| Station Race Rocks Lightstation | |||||||
| Month: August | Year: 2016 | ||||||
| Observer Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific | |||||||
| I had to enter the values in myself (there was no spreadsheet on the computer) so I am hopeful that I was able to read all of Guy et Christine’s vague handwritten numbers. | |||||||
| Date | Time | Sea | Jar | Hydro- meter No. | Observed Density | YSI Salinity | YSI Temp °C |
| Temp. | Temp. | ||||||
| °C | °C | ||||||
| 1 | 21:00 | 30.3 | 12.4 | ||||
| 2 | 20:00 | 30.7 | 12.0 | ||||
| 3 | 19:00 | 30.1 | 12.2 | ||||
| 4 | 19:30 | 30.5 | 12.6 | ||||
| 5 | 17:39 | 31.2 | 12.1 | ||||
| 6 | 18:15 | 31.1 | 12.0 | ||||
| 7 | 18:20 | 30.9 | 11.9 | ||||
| 8 | 19:10 | 31.2 | 12.0 | ||||
| 9 | 19:45 | 30.7 | 12.7 | ||||
| 10 | 20:00 | 30.9 | 12.4 | ||||
| 11 | 20:10 | 30.6 | 12.8 | ||||
| 12 | 21:20 | 30.3 | 13.3 | ||||
| 13 | 20:00 | 29.6 | 13.1 | ||||
| 14 | 20:45 | 29.2 | 13.3 | ||||
| 15 | 21:00 | 30.1 | 13.0 | ||||
| 16 | 20:30 | 30.1 | 12.9 | ||||
| 17 | 19:30 | 30.3 | 12.7 | ||||
| 18 | 18:50 | 30.5 | 13.3 | ||||
| 19 | 18:30 | 30.7 | 13.3 | ||||
| 20 | 17:30 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 10,802 | 1.0230 | 31.5 | 12.5 |
| 21 | 17:30 | 31.6 | 12.1 | ||||
| 22 | 19:00 | 31.4 | 12.3 | ||||
| 23 | 18:30 | 31.2 | 12.4 | ||||
| 24 | 19:20 | 31.2 | 12.4 | ||||
| 25 | 20:05 | 31.2 | 12.6 | ||||
| 26 | 20:15 | 30.9 | 12.5 | ||||
| 27 | 20:40 | 30.7 | 12.4 | ||||
| 28 | 20:15 | 30.9 | 12.3 | ||||
| 29 | 17:10 | 31.1 | 12.4 | ||||
| 30 | 17:00 | 31.1 | 12.3 | ||||
| 31 | 15:05 | 31.6 | 11.9 | ||||
| Submitted monthly to: Inst. Ocean Science, P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, B.C. V8L 4B2 | |||||||
| Recorded by Race Rocks Ecological Reserve Guardian for Lester B. Pearson College | |||||||
Monthly Archives: August 2016
Visitors : 1st year students came for the first time
Weather
On this beginning of the week we had a calm weather,light wind and clear days with a pretty good visibility.most of the time. Air and water temperature are going down to 15 degrees on Thursday and the barometric pressure is moving down a little ,now around 101.5 .We got some very welcome rain.
Ecological
Rain cleaned the rocks a little and the marigold came back nicely. It’s still a smelling place but a better one.We count now 23 dead birds and the last found ones from territorial fights.
Visitors
This is the highlight of the week.The students came from all around the world . What a pleasure for us to introduce them to this magical world…and guess what: happened the non expected :When a group of them was here, some Orcas, 3 of them came around and inside the passage. They jumped like never before and even the whale watchers vessels had to stay outside (they did) . Our students were the only one present for a true show. Just amazing! We managed to get some pictures but they were already far from the rock.
Maintenance
Wood all organized for Winter. Water sampling house deeply cleaned and new carpet put in. Bathroom window locker changed.Electrical line repaired.
Boats
Many whale watchers around even before the sunset and the night.Plane over 2 times.
Branded sea lion
Pam Birley took this image on the remote camera today of a branded sea lion.. see other posts about branding here.
A very windy Saturday: 43 knots
Weather
It has been a very windy day on the 27th ,so surprising in August and after a few calm weeks. Anyway if it was windy it was sunny too and the spectacle around was just stunning!
At 7:30AM the wind was already at 37 knots . It went down later in the morning to 28 knots but picked up soon to 41 and 43 knots before 5:00PM and stayed strong late in the evening 35.5knots at 8:20 PM when I went for the water sampling.
Ecological
If you look at the solar panels condition every morning those days, you must deduct that the waters around are really fishy…they are so sticky and dirty! and actually you can spot flocks of white birds on the sea.We have more and more sea lions on Main and around . they are almost everywhere. Not so many birds steady on the rocks . Almost all young one are flying but some are still dependant of their adult parents .No more elephant seal. no more Pigeon -guillemots but many turnstones…We cannot go anymore in the intertidal zone …it’s the sea lions territory. When I went to do the water sampling I had the surprise to find a “Bernard l’hermite “swimming in the jar. I bring it back to the ocean ! 2 more bodies of gulls for a total of around 20.
Maintenance
Guy need to reorganize the electrical lines 2 times a day at least . They destroyed everything ,especially around the jetty
This week we had some problem with the generator . New one is coming soon.
Other
Always many whale watcher and a specific one is speeding all the time ! Frustrating situation! and a plane was over.
