Monthly Archives: November 2015

Swells high today

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Ecological happenings

  • Gulls have been feeding in large flocks
  • Swells of up to 7ft today
  • Many Sea Lions appear to have left the island. The swells have not been forgiving on the inhabited rocks.

Marine Vessels

  • Three tour boats
  • One sail boat

Other

  • Three visitors today, (1 from Pearson College) who were given a tour of the Island.

Harlequin Ducks

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Ecological Happenings

  • Three Harlequin ducks seen today.
  • Two Bald Eagles flying together (one juvenile).
  • Winds picked up speed today to 16kts. Strong wind warnings have and continue to be in effect.

Marine Vessels

  • Two tour boats seen today. They are missing the views of the Sea Lions, as boats usually visit the North West of the island, while currently most Sea Lions have moved to the south island.
  • One helicopter flying relatively low. Animals were startled.

Other

No visitors.

 

Visit from a Predator

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Ecological Happenings

  • Barred Owl in the reserve today. Its’ prey were found (one small bird near the lighthouse and a gull near the student house). Gulls and smaller birds were much fewer today.
  • Juvenile elephant seal and accompanying adult seal returned today.
  • South Seal Rocks is particularly crowded with the Stellers that have moved from other surrounding rocks.
  • California Sea lion brand 8456 spotted

Marine Vessels

  • Two tour boats
  • One pleasure vessel
  • 10 Canoers
  • A helicopter flying in good range of RR

Maintenance

  • Continuing to experience challenges with the water system. Next steps are to check the pumps and piping.
  • Boat maintenance and clean out.

No visitors today.

Animal Census

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November 5th

Steller Sea Lion 466
California Sea Lion 645
Harbour Seal 46
Elephant Seal 8 (including one juvenile tag B228)
Cormorant 206
Gull* 547
Barred Owl* 1
Black Turnstone* 5
*note: the Barred Owl was hunting in the reserve today and thus gulls and
smaller birds were much fewer
Spotted during the week
Bald Eagle 2
Whale 6 (4 of these were in one sighting)
Black Turnstone 5
Canada Goose 48
Killdeer 2

Peregrine Falcon Back for Annual Visit

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I received this e-mail and images this afternoon from our viewer in England, Pam Birley. She took them using the remote camera 5 and writes: “I watched this bird for about an hour today !!!  I think it may be a juvenile Pacific Coast Peregrine Falcon.  According to Sibley they are darker feathered with mustache merging on head to form a dark helmet.

See Peregrine Falcons in the Race Rocks Taxonomy
See all the posts on Peregrine falcons observed at Race Rocks

Steller with an infection

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Ecological Happenings

  • A Steller Sea Lion spotted that couldn’t open its eyes. Looked to have a serious infection, with puss streaming down its body. It was last seen making its way into the water.
  • No Sea Lions on North, Turbine, Middle or West Rocks, they have all migrated to the main island.

Marine Vessels

Two tour boats and two pleasure vessels

Maintenance

  • Continuing to clean the buildings, though currently options are limited without having the high pressure hose working.
  • Detached rain water tank from the building and started to clean the significant build up of organic matter inside it. The intention is to get the tank clean, and design a new system to catch rain water.
  • Continued rebuilding the electric fence at the dock and the NE of the island. Strong winds last week toppled parts of the fence and snapped wires.

No visitors today.

The Sun is Shining Again

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Ecological Happenings

  • Sea was still quite rough, with a large swell. Weather cleared up with calmer winds and clearer sky. A warmer day all in all.
  • Sea Lions were taking the opportunity to dry up.
  • A lot of feeding has been taking place – many bones have been found around the island, as well as fish scales over the solar panels.

Marine Vessels

One tour boat and one pleasure vessel within the reserve.

Maintenance

  • Commenced cleaning the buildings and other infrastructure.
  • Adjusted the pipes running from a broken vent (on the roof) into the indoor composting unit. The pipe (meant for airflow into the unit) was rather, leaking water into it, causing malfunction of the system.
  • Rewiring of the electric fence to the west of the island.
  • Treated the water tank with chlorine, as one step towards addressing water issues.
  • Trouble shooting remote controls for Cameras 1 & 5.

Other

  • Staff meeting this morning with PC, reporting the goings-on at RR.
  • No visitors.

Gust, Swell and Rain

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Ecological Happenings

  • Another wild weather day as RR. Gusts throughout the morning and afternoon, with showers and just moments of sunshine. Wind/gust warnings are still in effect until midnight.
  • Humpback whale spotted feeding towards Port Angeles.
  • Fresh propeller cuts spotted on a Sea Lion.
  • Animals continue to shift around the island and surrounding rocks, adjusting to the weather and moving away from the swell.
  • Number of geese on the island increased significantly from 13 to at least 48 today.
  • A necklaced Sea Lion spotted today near the dock.

Marine Vessels

  • Three tour boats
  • Two pleasure vessels

Maintenance

  • Camera 1 & 5 remote controls via RR website are not functioning – this is currently being troubleshooted.
  • High pressure hose requires a new pump. Attempts at rebuilding it have not been successful.
  • Electric fence repair attempts continue…..

Other

  • No visitors today.