marine mammals, seabirds, fish, invertebrates and plants. XwaYeN has a rich marine heritage and is culturally significant for several First Nations in the area. The waters surrounding XwaYeN (Race Rocks) are also an important nursery and recruitment area for Northern abalone, currently listed as a threatened marine species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Protecting this area will enhance the protection of this threatened species.

In 1980, the province of British Columbia, under the authority of the provincial Ecological Reserves Act, established the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, which provides for the protection of the terrestrial natural and cultural heritage values (nine islets) and of the ocean seabed (to the 20 fathoms contour line). Ocean dumping, dredging and the extraction of non-renewable resources are not permitted within the boundaries of the Ecological Reserve.

Ecological Reserves are areas in British Columbia selected to preserve representative and special natural ecosystems, plant and animal species, features, and phenomena. Ecological Reserves provide the highest level of protection for the maintenance of physical and biological diversity while allowing for research and educational activities. Click here for more information on Ecological Reserves.  Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was established to protect terrestrial, intertidal and sub-tidal communities that are extremely rich as a result of strong tidal currents. Continue reading

Ahhh June in BC

Typical June day in BC

Typical June day in BC

It always surprises me how long it takes for “summer” weather to arrive in BC. Today it is overcast, blowing 30 with driving rain, and 11 degrees (which feels like 7 with the wind chill).  For Race Rocks weather records see this link.


 

A very buoyant Harbour Seal

A very buoyant Harbour Seal

 

3 male elephant seals and I are the only mammals on Great Race Island but this big female Harbour Seal calmly shared a lovely sunset with me at the sea side…

 

 

Yoga E-seal

Yoga E-seal

 

 

 

On a nice afternoon a few days ago Chunk was showing his flexibility by doing backbends and chewing on his hind-flippers.

 

 

Seal Salutation

Seal Salutation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagles Stealing Gull Eggs

Yesterday I spotted 2 Bald Eagles raiding gull nests. I had never seen this before.

Wary Allies

Wary Allies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nesting Gull and Tower

And finally this interesting shot! Nesting Gull and Tower.

 

 

 

 

Sensitive Oystercatchers

June is half over and I have about 10 days before Julie comes out to take over for the summer. I am trying to get some painting done in the dry and relatively windless spells, but one of the issues I am facing is trying not to disturb the oystercatchers nesting near the top of the ramp by the majority of railings. They immediately leave the nest when I get anywhere near, and won’t return til I am well clear. I worry about the eggs cooling too much, so I scrape the rails for 10 minutes then depart for an hour… Fortunately I have lots of time on my hands! Meanwhile only a couple juvenile e-seals remain and just as well because Misery’s curiosity is quite terrifying to them. Here one scrambles up the rocks to escape.

Best keep a safe distance...

Best keep a safe distance…

Sunset on Olympics

Sunset on Olympics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pigeon Guillemots are nesting in the larger cracks in the rocks; another reason to keep a low profile and limit my wandering around the island. They are adorable little birds!

Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemots and Oystercatcher

Pigeon Guillemots and Oystercatcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pigeon Guillemots

Pigeon Guillemots on the Jetty

 

 

 

 

 

 

Branded California Sea Lion 1032

Branded California Sea Lion 1032

 

 

 

 

 

 

Branded California Sea Lion 1032 en flagrante

Branded California Sea Lion 1032 en flagrante

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset Flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls

Sunset Flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls

Les Miserables

 

Waiting at the bottom of the ramp...

Waiting at the bottom of the ramp…

I'm back!-2 I'm back!-3 I'm back!-4 I'm back!-5 I'm back!-6Chunk found an unpleasant surprise when he popped in for a swim earlier today. King Misery has returned! After a brief thrashing an epic chase occurred around the island with a few skirmishes along the way. I have to give Chunk credit; he didn’t back down and gave as good as he got, but in the end Misery is just too big, and size won the day. I look forward to sharing their politics with you over the next few weeks….I'm back!-8 I'm back!-9 I'm back!-10I'm back!-11

Day 3

morning weather: wind W 15kts  sea 1ft Chop  Sky clear

Out of curiosity I have been looking at the solar panels output throughout the day. With a clear sky at 1340hrs we were producing 2410 Watts and adding charge to the batteries after accounting for the island load.

1440hrs Float plane low overflight. Likely Fisheries observers; I thought I recognized the plane from past years.

Started work on cleaning and lubrication of the boat cradle wheels.

winds up in the evening to 40kts

Day 2: Solar panel maintenance

Wednesday June 5/13
Day two: Fog and moderate winds early in the morning. A good part of the morning was spent cleaning the Solar panels on the roof of the Energy building of all the accumulated bird guano. I took note of the power output pre-cleaning : 650W;  it jumped to 980W after being cleaned.

One pleasure boat in the Reserve this morning 0945hrs

We were visited by BC Parks’ new Area Supervisor to familiarise herself with the site and the Race Rocks File; and to meet the crew.