Monthly Archives: October 2014

The Sun is Shining

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There was a light breeze today, not getting higher than 5 knots. The barometer rose throughout the day. The clouds parted mid morning to produce a gloriously sunny rest of the day. The high this afternoon was 13.2 C.

Before Anne finished off her shift, she showed me how to perform a few more maintenance tasks: operate the boat winch, run the washing machine with rainwater, test water salinity and measure the fuel levels in the tanks.

Anne spotted a new tag on an elephant seal. The elephant seal that she mentioned in Wednesday’s log with the tag 7625, has a tag on his other flipper with the number 7688.

One recreational fishing boat passed by the jetty this morning. There were two whale watching boats noticed going through the reserve this afternoon.

There were at least two flashes of lightning seen in the west and loud claps of thunder at 19:00.

Elephant seals soaking up the sunshine.

Elephant seals soaking up the sunshine.

Tag 7688 on an elephant seal. I will get better photo evidence.

Tag 7688 on the flipper of an elephant seal. I will get better photo evidence.

The Pearson College sailboat Amatoana seen in the distance returning to Pedder Bay from a project week trip.

The Pearson College sailboat Amatoana seen in the distance returning to Pedder Bay from a project week trip.

A whale watching boat passes through the ecological reserve.

A whale watching boat passes through the ecological reserve.

Anthus rubescens: (American Pipit ) –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Raisa Mirza in the fall of 2010 took this image of an American Pipit at Race Rocks.

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Raisa Mirza in the fall of 2010 took this image of an American Pipit at Race Rocks.

8 individuals of this  species were recorded on the  VNHS Field Trip, Sept 27 2014.

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Photo of American Pipit by Daniel;e Donecke on the VNHS FIeld Trip, Sept 2014

 

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Motacillidae
Genus: Anthus
Species: A. rubescens

Other Members of the Class Aves 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.

Oct 30, 2012 –Garry Fletcher

Shift Change

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The wind was blowing northeast this morning 20 – 25 knots, it dropped mid-afternoon for about an hour and then swung to the west. The west came on strong in the late afternoon and blew over 25 before settling down to 15 -20 knots. The barometer, which has been falling all day, started climbing at 19:00 and the forecast for tomorrow is looking better with light winds forecast.
There were only two whale watching vessels spotted in the Ecological Reserve today. There were no other vessels other than Second Nature dropping off Nick Townley the new eco-guardian and Pearson College student Riikka who is here to finish her project week.
The results of the census are as follows:
Steller Sealion 447

California Sealion 433

Northern Elephant Seal 16

Harbour Seal 17

Canada Goose 24

Greater White-fronted Goose 1

Double-crested Cormorant 324

Pelagic Cormorant 29

Brown Pelican 2

Black Turnstone 12

Sanderling 3

Dunlin 4

Black Oystercatcher 24

Killdeer 4

Glaucous-winged Gull 700

Thayer’s Gull 2400

California Gull 3

Western Gull 45

Heerman’s Gull 76

Fox Sparrow 1

Savannah Sparrow 11

Most of the work today was packing, cleaning,  and training Nick in preparation for departure tomorrow.

Mystery Gull and Monster Mosh Pit

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The day started with light westerly winds that brought quite a bit of sunshine. Although the wind picked up a little, today’s weather and sea conditions seemed like a bit of a reprieve after the last week of big swells and high winds. The barometer rose all day but it looks like another southeaster coming tomorrow.

Four whale watching boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today. There was one sports fishing boat fishing in the Ecological Reserve just before sunset.

Sportsfisher trolling in front of Eco-guardian house late in the day.

Sport-fisher trolling in front of Eco-guardian house just before sunset.

I spotted a gull that was a total mystery. I have the question out for help in identification. Do you know what it is? An albino Thayer’s Gull? (This just in: Dick Cannings says that it is a very light, second year, Glaucous-winged Gull.) Sorry no mystery for Halloween.

Mystery gull visited Race Rocks. Jury still out on its identification.

Mystery gull visited Race Rocks. Jury still out on its identification. One possibility is an immature Iceland gull (gf)

There were at least five Humpback Whales spotted to the south and the west of Race Rocks today.

The Northern Elephant Seals continue to occupy the ramp from the jetty. This little guy has tag # 7625 and was tagged as a weanling at Ano Nuevo Island in 2013. So he will turn two this winter.

Northern Elephant Seal tagged as a weanling in the winter of 2013. This feisty little guy is out on land using gravity to help strengthen his bones and prepare him for hauling out for longer times as an adult.

Northern Elephant Seal tagged as a weanling in the winter of 2013. This feisty little guy is out on land using gravity to help strengthen his bones and prepare him for hauling out for longer times as an adult.

 

The sealion count is up dramatically from last week with 980 individuals, 447 Stellers and 433 Californians. It took me so long to count them that I am going to have to finish the census tomorrow and that will give me a chance to recount, if I start earlier. It is a bit like trying to count people in a mosh pit. The photos really help fine tune the numbers.

These sealions are keeping each other warm and catching up on their sleep.

These sealions are keeping each other warm and catching up on their sleep.

