Monthly Archives: March 2025

Wildlife Census

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This week the highlight was definitely the lightning storm! This is the only time we’ve seen lightning on Race Rocks, and it was very cool to see it. Over there. Not hitting the lighthouse.

We still have a resident female Elephant Seal! She goes to sea most nights and returns in the morning. We like the idea of her munchin’ on animals all night long, and that would align with the crazy amount of pooping she’s been doing. Typically Elephant Seals have very few excretions while on land, but this lady has been painting the town orange.

Very few Whale Watching boats this week, and the California Sea Lions decided to spend the week elsewhere, maybe munching on all those spawning herring up island?

Mammals:

  • Stellar Sea lions: 27
  • California Sea lion: 10
  • Harbour Seal: 16
  • Northern Elephant Seal: 1

Birds

  • Gulls: 64
  • Cormorants: 157
  • Eagle: 4 Adult, 4 Juvenile
  • Turnstones: 55
  • Canada Geese: 7 – 3 breeding pairs
  • Oystercatcher: 16

   

Wildlife Census

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It’s been a BEAUTIFUL spring!

We had a Pearson Graduate come out to visit Race Rocks and hear all about the shenanigans the students got up to 20 years ago. That was GREAT! Thank you so much for visiting Professor J!

We had the female Elephant Seal from ‘Middle Rocks’ move over to Race Rocks to take up residency in the front yard, bellowing up a storm. She sat on the boat ramp at night and bellowed all night long, and we were greeted with a second female Elephant Seal in the morning! Pretty interesting to think they might call each other into safe haul-outs.

A new female joined for a few days of intense napping.

Our resident female loves snugglin’ flowers.

We also got that Transient pod of Orca visiting again (likely T041) hunting around South Seal Rocks and Middle Rocks, followed by some playing in the rapids of Middle Channel. While we didn’t see exactly what they caught, there was a bunch of blood to looks like they were successful.

 

Cruising close to the rocks looking for a tasty sea lion.

I do find it funny the Sea Lions get in the water when the Orca approach. Clearly they are more agile than I give them credit.

Spring is sprung, the gulls are getting ready to nest and the geese are in the heat of battle for the ultimate nesting areas.

Mammals:

  • Stellar Sea lions: 25
  • California Sea lion: 75
  • Harbour Seal: 10
  • Northern Elephant Seal: 2
  • Transient Orca: 5 T041

Birds

  • Gulls: 165
  • Cormorants: 157
  • Eagle: 2 Adult, 2 Juvenile
  • Turnstones: 16
  • Canada Geese: 5 – 2 breeding pairs
  • Oystercatcher: 10
  • Pigeon Guillemots: 44

Wildlife Census

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We’ve been hearing Elephant Seal vocalizations at night, but haven’t seen anyone lurking around on the boat ramp. After taking the Race Rocks boat ‘Neighbor’ for a rip we spotted this cutie hiding at the summit of Middle Rock. Courtney used the ‘socketed’ pectoral flipper to differentiate the elephant seal from the surrounding sea lions. After that she started making visits to the boat ramp first thing in the morning. Not pregnant, didn’t give birth, just hanging around.

Female Elephant Seal wallowing at the jetty.

Female Elephant Seal complaining about the noise at Middle Rocks to the NW.

We also got a California Sea Lion hanging out next to the crane with a red flipper tag on his right flipper. We haven’t been able to figure out what this tag identifies yet.

California Sea Lion with a red tag in his ‘flipper-pit’.

 

No number or identification, just a red clip.

 

The coveted ‘end of the jetty’ position is all about leverage, and not letting anyone new join the party.

Mammals:

  • Stellar Sea lions: 126
  • California Sea lion: 153
  • Harbour Seal: 48
  • Northern Elephant Seal: 1

Birds

  • Gulls: 45
  • Cormorants: 38
  • Eagle: 1 Adult, 2 Juvenile
  • Turnstones: 14
  • Canada Geese: 5 – 2 breeding pairs
  • Oystercatcher: 22
  • Pigeon Guillemots: 26

Boats

  • Recreation Salmon Fishing: 18
  • Tourism: 4
  • Sailboats: 4

Weather must be improving as we’re seeing more sailboats cruising around the Juan de Fuca.

The Stellers diminished this week and started using the fringes after the sea lion pileup from last week.

I try to remember to include the Bald Eagles, they’ve been pretty lazy these days.

Kayaking the rapids at Race Rocks looks pretty fun.

A log kept bumping into her butt and making her angry. Hard life of an Elephant Seal.