Monthly Archives: March 2016

Spring

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Today was another day with fairly low light levels, leaden skies and light northeast winds. The wind is just switching to northwest as the sun sets with spectacular colour. The barometer went down a little to 1001 hPa and climbed back over 1002 by 19:30. There is nothing too exciting or dramatic to report, which is just fine. The marine forecast still has a strong wind warning in effect and it looks like that might be tomorrow’s westerly coming up in the late morning. The forecasters are expecting a mix of sun and cloud with a 30% chance of showers.

Four whale-watching vessels were observed in the Ecological Reserve today. Only one was documented speeding in the reserve. The reason that the Protected area is a go-slow zone is to protect the high density of charismatic megafauna from ships strikes. Odd that someone who makes their living by taking customers out to see these same birds and mammals isn’t setting high standards for protecting the “goose that lays the golden egg.” Most of the whale watching community that I observe daily, boats respectfully in the Protected Area. The exceptions in the industry may need some nudging by peers and colleagues or maybe an intervention; – )

Spring officially arrived today, however there was no noticeable difference from yesterday other than a longer day. Having light later is such a bonus of spring. As soon as the clouds thin out our solar panels will be generating enough power for most needs. The generator is still required for a few hours each day.

I have a bird identification request to challenge you with today. What is the little bird pictured below having a saltwater bath in the inter-tidal?

 

 

Student Power

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The morning was quiet, overcast and uneventful, weather-wise. Light variable winds continued and the wind did not rise above 15 knots until mid afternoon when the wind became more definitely north by northeast. There is a wind warning in effect calling for south winds of 20 knots near the west entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca tonight. The barometer continued yesterday’s gradual fall and reached ~1003 hPa when this log was posted at 18:00. The forecast is calling for a 60% chance of showers with variable light winds becoming southwest 10 to 20 Monday evening.

Only one whale-watching vessel was observed today. They moved slowly and carefully while watching the sea lions and eagles on South Rock. The sea lions didn’t even look up.

Ecologically there was nothing outstanding to report. Spring steadily approaches and will soon be here. There were a few more shorebirds resting, grooming, bathing, feeding and sleeping on Great Race, before the next part of their journeys. Black Oystercatchers are definitely staking out territories in pairs at all the same places that were used last year and the year before. Eagles continue to be busy on all of the islets but particularly Great Race South and West. The sea lions seem truly exhausted and during the day sleep together in huddles with the two species mixed together. One new brand was noted but light levels were too low to verify the number.

Sunlight levels were surprisingly low today. This is good for a low UV index but is not so great in terms of generating solar power. Students Aziz and Sam helped by cleaning most of the solar panels, which helped us capture more of the available energy. Kyle and Keneshka helped move empty propane tanks and other outgoing gear to the end of the jetty for pick-up. Together the four students made a good team and cleaned up the student house after using it for the weekend. Sam also helped launch and retrieve the whaler in time for a test drive to check a couple of things before Chris arrived in Second Nature. That all went well.

Chris arrived for pick-up, with a guest, a naval doctor who seemed to enjoy visiting Race Rocks. He felt very lucky to have grown up beside the sea in Wales. Race Rocks reminded him of larger, more isolated seabird islands that he had visited in Wales.

Malou, a student from Greenland continued her training on Second Nature today and did very well demonstrating her ability. She made a good landing and managed to launch back out into the stream, away from the concrete jetty with no damage, a feat in itself. My limited experience driving Second Nature was that it was a tricky boat to drive, so kudos to Malou.

More Visitors

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Light northeast winds continued this morning under high cloud. Light winds, combined with an extended high tide and a long period of fairly slack current made for a peaceful morning and calm waters. The wind direction started to shift eastward in the early afternoon and by dark it was coming from the west. The barometer was more or less steady today and the UV index stayed below 2, so weather-wise things were quite benign. Showers are expected for the next few days and winds are forecast to be variable 5 – 15 knots until late Sunday.

Whale watchers were out and about today and five vessels were observed working in the Ecological Reserve. There were quite a few sports fishing vessels as well but most of them stayed outside the Protected Area. One sports fisher ran through between Great Race and South Rock.

The gulls are getting closer to nesting daily. For the first time this season I observed a pair mating. It is quite a balancing act. The seals and sea lions seem to spending the whole day sleeping right now while the eagles are busy fishing and hunting cormorants and gulls.

Chris brought out the rest of the Jeanne Sauvé scholars who have been working at Pearson College for the last few weeks. It was really a treat to meet with them and learn a little about the great things they do to make the world a better place.

They reminded me of a Margaret Meade quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Jeanne Sauvé scholars from around the world working together to solve issues.

