Monthly Archives: July 2014

Animal Census and more…

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Winds have been on a downward trend since Monday but since noon today have picked up to 35-40 knots. Barometric power dipped to a low of 1010 hPa Wednesday evening. We’ve had heavy fog until yesterday and today.

Few boats in the reserve this week (I suspect due to fog).

Two whale watchers today and 2 recreational fishing boats passed through the reserve today.

Animal Census (for Wednesday, 16 July):

256 Gulls
9 Pigeon guillemots*
2 Elephant seals
13 Steller sea lions
1 Double-breasted cormorant
9 Black oystercatchers
6 Canada geese
38 Black turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala)
2 Ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres)

*I only saw nine guillemots on Wednesday, 5 of which were flying away from the island. I don’t know the reason for the low number but Thursday I counted over 80 again.

I have not seen Cheeky since Tuesday, however, a new (very plump) female elephant seal arrived Wednesday afternoon. After female was on the jetty at ~1800h but seems to have swam away again. Chunk is still here. The river otters made another appearance tonight. Running in the same direction the adult led the two young otters with a gull chick in its mouth. Before going under the diesel holding tank the two juveniles started away at the chick. the Canada geese arrived Monday afternoon. Until today, there was a group of 5 that moved around together and an additional single goose that was seemed on its own. Today I counted seven and they were all together.

Monday morning I lost ethernet connection in the main residence. Jonathan came out Tuesday to have a look and he returned with two electricians on Thursday to fix the issue. Filled the batteries yesterday while they were here and got a tutorial on the Nikon camera.

Aurelia aurita: Moon Jellyfish–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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ESMoon-jelly

Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita photos by Eric Schauff

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From the log February 05, 2002
We counted 7 Moon Jellyfish( Aurelia aurita) floating amid the logs and debris in the tide wash east side of the boat dock.Most of them were 15-16 cm wide. In the sea they looked bluish -white and translucent.Unfortunately they were somewhat battered as they washed towards shore and Garry said that they were on their last legs so to speak.
Mike and Carol Slater.

From the log February 05, 2002
There were 19 Moon Jellyfish along the east side of the dock this morning and we saw quite a few more just off shore when we left in the boat.
Mike and Carol Slater.


Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Scyphozoa
Order: Semaeostomeae
Family: Ulmaridae
Genus: Aurelia
Species: A. aurita

Aurelia aurita
Linnaeus, 1758

Other Members of the Phylum Cnidaria at Race Rocks.

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.

 

Whimbrel and otters

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Fog until after 1100h. Westerlies that stayed between 20-30 knots for most of the day. Air temperature was 10-12 degrees Celsius all day. Forecast calls for winds rising to 20-30 knots tomorrow afternoon.

2 recreational fishing boats passed through reserve today

This afternoon I spotted a Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) on the south side of the main island. It was flying solo and I didn’t see any others around. Chunk has finally completely finished moulting. He’s looking silver and sleek! He and Cheeky have been testing out new resting spots on the island that are unfortunately close to some gulls’ nests. (Yesterday Chunk rolled over on one of the chicks, but it survived.) This evening I saw three river otters run under the big empty tank near the winch shed used for transporting diesel. They were hurrying from the direction of the main residence (opposite the ocean side) right through a number of gulls’ nests. It was the gulls’ squawking that made me notice them in the first place.

Ran the desalinator today. Sharpened the axes on cite. Prepped the propane tanks for painting but it was too windy.

 

Fog all day

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Consistent fog since sunrise. West winds between 20-30 knots for most of the day and on the rise. Barometric pressure increasing since Thursday night. Gales forecasted for tomorrow afternoon.

No boats today (although maybe because of zero visibility).

5 Canada geese arrived on the island today. Chunk and Cheeky did not visit the water today but recently Cheeky has been visiting after dark.

Started inventory of safety kits on the island. Filled up on gas yesterday at Pedder Bay Marina.

Animal Census

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Low winds all morning that rose quickly to 30 knots after noon but is now descending again. Barometric pressure still decreasing since Sunday. Winds forecasted to stay between 10-20 knots for tomorrow.