Busy week
Weather
The whole week we had a very light wind , a flat and calm sea . Perfect hot Summer days…Almost no wind,sometimes from east. and a very good visibility from 15 to 30 miles
Ecological
Census
Sea lions :320
Harbour seals:82
Seashore birds:15
Eagles:0
River otters:1 ( dead chicken found)
Elephant seals:0
Geese :16(quickly gone )
Pigeon-guillemots:0
Oystercatchers :2
Cormorants :1 seen around North Rock
We saw some branded Sea lions :8101 and 2 others and I spot one with a huge swollen eye !
Maintenance
We had some problem with the inverter 2 which went off and gave as a consequence no electricity in the guest house so no more phone and internet on the Rock . Guy uninstalled the whole system and Kyle came early before a meeting at the college and they reinstalled the whole thing.The generator and desalinator have been on. the soft water tank filled up to full.and Guy chopped more wood. He needs to reinstalled the electrical line almost everyday especially the one close to the main house . The Sea lions fight so much to get the good spots in the evening that they fall on each other and on the lines Otherwise the system is working well
Visitor
Evan Guy who was working at the college since June went to spend his last night on the rocks
Other
We have been off island a lot because of some mandatory and interesting meetings at the college before the beginning of the school year. Next week we will go back the routine and will welcome the new first year students for their first visit of the rock! exciting!
Windy Monday
Weather
The wind picked up to 30 knots in the middle of the night and was still 32 knots at 5:00AM and 38 at 7:30 . The visibility was over 15 miles ,clear sky ,white caps on the sea.
Ecological
The Sea lions stayed late in the morning in ,what I call the dormitory ,in fact a patch of land among the rocks. We were lucky enough to spot for the first time a few orcas closed to the shore behind the guest house. Many black turnstone in the rocks and sea lions closer and closer
Maintenance
Guy repaired the lock of the bedroom window . He changed the filter of the generator 2.and drilled and fixed a support. Everything is now working except an oil leak because of too old hoses . New ones has been ordered.
Other
The video Aziz Sowannella took on the rock is now online (Youtube ) . Thanks to him . It’s as beautiful as the place. He got the feeling of the rocks around the clock. Nice job!
Hot and calm days on the rock
Weather
Mainly the scenario is this one :high temperatures of air and water( around 13 Celsius) and calm sea. That means too, gorgeous sunset and sunrise .
Ecological
2 more dead chicken bodies found. Gulls and Sea lions are very active and the gulls are not anymore aggressive towards us.
DND activity
We were surprised on Wednesday night by a huge deflagration at 9:54 PM. The animals on the rocks around reacted strongly like us actually. The house shaked and we kept ready for the next blast for at least an hour. The following day we got this info:it was a military building demolition exercise on Bentinck island and we received from the college this other explanation:“ Numerous studies have been conducted on the potential environmental effects:Blast noise in the marine environment land demolition is almost indetectable by acoustic equipment;above that of other underwater backgrounds sounds such as waves & marine life”.We got more blast the following days but never so loud and in day time .
Eco guardian’s activity
We have been on shore from Wednesday to Friday for some training at the college: this training has been very useful at a beginning of a new school year (next week the students will be there). We were especially concerned by all the security review we got:1rst aid,fire risks ,emergency and incidents protocol etc…
Very low tides and getting ready for the invasion
Weather
Every days are a little bit the same; on Monday the 15th ,we had 20 knots at 5:00AM with a visibility over 15 miles and a choppy sea and this stayed the same to late in the afternoon where we got 33 knots and later around 30 to midnight. On Tuesday it was foggy almost all the morning,17knots at 5:00 AM, with a good visibility to 6:30AM; Air temperature 14 degrees Celsius and water around 13. Barometric pressure:101.8KPA
Ecological news
Nothing really new except that we found 2more chicken bodies for a total of 15. No elephant seals around. With those very low tides it is very interesting to discover the treasures of the
intertidal zone .
Maintenance
Guy chopped more wood ,pile almost gone. The wheelbarrow is …dead at least the wheel. The electrical fence on the jetty is settled.We will see its efficiency . This year no line on boat side ,it’s too risky for us.
Visitor
No visitor but Kyle went around with a group of marine biologists.(meeting this week at the college)
Other
Plane above.Watchers in the morning mainly
Census
Gulls: 215 + youngest :around 160
Sea lions :225
Elephant seals: 1 (old female )
Geese :0
Pigeon-guillemots : 20
Oystercatchers : 6 (3 couples)
Seashore birds: 50 blacks Turnstones
River otters:0
Harbour seals:50
Harlequin ducks:0
Eagles :0
Census and first electrical fence working
Weather
If Friday was very calm it was not the same story on Saturday and Sunday. Actually we had the same pattern of weather: wind around 20 in the morning picking up around 7:00PM getting 35 to 37 knots around 8:PM. We had some fog a big part of the day on Saturday.
Ecological
The Sea lions came back to their favorite spot on main closed to the derrick house and they slept like they would in a dormitory side by side.The birds were stressed by the wind and we had to wear our helmet…It was a continuous show around with the gulls :fly and fight ..many fights and a lot of shouting. The younger now are getting good at flying and some even left the rock.2016 nesting season is at the end. 
Maintenance
Very dirty solar panels !Thick!…I put some peat moss in the compost. Guy installed the electrical line because of the heavy concrete posts, it was a big job among the shouting birds and sea lions behind.Generator on for 12 hours; desalinator on too. Last time was 10 days ago
