Monthly Archives: May 2022

Gull with bands

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Weather: the storm blew itself out and today the sun shone and the wind was 1 to 3 knots from the west

Visitors: at least 10 ecotourism boats through Race Passage today and probably more that I didn’t see as I am packing to leave. All were respectful. One I asked to slow down as the boat entered and he did. (In the time I wrote this 3 more boats have come by!)

Observations: with the wind calm and the ocean calm I was able to observe the sea otter hanging out with the seals. Also there were 12 Harlequin ducks and a return of the surf birds. Still no turnstones. I photographed a western gull with leg bands and reported it to the right place (with Ann Nightingale’s help) so we should hear about it’s history soon.

tagged gull

The intertidal was glorious today. I saw more starfish. None of them looking healthy. By that I mean they all looked limp. One obviously dead.

Greg is on his way to pick me up so I will wheelbarrow my belongings to the dock. What an amazing adventure every trip to Race Rocks is! I think of all the work that has gone into protecting these rocks and I am so grateful for it! Thank you Garry Fletcher and Pearson College. And thanks to Greg who goes above and beyond to make each Ecoguardian feel comfortable (and we are a strange bunch). I also read notes from previous ecoguardians and saw how knowledgeable many of them are. If you have time read Anne Stewart’s notes. A marine biologist, naturalist extraordinaire and wonderful teacher. I realize now that she is also a writer.

This was a quick trip to fill in unexpectedly because of an emergency. I did luck out with mid day low tides, a gale and a beautiful summer day.

 

Census, elephant seal D018 returns

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Weather: wind mostly westerly averaging 30 to 40 k/hr sunny most of the day

Visitors: no boats braved Race Rocks today, after the storm yesterday the swell was still big, the wind strong all day and the tidal variation caused fast currents

Addendum: at around 8 pm a ecotourism boat came through for a beautiful sunset run. Cold and windy but clear.

Census,

 

Although not the ideal day for the census as the winds were still very strong and I think the lack of small birds may be due to that, no sparrows, no turnstones and no shorebirds, but Greg is taking over from me and he will have his hands full doing island maintenance so I thought I would help out in this way.

Elephant seals 6

A large male (compared to the 3 young ones on the island) showed up today. His tag reads D018 and he has been here several times. The last record I can find of him is 2020. But he did come in 2019 and 2018. I have contacted Patrick Robinson and look forward to hearing more of his history. A small female also arrived. Her skin is in bad shape. I believe it is more than moulting but we can see how she fares the next few days if she stays around.

D018

Newly arrived small female with skin condition

Gulls  421

Seals 66

California sealions 17

Stellar 10

Canada Geese 14, currently 3 active nests

Pigeon guillemots 136

Cormorants 34

Harlequin ducks 6

Oyster catchers 6

River otter 1 on the grass by the crane

It was a mid day low tide of .4 metres. The westerly was strong and there was some swell. The tidepools and spring seaweed growth were phenomenal. Here are a few pictures.

Codium and isopod

Henricia

WIND!! Gusts up to 93 km/hour

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Morning rainbows

Today was all about the weather. At 6:30 a.m. the wind speed was 0. I was surprised as the reports warned of high winds. It had rained in the night so I decided to wash the solar panels. By the time I finished the wind had arrived. It didn’t let up all day. North east to Northwest to Westerly probably averaged 30 km/hour but gusts constantly above 60 km. I read on the news that Race Rocks recorded the highest winds on southern Vancouver Island at 93 km/hour. The sky was mostly clear. Constant rainbows for 2 hours in the morning.

Visitors: none

Maintenance: solar panels cleaned, too windy for outdoor work

Energy: enough sun to charge batteries

Observations: I was hoping for this wind to blow a new bird to Race Rocks  but not yet. I did see a couple of swallow like birds. They were moving too quickly to identify.

Before the wind

More Spring Activities

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Ecological Notes:

  • 6  Elephant Seals, including this years pup

  • Although they have been courting for a while, starting to see the first of the gulls actually making nests

  • I thought the Canada Geese were done with nests for the season, but found this hidden nest after moving a propane tank

  • The Oyster Catchers are starting to protect there chosen nest areas, and are really vocal and aggressive to anything coming near.

  • A lifetime on the ocean for me, and the first time I saw one of these ….. A Lancet fish. He was looking physically good, but having trouble swimming and kept coming in to the shore … I got in the water and walked him out and did a fisherman’s revive for about 15 minutes, then he finally swam away …. Not sure if he’ll make it, but still worth the effort!

Facility Work:

  • Attempted to replace the pressure pump for the desalinator, but something is not right and we decided to bring in the pump professional.

DND events:

  • 3 separate days of detonations

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • More private, and commercial ecotourism vessels visiting.

 Noted Infractions:

  • One large Ecotourism Vessel entered the reserve a little fast, but this was a vessel that is normally exemplary in their behavior, so probably a temporary oversight. Discussed it informally with a manager from the company.

Weather Events:

  • Again, quite the mix of spring weather

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

A Quick Return

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After finishing my term at Race Rocks on April 19, there was an unexpected schedule change and I was asked to return on April 30. It took a little quick re-arranging, but I was able to help  out!

Always a relaxing view

 

Ecological Notes:

  • 5 Elephant Seals on land, 4 in the process of molting.
  • This year’s only surviving pup is still around with occasional 1 or 2 day ventures out and back

  • Although the adult  Canada Geese are still around, there is only one pair still sitting on a nest. No other chicks around.
  • There are a few sealions returning to the ramp area, but none are hauling out on the actual rocks they normally do … and they all seem very nervous. Just speculation(!), but they all left the main island rock the day the Orca hunted one just of the island.

Visitors:

  • One of the previous Ecoguardian’s friend came out for a quick visit when we were doing the exchange.

Facility Work:

  • More path cleaning, fence repairs and general maintenance.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Gradual increase in the volume of Eco-Tourism vessels coming to the reserve, depending on wind direction.
  • A few  kayaks and even some sailboats making their way around the island.

 Feature Event:

  •  When I was here last time, I designed and prototyped some simple electric fence connectors. The ideas was for something fast and simple to use when the weather was bad, or to quickly secure the fence, followed by the ability to return later and re-enforce it with a wired secure.
  • The ones installed 3 months ago were all in place, so I have made some more. They are made with plant-based resin, and most likely, they will always be replaced before they fail completely.

  • Also making some gifts for co-workers, and teaching props while I have a printer here with me.

Weather Events:

  • The full range of late spring weather and temperatures. Wind days up to 50 knots,a and some shorts and t-shirt days mixed in.

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?