DAILY SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY OBSERVATIONS | |||
Institute of Ocean Sciences, North Saanich, B.C., V8L 4B2 | |||
Please email monthly to Peter.Chandler@dfo-mpo.gc.ca | |||
Station | RACE ROCKS | ||
Observer | Jillian | October | |
YSI ID: | 27 | Year: 2022 | |
YSI | YSI | ||
Temp | Sal | ||
Day | Time | ºC | ppt |
1 | 18:08 | 10.2 | 32.6 |
2 | 6:55 | 9.9 | 32.7 |
3 | 8:05 | 9.9 | 32.7 |
4 | 10:12 | 9.9 | 32.8 |
5 | 11:20 | 10.0 | 32.7 |
6 | 17:00 | 10.5 | 32.0 |
7 | 13:00 | 10.3 | 32.6 |
8 | 13:45 | 10.0 | 32.8 |
9 | 14:30 | 10.0 | 33.0 |
10 | 15:00 | 10.2 | 32.8 |
11 | 16:00 | 10.0 | 32.8 |
12 | 10:00 | 10.0 | 32.8 |
13 | 16:15 | 10.0 | 32.6 |
14 | 17:20 | 10.1 | 32.4 |
15 | 18:10 | 10.3 | 32.3 |
16 | 6:30 | 9.9 | 32.6 |
17 | 7:25 | 9.9 | 32.5 |
18 | 9:57 | 10.2 | 32.2 |
19 | 15:05 | 10.7 | 31.8 |
20 | 11:30 | 10.5 | 32.0 |
21 | 14:00 | 10.4 | 32.1 |
22 | 12:40 | 10.3 | 32.2 |
23 | 13:15 | 10.3 | 32.0 |
24 | 13:45 | 10.1 | 32.2 |
25 | 14:18 | 9.6 | 32.7 |
26 | 15:00 | 9.6 | 32.6 |
27 | 16:00 | 9.5 | 32.8 |
28 | 16:10 | 9.5 | 32.9 |
29 | 16:50 | 9.5 | 32.8 |
30 | 5:30 | 9.4 | 32.9 |
31 | 6:30 | 9.2 | 33.1 |
Monthly Archives: October 2022
In Memoriam : Pam Birley
For many years we had the privilege of having many contributions to the Race Rocks website by Pam Birley of Leicestershire, England. Pam was a regular observer on our remote-controlled cameras, and she made the most observations of any outside viewer on the website. For 10 years, from 2004 to 2013, she produced a monthly set of images, which we consider to be a most valuable baseline record of the animal life at the ecological reserve during those years, https://racerocks.ca/pam-birleys-images-of-race-rocks-2004-2013/
Clicking on https://racerocks.ca/?s=Pam+Birley&submit=Search illustrates how prolific Pam was in reporting on unique as well as regular events at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. In 2005 and 2008 we were able to accompany Pam and her husband Dennis on trips to Race Rocks. She loved keeping track of activities of the sea birds and marine mammals and several times she was the first to report the birth of an elephant seal pup early in the year. We also mused that if a shingle was loose on a roof of one of the buildings, Pam would be the first to let us know.
We are so sad to hear recently of her passing and we will miss her contributions greatly
Orcas Feeding and Humpback Whales
From the moment light touched the surface of the ocean there seemed to be excitement around me. 6:55 I stood on the end of the jetty finishing up our daily salinity and temperature readings, I looked out just to see the brief moment a pod of Orca passed through the reserve and as I headed up to the house the spray of a humpback whale arose in the east. A few hours later I found myself captivated for over an hour as the T109A pod hunted and fed upon, likely a young seal that tended to be hidden within the north kelp bed to which the orca swam, jumped, herded and slapped their tails in. While hundreds of nervous sea lions popped in and out of the nearby rocks worriedly. As the meal ended they slowly made their way west out of the reserve, whilst 4 humpback whales passed back and forth through the south of Race Rocks Ecological reserve.
Weather:
-
- Sky: Clear
- Wind: East 5kts
- Sea: Calm
- Visibility: 10 nautical miles due to haze from smoke
Weekly Census:
- Steller/Northern sea lions: 768
- Female Stellar/Norther sea lion: 2
- California sea lion: 1257
- Female California Sea lion: 1
- Harbour seals: 53
- Black oystercatchers: 14
- Cormorants: 127
- Glaucous-winged gulls: 334
- Juveniles Glaucous-winged gulls on Great Race Rock: 5
- California Gull: 48
- Hermanns Gull: 5
- Harlequin Duck: 1
- Black turnstones: 41
- Fox Sparrow: 4
- Surfbirds: 2
- Raven: 1
- Elephant Seal (female): 2
- Humpback Whale: 4
- Orca (T109As): 6
Visitors:
- Students from Marine Sciences at Pearson College visited throughout the week.
- Greg and Cedric delivered water along with another.
- Dan from IT with another, worked on our internet connections (Sept.30)
Facility Work:
- Cleaned solar panels
- Cleaned windows
- Electric fence repairs has become 3 times a day.
- Rewired sections of electric fence
- Built some bracing for electric fence posts
- Ran Generator for a few hours to top up batteries.
- Treated stairs
- Removed 2 Flashers that had been entangled on sea lions and got stuck in rocks.
Vessel Traffic:
- Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going by daily.
- Many small recreation fishing vessels drift through observing wildlife.