Jeanne Sauvé scholars from around the world working together to solve tricky issues.

Visitors

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The northeast wind blew 25 – 30 knots, all day under mostly clear skies. Most of the day, visibility was excellent with Mount Baker visible to the east and Bahokas Peak to the west. Much closer, the snowy peaks and ridges above the Elwha River were also clear and magnificent. High cloud started forming in the afternoon and sun dogs were visible late in the day. The high cloud eventually thickened and lowered and the sunset was devoid of the usual colour. The barometer dropped slowly all day but remained above 1010 hPa at dark. The forecast calls for more cloud, a 30% chance of showers and lighter east winds.

Four whale watching vessels were observed working in the Protected Area today. The first boat through, looked very small as it clawed its way through the standing waves of Race Passage. I don’t know what chance they would have if anything went wrong in that perilous time and place. All the whale watching vessels went around to see the sea lions on South Rock and one vessel took the passage between Great Race and South Rock. It was good to see S.V. Amatuana out in the Strait with wind in her sails. She stayed well away from the rocks.

A few of the breeding pairs of Glaucous-winged Gulls were observed starting nest building behaviour today and there was more pre-breeding behaviour observed. Oystercatchers also seemed to be staking out territories and spending more time in pairs.

Visitors came today, the first group this month. They arrived in Second Nature skippered by Chris Blondeau. Chris always makes landing look much easier than it is. He brought four Pearson College students to spend the weekend at Race Rocks and six of the Jeane Suavé scholars who have been visiting Pearson College. Chris gave the scholars a tour while the four students settled in. A fifth student came along for the ride and returned to the college with Chris and the scholars

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Green with Shades of Blue

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March 17 was a windy day on Race Rocks. The early morning east northeast wind  kept intensifying and it was blowing 25 – 30 knots northeast by noon. It kept up for the rest of the day. The barometric pressure started to drop from a high of 1026 hPa, in the afternoon. The forecast includes a gale warning, with the easterlies continuing under sunny skies for at least tomorrow.

One whale-watching vessel was observed working in the Protected Area today and several others were seen transiting the area. Sports-fishing boats were all outside the reserve.

The Nanoose Yarder, a tug, headed west through Race Passage with the fishing vessel, Arctic Fox II in tow. The Arctic Fox II was damaged by fire in Cowichan Bay last winter and looks like she will need some serious TLC before heading out again to troll for tuna, offshore. DND blasting continued.

The impression that the gull population was rising daily, returning en masse was not wrong. Nest site locations from last year are almost fully occupied. Pairs are standing close, pulling vegetation and starting to jockey for position with neighbours. No actual nest building has been observed yet. Canada Geese have been discouraged.

The idea that more California Sea Lions were showing up was backed up by more brands observed today and of course by the counts themselves.  Today was animal census day and results are posted below.

2016 17-Mar
River Otter 0
Northern Elephant Seal 0
Harbour Seal 131
Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 41
California Sea Lion 123
Canada Goose 0
Harlequin Duck 15
Surf Scoter 0
Common Merganser 0
Brandt’s Cormorant 40
Double-crested Cormorant ~100
Pelagic Cormorant 28
Cormorant ~50
Bald Eagle (juvenile) 9
Bald Eagle (adult) 3
Killdeer 2
Black Oystercatcher 26
Black Turnstone 42
Surfbird 2
Rock Sandpiper 0
Dunlin 0
Mew Gull 0
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs in nesting area) 486
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs outside of nesting area) 229
Thayers Gulls 10
Calfiornia Gulls 6
Western Gull 1
Common Murres 1
Pigeon Guillemot 76
Northwestern Crow 2
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 0

 

Today was a catch-up day inside and chores were routine.

Arctic Fox Nanoose Yarder 2

 

 

 

 

 

A Quiet Day (Except for the Explosions)

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As predicted, winds were light today, starting in the southwest, then switching to west, 5 – 15 knots. Although it was sunny, there was a real nip in the air first thing. The barometric pressure continued its slow rise today, reaching 1025.5 before steadying. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for more sunshine and a low of 2o C, while and winds to switch to east, 20 – 25 knots.

Several whale watching boats visited the Ecological Reserve today, stopping by South Rocks to see the sea lions and eagles. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water. A few sports fishing boats passed close by and fished outside the Protected Area. There were more explosions from across Race Passage today and it was unusual that they continued after dark.

Images of sea lions sleeping on South Rock before and after an explosion can be seen below. Three branded sea lions were photographed today; two California Sea Lions #U68 (brand on posterior) and #8240 (brand on left side) and one Steller’s Sea Lion #42DY.I remember #8240 from last fall but had not noticed him until today during this shift. There appear to be more sea lions daily.Tomorrow is census day. At dawn this morning, Alex noticed a small seal, possibly a Northern Elephant Seal and a Sea Otter on the ramp.

