Monthly Archives: April 2024

Me Again!

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After 5 long weeks on the mainland…I’M BACK! I was counting down the days and I could not be happier to be back on this wonderful little rock.

The first thing I noticed on arrival was how lush it’s become in the past month, new pink, white, and purple lowers have bloomed and the grass and plants seem to have exploded everywhere.

While I am slightly disappointed that the male elephant seal is no longer here, I was very excited to meet the 4 females that were lounging in the grass outside the main house. They all appear to be different ages and have lots to yell about.

My next “welcome back” greeting came from T49A1 Noah as he passed by along the outskirts of the reserve. Just when I thought that a killer whale greeting couldn’t be topped I spotted Ollie the sea otter drifting and grooming in the kelp near Middle Rocks.

 

Could my first day back have been any better?!

Here are changes I’ve noticed (so far) since the end of March:

  • More kelp beds
  • Less pigeon guillemots, turnstones, and oyster catchers (will confirm with tomorrow’s census)
  • More plants and flowers on the main island
  • More sunlight! I’m looking forward to more solar and less generator use!
  • Increase in ecotourism vessels

Today’s facility work was minimal as I’m just settling back in, however I did complete the month end report which helped me get up to speed on fuel and water inventory on site.

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

Seawater Data April 2024

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DAILY SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY OBSERVATIONS
Institute of Ocean Sciences, North Saanich, B.C., V8L 4B2
Station: RACE ROCKS
Observer: Multiple April
YSI ID: 23 Year: 2024
YSI YSI
Temp Sal
Day Time ºC ppt
1 19:48 9.0 32.2
2 21:08 9.0 32.1
3 22:46 8.8 32.2
4 n/a
5 12:10 9.1 32.2
6 12:50 8.7 32.6
7 13:45 9.0 32.4
8 14:30 8.9 32.4
9 15:00 8.9 32.3
10 15:50 8.9 32.4
11 16:30 8.8 32.6
12 17:45 9.1 32.7
13 17:15 9.1 32.6
14 n/a
15 19:40 8.7 32.7
16 20:00 8.9 32.5
17 20:30 9.0 32.2
18 20:45 9.7 32.0
19 12:00 9.2 32.2
20 12:28 9.4 32.4
21 12:46 9.4 32.1
22 13:12 9.6 32.1
23 13:50 9.7 32.0
24 14:14 9.4 32.1
25 14:47 9.0 32.6
26 16:48 9.2 32.6
27 16:50 8.9 33.0
28 17:26 8.8 32.9
29 18:18 8.7 33.2
30 n/a

Bird observations

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– Bald Eagles: 8 bald eagles have been staying on the rocks every morning starting on Tuesday this week: 2 adults and 6 young ones.
– Gulls: massive inflow of sea gulls on Wednesday-Thursday (+200 newcomers within 24h). They are becoming increasingly agitated.
– Geese: while there are 4 established couples, a single one hangs by the lighthouse, on its own.

Wednesday Census – April 24

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Mammals:
– 4 elephant seals, all females, one tag: L334
– 10 steller sea lions, mostly on the northeast rock
– 17 california sea lions mostly around the jetty
– 58 harbor seals

Birds:
– Gulls: 500+ (about 270 in the morning and more than 500 later in the day, lots of newcomers on that day)
– Cormorants: 120
– Canada Geese: 9 Geese. Only 6 eggs this week, all in the same nest by the house. No visible eggs for the other 3 couples. Gulls have been feasting on them, no eggs left.
– Bald Eagles: 8 (2 adults + 6 youngs), mostly on the seals’ southern rock.
– Black Turnstones: 21
– Surfbirds (brownish): 2
– North western crow: 1
– Sparrows: 18
– Barn Swallow (orange belly): 1
– Black Oystercatcher: 6
– Pigeon Guillemot: 85
– Harlequin Duck: 15

Ecoguardian Change-over day

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FRIDAY 19 April CHANGE-OVER DAY
Sunny with brisk breeze. 7C NE 18/gusts33
6.30 AM Observed 9 Steller, 3 Cal plus two young (or females?) on Welcome Rock (near jetty).
Five Elephant seals. Gulls still at rest. Very odd to see no guillemots in sun from north window.
Early detonation on DND.
Housekeeping: The usual bath/floors/fridge. Wiped window casings and sills of new windows;
swept baseboards; cleaned light switches and cabinet pulls.

Flowers bloooming

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Eco-guardians Allen and\ ilka Olsen

THURSDAY 18 April
Clear and sunny with brisk breeze. Numerous VHF warnings of CA warship conducting
ammunition firings. DND detonating explosives. Continued to view wildlife and vegetation.
Calendula beginning to bloom; flowering beach pea (Lathyrus japonica) on stump battered by
gale. Magnificent display of brodiaea along west house foundation. Found that the invasive
sedum is supported on sealion felt; beginning to invade grass.
Good recovery of grasses and other greens.
Chopped wood/filled stove box and cleaned area; filled batteries; finished with solar panel
wash.
Not a single wildlife tour boat.