 

There were quite a few visitors today including two veterinarians Martin and Joe who are part of a collaborative, international team that is (amongst other things) disentangling sealions.  They completed reconnaissance for a possible rescue here. If you have been following the blog you will know that there are at least six ring-necked sealions here with plastic strapping and three more with fishing gear. Entanglement is definitely a human caused issue, hard to deny that one. Both Garry the Ecological Reserve Warden and Chris head of operations at Pearson College were here as well as my colleague Courtney, a contractor and two former students.

My tasks today were focused on cleanup (some of the outside windows on the guardian house), the bathroom, the basement and on sorting and cataloguing images. If someone had told me how time consuming that job is, I wouldn’t have taken so many photos.

Trip to RR to Plan for neck-ringed sealion treatment

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Today Chris Blondeau,. and Courtney Edwards  took Martin Haulena , and Joe Gaydos to Race Rocks to meet with Ecoguardian Anne Stewart and take stock of the facility and make plans for how to deal with the plastic neck bands  that we have are observing with the onset of the large numbers of sealions each year.

Martin is the Head Veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium, Joe is with Sea Doc Society in the San Juans and with U.C. Davis , California.

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Martin, Courtney, John, former PC student from Wales and friend who are volunteering this term at the college.

 

Material Safety Data Sheet for Dilbit or Diluted Bitumin

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If you click on the category “Oil Spill Risk” you may  have some appreciation for the potential hazards we face at Race Rocks in the event of a Oil Spill involving Dilbit which is already being shipped in some tankers through the Strait of Juan de Fuca within 4 miles of the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, but if the Kinder Morgan Pipeline Expansion project is approved by the Canadian Government will be the contents of up to 35 tankers per month.

From the National Energy Board we can find out what is in Dilbit and what precautions we need when it lands on the shores of Race Rocks.
You can see the original here: or as copied in the images below:

https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/548311/956726/2392873/2450810/2478758/2522888/Material_Safety_Data_Sheet_-_Diluted_Bitumen_-_A4A9D1.pdf?nodeid=2508614&vernum=-2

ALSO: The following link gives the Occupational and Health Guidelines for Benzene, a Potential Human Carcinogen

https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/llisapi.dll/fetch/2000/90464/90552/548311/956726/2392873/2450810/2478758/2522888/Occupational_Safety_and_Health_Guideline_for_Benzene_-_A4A9D2.pdf?nodeid=2504533&vernum=-2

dilbit1 dilbit2 dilbit3 dilbit4

Rough Seas

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The barometer dropped last night and has remained low and fairly steady all day. The blow last night and this morning produced surprisingly large waves, considering the fetch, from the east/southeast. There was also a significant ocean swell coming in from the west. The result was large breaking waves, all day. As it was getting dark, the wind died down. Tomorrow’s forecast looks pretty good, with a bit of sun and some wind, light in the morning and 10 – 15 knots in the afternoon.

Whale watching boats are still visiting the Ecological Reserve and three were observed in it today. I watched both Pearson College sailboats, Jack Mathews and Amatuana, sail out of Pedder Bay and off toward Victoria today. I was glad to hear Jack Mathews talking to the Victoria Harbour-master on the radio, knowing that they had arrived safely. I wish them all a wonderful adventure.

The only new and exciting ecological observation made today was the enormous size  size of the mixed species feeding aggregations. The gulls and cormorants rest on Race Rocks and when they see some action, fly off to join the melee, easily adding a thousand or more birds to the feeding frenzy. There were 112 cormorants roosting here today and UK web-cam observer, Pam Birley managed to get a photo of two Brown Pelicans in their midst. The density of gulls on Great Race is very high and I look forward to doing the count tomorrow. The proportions of the different species, is shifting and there are many more juvenile, Glaucous-winged gulls now. They seem to not know what to feed on, unless they are following the flock. I watched one try to eat a piece of wood today and another one was carrying around a clump of dirt like a prized possession. The Elephant Seals persist in front of the boat shed and have settled down into serious sleeping. The numbers of sealions in front of the science house is high again possibly because Middle Rock was being swept by breakers today.

Waves were rolling right down the jetty at me when I went to do the seawater sampling, so the sampling was done about half-way out instead of at the end of the jetty. The water was so well mixed that it was not a scientific issue and was certainly much safer where I did it. I siphoned off the crud in my roof-collected rainwater today making it fitter for laundry. I installed a dehumidifier in the basement and measured the length of the Whaler’s stern line that needs replacing. I spent more time sorting and tagging images, double-checking brand data, starting the monthly report. I am trying to find a word version of the standard operation procedures in the labyrinth of computer files, so that I can edit it before I leave on Friday.

Last Week at the Race

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The day started with a red sunrise even though it was overcast and blowing east-northeast 15knots.

Red sky in the morning.

Red sky in the morning.

That wind continued all day, as the barometer fell and now as I write this blog, I see that there is a strong wind warning in effect for central Juan de Fuca Strait. I will find out what sort of sounds this vibrahome makes in the east wind. No autumn leaves here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igbpx26YE3k

Yes, there were whale watchers today and three were observed in the Ecological Reserve. The humpbacks are still around and of course, the pinnipeds here on Race Rocks. I was glad to see the sailing vessel Jack Mathews heading for the safety of Pedder Bay, as the last whale watchers sped off towards Constance Bank. Those students are on a sailing project week and came quite close to Race Rocks during their morning sail.