Forage fish were active at the surface again today; guessing that they are herring are on their way back out to offshore habitat after spawning. The fish attract the fishers and by late morning there were three adults and 12 juvenile Bald Eagles in the Protected Area. They favour sitting in large groups on South and West Rocks but they also use Great Race in a more solitary way. The Canada Geese seem to be staying away and the large number of eagles may be deterring them from feeling comfortable on Great Race.

Harlequins continue to astound and inspire with their gorgeous plumage and amazing diving abilities. All three species of cormorant Pelagic, Brandt’s and Double Crested were busy in the Ecological Reserve today. It appears that they like to forage where there are convergences and upwelling. They dry their feathers, roosting in the wind and sun on the west end of Great Race, Turbine and Middle Rocks.

Chores were routine today.

 

Under way on Nuclear Power

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There was a large roar made by ocean swells breaking and surging on the west and southwest sides of the island, at first light today. Winds abated and light southwest to west winds in the morning turned to light west in the afternoon rising to 15 to 20 knots by evening. The sky cleared by noon and stayed that way until dusk. The barometric pressure continued Monday’s trajectory, rising above 1022 hPa by mid-afternoon and holding there into the evening.. The marine forecast calls for light winds Wednesday and a few days of sunshine.

Four whale watching vessels were observed working in the Protected Area today. All four vessels went around to the outside (south) of South Rock to observe the seals, sea lions and eagles. One sports fisher was observed travelling through the reserve and dip-netting fish near the Rosedale Reef buoy. Forage fish, possibly herring seemed to be boiling up to the surface their drawing numerous eagles, gulls and cormorants.

An Articulated Tug and Barge (ATB), (barge, a loaded oil tanker), was noted outbound, this morning. When we checked for a vessel name on the Automated Information System (AIS), http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-124/centery:48/zoom:10 it did not show up on the marine traffic system neither did the tug attached to it as a pusher.

A report to the BC Ministry of Environment on the risk of oil spills in BC waters (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/main/west-coast-spill-response-study/)states that barges are not required to use AIS however their tugs should register. The report goes on to say that a spill from an ATB could exceed 25,000m3 of oil. Fuel barge movement statistics provided by Canadian Coast Guard Marine Communications Traffic Services to the 2013 BC report show over 1000 fuel barges outbound from Victoria, Vancouver, Comox and Prince Rupert and another 514 transiting Victoria alone. Why are they not required to register? There have been several near-miss incidents with these oil carriers; why not use every means possible to maximize safety and reduce risk, such as AIS?

To put things in context, a show of force was led by the USS Shoup heading out to sea, followed an hour later by a very large submarine escorted by a convoy bristling with military might and expense. The usual explosions from Rocky Point put the ar in arsenal.

Ecologically, the gulls are becoming more abundant and settled in their nesting spots. Territorial disputes are a daily occurrence now as are the calmer moments of pairs just standing together gazing at and grooming each other. The Harlequin Ducks have been busy with all the whitewater activity and take their rest on the boulder beach just southeast of the main house. Pigeon Guillemots were back for a morning visit to Great Race.

Sea lions and Harbour Seals had really good daytime sleeps today recovering from the storms.

Temporary repairs were completed on damaged roofs, as was clean-up and mopping up from the storm.

After the Blow

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The west wind dominated today, 10 -15 knots in the morning rising to 25 – 35 in the afternoon. Periods of sunshine were obliterated by purple line squalls with heavy rain. Barometric pressure rose all day and was 1012 hPa at 20:00. The outlook is for west winds 10 – 20, a 70% chance of rain and then clearing and light winds on Wednesday.

Three whale watching vessels were observed working in the Ecological Reserve today. There were two large military explosions and the picket boats were on duty near, but outside the protected area.

The Harbour Seals and Pigeon Guillemots returned in numbers today and the gulls are preparing for spring in spite of low snow on the Olympic Mountains across the strait.

Temporary patches were applied to the derrick house, boathouse and tank shed between squalls. The basement of the science house was mopped out and various window leaks in both houses cleaned up. Other chores were routine.

These two peaks in the Olympic Mountains, just east of the Elwha look a bit like Olympic Lions.

These two peaks in the Olympic Mountains, just east of the Elwha look a bit like Olympic Lions.

Sea Spray and Flying Foam

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Update at 17:40

Since writing the log the wind turned to west, southwest and came up even stronger. We have sustained gusts up to 62.7 knots. Seas are coming over the helipad and the tank-shed and boat shed roofs are being stripped off and are flying past the house. Yikes.