Animal Census April 17, 2024

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WEDNESDAY 17 April CENSUS DAY
Calm & sunny. Wind N6/18 gusts mid-morning.
Began count on tower at 6.30 to count especially gulls while still mostly at rest.
Vessel Traffic: At any time, 5-8 freighters including what looks to be super tankers. CA naval
patrol vessel. 8-10 fishers out at all time of day. May be after prawns as some floats visible. Not
a single tour vessel!
DND detonated explosives 4 times; one blast shook windows.
Facility Work: Cleaned solar panels; attached hose from student bldg.
Began sawing/splitting wood but again interrupted by E seals near by.
Cleaned/rearranged kitchen drawers; cleaned top of fridge
Cleaned out freezer
Census Count
Mammals: Sealion 43
Steller 12
California 31
Seal 77
Elephant seal 5
Birds: Gull 1531
Guillemot 150
Oystercatcher 8 (4 pair)
Bald eagle 2 (1 adult; 1 immature; 7 immature on 18 th )
Harlequin 27
Cormorant 100
Scoter white wing 7
Dunlin 4
Turnstone 6
Surfbird 5 (10 seen on 15 th )
Savanah sparrow 1
Golden-crowed kinglet 1 (seen 13-14th)
Junco 1 (seen on 15th)
Crow 1
Canada goose 8 (4 pair: drilled 3 eggs)

Moulting Elephant seals

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Eco-guardians Allen and  ilka Olsen

TUESDAY 16 April
Winds have lessened but still brisk and; cool out—West 14/gust 24—mid-afternoon.
Continue to go up tower to prepare for census day tomorrow. I’ll dispense with today’s count
as nothing extraordinary spotted except 4 dunlin and possibly 6 Cassin auklets (too swift for pic).
Birds are definitely pairing and prepping for nesting. Found a dead sealion on east shore well
along in decay.
Two additional moulting E seals came ashore; total now 5. Some vocalize frequently.
Of interest was the vessel traffic: HMCS frigate towed along south shore of Bentick to
Quarantine Cove. One likes to think that the two towing tugs have a lower carbon footprint
than the engine on frigate. Four detonations from DND. Spill Response vessel cruised by. Five-
7 freighters transversing at any time; several cruise ships. Number of wildlife tour boats
definitely correlate to number cruise ships in harbour.
Facility Work: Gathered, split and stacked wood, Washed windows.

 

Animal Census April14

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by Eco-guardians Allen ilka Olsen MONDAY 15 April
Still windy. What a difference a day makes! At 7.15 only a single sealion on jetty (mature male
Cal); only 11 sealions on rocks near jetty/nine relocated to Middle Rocks. The ‘Two Sisters’
moulting Elephant seals separate but reunited and tucked into vegetation for wind protection.
Single moulting Elephant seal inactive most of day. The seal reported by Joan last week to Van
Aquarium not seen again.
Lots of freighter traffic—7 at once. Now watching for HMCS Max Bernays, new arctic patrol
vessel, to arrive at Esquimalt @1030. Failed to see its arrival, however a navy frigate was
observed. As well, US Coast Guard. Only one private vessel came in the turbulent seas.
Maximum flood today extremely dramatic with standing waves.

Cormorants and guillemots feeding in north water. Immature eagle on rocks next to jetty
keeping 50 guillemots from favourite, sunny east-facing perch. 20 Oystercatcher on seal rock
this morning; 10 surfbird; 6 Harlequin
Spent windy day (41 W/62 gusts) observing animal behaviour (and later in week):
1. Sealion— 18 mostly Cals have remained on rocks near jetty. 25 mostly Stellers have
relocated to Middle Rocks. On Saturday observed 18-20 sealions in water west & near
South Islands all day simply floating; occasionally one would swim staying nearby. They
remained there until dark but were gone Sunday morning. Observed this behaviour with
8 on Wed; group would occasionally go into herding mode.
2. Elephant seal—Moulting large females (?) very attached to each other; one observed
grooming/rubbing itself on the one less advanced in its moult. One quite vocal when
separated from the other. Youngster stays completely away from The Sisters (so
named by Joan).
3. Stellers roar; Cals bark; E seals honk/snore/growl/trumpet (played poorly).
4. Oystercatcher—single bathing in inter-tidal pool.
5. Surfbird—10 bathing in inter-tidal pool.
6. Eagles—three immature perched shoulder to shoulder on Turbine Rock; three more
immatures shoulder to shoulder on West Rock. Odd behaviour. A single elsewhere.
7. Cormorants leave the Rock each evening to roost (on DND land?) and return in droves in
early morning.