10 whale watchers

Animal Census
380 Gulls (Glaucous-winged + Heermann’s)

59 Pigeon guillemots
1 Elephant seal
2 Stellar sea lions
2 Bald eagles
140 Harbour seals
18 Black oystercatchers + 2 chicks
1 Spotted sandpipers (Actitis macularius) 
I conducted the census when the tide was rather high which may account for the fewer number of harbour seals, which appear in larger numbers at low tides when they rest on the outer rocks.
One float plane passed over the reserve this afternoon.
No sight of Cheeky today, our second largest male elephant seal.

 

Elephant seal shots

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Chunk and Cheeky sparring near the jetty

Chunk and Cheeky sparring near the jetty

Cheeky hurrying up the boat ramp away from Chunk

Cheeky hurrying up the boat ramp away from Chunk

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Chunk and Cheeky sparring in the water near the jetty

Chunk snoozing next to a gull's nest

Chunk snoozing next to a gull’s nest

Cheeky showing his flexibility

Cheeky showing his flexibility

Winds between 10-20 knots all day. Barometric pressure has been decreasing since Sunday. Forecast calls for same winds as today. 2 whale watching boats, 1 sailboat, 1 float plane flew over around 1400h.
Business as usual in the reserve today. Gulls are becoming evermore aggressive as eggs continue to hatch and chicks begin to wander away from the nests. The oystercatcher eggs next to the jetty finally hatched today! Like the gulls, the red-beaked parents are also very aggressive. Ran the fire pump today to fill the cistern.

July 8 Visitors

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Lots of fog all morning. Winds have picked up this afternoon reaching nearly 50 knots.

2 whale watchers today

Yesterday Garry and Helen brought the Whalen family to Race Rocks for a tour of the island. I took the boston-whaler in in the afternoon to drop off my parents who have been visiting. (I’m going to miss the extra help. Thank you!)

Washed down the batteries and scrubbed off the grease. Checked the water level in the cistern.

 

Sedum anglicum, English Stonecrop–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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stonecrop

Sedum anglicum,(in bloom in July,) English Stonecrop– invasive at Race Rocks

 

Englishstonecrop

Sedum anglicum, English Stonecrop all photos by Garry Fletcher

This plant was introduced to Race Rocks by Assistant keepers in the 1980s. From a small flower bed near the assistant’s house It has spread over much of the Great Race Rock Island. Since it is a member of the Crassulacea family, it uses the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) method for fixation of

The crevices of the rock outcrops where native grasses grew are being invaded by this stonecrop.

The crevices of the rock outcrops where native grasses grew are being invaded by this stonecrop.

Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis. Since it can fix Carbon into a chemical when stomata are open only when its cool at night, it is very resistant to drought, and can survive with very little soil.

stonecrop_cistern

The mat of green is a monoculture of Sedum anglicum, English Stonecrop growing on the concrete surface of the large gound-level cistern.

It is of course not the only introduced species on Race Rocks but since it is not grazed by anything, it is rapidly replacing the sparse growth of native species such as thrift  and grasses in the rock crevices.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Sedum
Species: S. anglicum
English Stonecrop
Other Angiosperms (flowering plants) 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.

 

Visitors to Race Rocks

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Today we were able to make a special trip to Race Rocks Ecological reserve with Tensie Whelan with her father Sidney, and Patsy Whelan.

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Patsy, Sidney and Tensie Whelan at the top of the Race Rocks tower

 

The Whelan’s live in New York and Connecticut and had made a trip to British Columbia to be able to see the place which meant so much to Tensie’s late husband, Johan Ashuvud. Johan had been a student at Race Rocks who in 1979-1980, had worked as a marine science student and a diver leading a group who ended up creating the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.

Thanks to Chris Blondeau for driving Helen and I and the Whelans out to the reserve.

Heermann’s gulls in high numbers

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Overcast and cloudy for most of the day. No wind in the morning until noon when it starting slowly rising up to 16 knots around 1900h. Strong wind warning in effect for late tomorrow afternoon. A fog belt is coming in now and the horn has just started sounding (2200h).

DSC_0259A group from Victoria of a dozen kayakers paddled around the island this morning. They launched from Weir’s beach.

 

 

 

9 recreational boats in the reserve today                                                                     5 whale watchers

Two bald eagles visited the south islands this evening joined by an immature eagle and the three stayed there for over an hour. It was unclear which was being more harassed by the other–the eagles or the gulls and oystercatchers.

My father who is visiting counted 574 Heermann’s gulls today which is a notable increase from the 21 recorded on Friday.

Chopped and stacked wood. Ran the desalinator.