Sustained east, southeast winds of 30 to 40 knots, gusting to over 50, pushed seas up into breaking whitecaps this morning. Large breakers rolled down the jetty and rose up around the derrick base making seawater sampling impossible. Under heavy skies, waves crashed against the eastern face of Great Race and flying sheets of salt spray dominated the small landscape here. There was even a pocket of sea foam building up on the boulder beach and foam was flying right across the island.

Barometric pressure dropped overnight and kept going down in the morning, reaching 982 HPa by early afternoon. The highest gusts were observed late morning 53.4 knots on the Lighthouse system which we can monitor in the kitchen. Gale warnings continue and the forecast is calling for a turn to strong westerlies in the afternoon, diminishing to southwest 15 to 20 overnight. As this log is posted at ~15:00, there is no sign of it letting up and the rain has started.

It was not a day for small vessels to be out and none were seen. Pan pans on the VHF radio included an overturned Junior Flyer with a father and son (a child), clinging to the hull of the overturned vessel. Their call originated in Puget Sound and the US Coast Guard rescued them. What was that man thinking?

There is obviously a great deal of mixing going on in the sea, with all the wind and wave energy churning things. That means spring phytoplankton blooms are still some time away and early herring spawns may produce larvae that go hungry. Stratification (stable layering of the water) becomes possible when less dense surface waters (warmer, less salty, or both), float on top of denser seawater (saltier, colder or both). That layering in surface waters gives some stability for growth of photosynthetic plankton that drive the food chain and rely on light. Light levels are returning, there are lots of nutrients, so as soon as it calms down for a while there should be a plankton ‘bloom’.

On the bottom, microscopic Bull Kelp ‘plants’ are starting to grow now. They will be full size by July after phenomenal  growth fuelled by sunlight and nutrients. A few ‘old growth’ Bull Kelp were visible today, silhouetted through the waves on breaking reefs; for brief seconds as the waves crested, they stretched out fully vertical. Bull Kelp clings with tenuous holdfasts anchored through storms and calm. They are considered to be an annual species and don’t generally last much more than a year so the ones still here are very hardy.

The wild goose chase continued today as if the weather wasn’t enough to ward them off. It was too windy for the eagles and the gulls were hunkered down in nooks and hollows head into the wind in order to stand their ground against the wind. A few of the larger sea lions managed to haul out mid day. It looked too difficult (and dangerous) for the smaller animals that were seen cavorting in the waves. Again there was no sign of seals or guillemots.

Landing would have been impossible today. Even at low tide, big breakers were sweeping the jetty. Chores were routine as wind and spray permitted.

Like the farm of the same name 'Wind Whipped'.

Like the farm of the same name ‘Wind Whipped’.

 

 

 

Rest and Recovery: The Lull

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Friday and Saturday were both calmer days, with light winds and a mix of cloud and sun. The barometric pressure dropped slowly all day Friday and then wobbled back up today to ~1001 hPa where it holds as this entry is posted at 19:00. There is a warning for central Juan de Fuca Strait, calling for ‘Gale’ force winds of 34 to 47 knots east to southeast. At dusk there were large thunder clouds dropping heavy rain, moving towards Sooke.

With the warning in place and the last storm a fresh memory, there were few small vessels seen on the horizon yesterday and today. Only two vessels were observed within the Ecological Reserve boundaries today. One was a speeding sports-fishing boat heading for Victoria. It passed remarkably close to the small reef that just shows above the surface, west of North Rock. The other was also a sporty boat equipped for salmon and halibut. It passed through Middle Channel very slowly, against the flood.

The Strait was busy with marine traffic including four RoRos, (roll-on, roll-off, car carrying vessels with a capacity of ~6,000 vehicles each), in a steady procession outbound. The cable laying ship was inbound as was the tanker Argent Sunrise amongst many others coming and going.

On Great Race, the Glaucous-winged Gulls are back in force, pairs occupying their favourite spots in shiny new plumage. The gull count today was 340 including ~25% juveniles and an estimated 125 paris of adults. One Western Gull and a few California Gulls were amongst the mix. Every time a bald eagle passes over, all the gulls lift off as though raising their collective hat in respect. The two birds observed killed by eagles, to date, on this shift, were both cormorants. They are not such skilful flyers as the gulls and probably easier to pick off.

Harbour Seals missing in action during the last census; have returned to their haul-outs and today’s count was 97 individuals. The Pigeon Guillemots returned this morning as well (~75) but were all gone by early afternoon.

Remnants of the heritage lighthouse gardens are blooming everywhere right now and the rich green growth is a draw for Canada Geese.

Went ashore yesterday for first time this shift. Picked up Alex and supplies. The visit is timely on many fronts. Chores were much more than routine today and it is really great to have good company.