The last whale watching boat of the day taken through the front window.

The last whale watching boat of the day taken through the front window.

There are now 16 Northern Elephant Seals on the ramp and sealion numbers and distribution are similar to the last few days.

Northern Elephant Seals are the champion divers of the Pinniped world. We have a lot to learn from them when it comes to navigation, diving and fasting. Fascinating animals.

Northern Elephant Seals are the champion divers of the Pinniped world. We have a lot to learn from them when it comes to navigation, diving and fasting. Fascinating animals.

I have been keeping an eye out for the Steller Sealion disentanglement candidates and saw two of them about 20 meters away from the science house today.

Disentanglement candidate lying just outside science-house living room window.

Disentanglement candidate lying just outside science-house living room window.

Another ring-necked Steller Sealion hanging out beside the science-house.

Another ring-necked Steller Sealion hanging out beside the science-house.

A different view of the same animal resting above.

A different view of the same animal resting above.

A third ring-necked Steller Sealion, one that was branded as a pup at Rogue Reef, Oregon (#946R) was over on Middle Rock today and when I went to look for it I saw a beautiful young Peregrine Falcon.

It was amazing to watch this young Peregrine Falcon flying with such incredible expertise.

It was amazing to watch this young Peregrine Falcon flying with such incredible expertise.

 

The Peregrine Falcon killed an adult California Gull and the ravens, who probably follow the Peregrine around, managed to eat most of it.

Gull killed by Peregrine Falcon and eaten by ravens. Spooky Halloween stuff.

Gull killed by Peregrine Falcon and eaten by ravens. Spooky Halloween stuff.

The gull kill was very different from the other gull mortalities on the island. I photo documented over fifty gull mortalities when I first arrived. Today’s gull was partially plucked, while the other birds were not plucked and often had their heads pulled inside out (like taking off a turtleneck). I am quite convinced that the latter is the also spooky, handiwork of the river otters.

Although it is only Monday and I don’t leave until Friday, I am cleaning up for the next eco-guardian and packing up some of the recycling left here by what seems like, generations of eco-guardians (probably not). I finished going through all the photos and completed the first draft of my sealion brand spreadsheets. I had no idea when I started how much work it was going to be. The usual chores of washing the solar panels, taking the seawater samples and running the generator make a nice break from the computer work.

 

 

The Vibraphone Vibrahome.

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I am learning more about the musicality of this house during storms. During my first storm here, the house whistled. Last night a weather alert was posted at 7:00 and by 7:15 the wind rose, going from 12 knots to over 50 knots in 45 minutes. The west-west-southwest direction was just right to set off a vibration, every time it went over 45 knots. When it went over 50, the desk would hum along with the deeper vibration of the house. Today was a beautiful day with a few northeast showers in the morning and a switch to clear westerlies for the afternoon. All day, the barometer climbed out of its low of 987 hPa. The next thing forecast to hit us, is the tail end of Hurricane Ana, so I will be watching the barometer and wind speed again and listening for a new musical experience.

The whale watchers are still plying their trade and five tour boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today.

There were Humpback Whales just off of Rosedale Reef all day and more further to the south getting close to the shipping lane.

There are now 14 Northern Elephant Seals on the ramp and next to the boat shed.

Northern Elephant Seals keeping each other warm on the ramp.

Northern Elephant Seals keeping each other warm on the ramp.

‘Flake’ was joined at the side of the boathouse by two other little ones the same size and one a tiny bit bigger that is tagged, #7625.

Today was the first time I spotted this tag and I have been looking very carefully.

Today was the first time I spotted this tag and I have been looking very carefully.

Number 7625 on the right and 'Flake' on the left, a little warmer today with the pile up.

Number 7625 on the right and ‘Flake’ on the left, a little warmer today with the pile up.

‘Gat’ (#5850-6967) has lost his right flipper tag, which reinforces the point Lisa Schwarz is making about assumptions about mortality that are based on tag loss. So ‘Gat’ is reduced to #5850 now.

Last week this animal, called 'Gat' had two tags, a left set and a right set. It has lost the right tag(s).

Last week this animal, called ‘Gat’ had two tags, a left set and a right set. It has lost the right tag(s).

I think this is where the #6967 tag was attached before.

I think this is where the #6967 tag was attached before.

 

I did a Steller’s Sealion count today because they have shifted around and I was curious if their numbers had changed. There were a total of 340 hauled out in the afternoon, which is close to Thursday’s count of 318. The difference is that 194 of them were jammed onto Middle Rock, with waves sweeping the edges of the crowd.

I finished collecting rainwater for doing laundry at the end of my shift, coming up this week and started ticking off the things that have been on the to do list for too long. I took some photographs, deleted almost as many and spent a good chunk of the day sorting data and images. Doing the seawater sample was a little less daunting today with simple splashes versus sweeping waves on the jetty.