Author Archives: Garry Fletcher
Spinus tristis :American Goldfinch–The Race Rocks Taxonomy
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- This male American Goldfinch in winter plumage was here eating thistle seeds today.
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- Nice winter plumage colours of this little male American Goldfinch.Spinus tristis
Ann Stewart, Race Rocks Ecoguardian, took these pictures of the American goldfinch ( Spinus tristis) in its winter plumage and posted them in her log of today’s date. This is the first record for this species on Race Rocks The brown nape and bright colours suggest that it is a male. This is at the extreme northern range for these birds at this time of year. Race Rocks serves as a valuable stopover for the migration of many birds, so we assume it was on its way across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Spinus
Species: S. tristis
Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomyand Image File |
 The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. |
6-spot the Harbour seal Observed at RR since 2008
6-spot the harbour seal observed by Pam Birley on the rock by the jetty October 9, 2015
A record for long term observation has occurred with Pam Birley of Lesteshiire England observing over a period of 7 years a certain harbour seal she named 6-spot because of the distinctive markings. Oddly enough she often gets an image of it from the remote camera 5 in the fall as it lies on the same flat rock near the Jetty. You can see some of her other observations of it at https://www.racerocks.ca/pam-birley-photo-records/
Pam sent the picture with the note: “Hi Garry, YES….it is 6-spot !!!! I got a good clear view this morning as it lay basking below Cam 5. Here is a picture. First seen 2008 I believe, that makes it seven years !!! I love it !!!! Pam
Christine and Guy end the summer term at Race Rocks
Our thanks to Christine and Guy Ouradou for serving as Ecoguardians at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve through July and August. They have worked at many aspects of keeping the island system up and running and leading on maintenance and repairs. We would like to send a few of their favourite barking sea lions with them as they leave for home in France, but luggage restrictions are getting tough these days.
Problems with some links on the website
On Aug 29 we are having problems with the website.. currently only parts of it will work… come back again in a few hours.–8:00 PM -still working on it—-
Aug 30 UPDATE: The service provider has updated the database and has unfortunately made it so that I have to remove wp/ from every picture,page and post link.. this may take some time to work down through the various levels of the website, so thanks for your patience.
Aug 31 update: Most of the links are working right now after I finally got a support person of the service provider who figured it out.
Garry
Families of past lightkeepers visit Race Rocks
Courtney providing the transportation, along with Garry Fletcher took two sets of lighthouse keeper’s family members, the Robert Lundy Family and a branch of the (first light keeper ) George N.Davies family for a prearranged visit to Race Rocks today. They left archival documents and photos; and are sending more to add to the web pages;
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- Three Generations including a great-great-great-grandson of George Davies and James Davies.
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- Grant Meyer and son and his uncle and aunt.
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- Bob Lundy’s daughter Caitlin, wife Vicki, and son Sean.
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- Sean Lundy and friend Rob Bellevia view the sea lions at the jetty.
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- The family of Bob Lundy, Junior keeper 1977-1980. Bob passed away in 2006
Squall featured in BC Magazine, Winter 2014
This photograph taken at Race Rocks by Alex Fletcher in January 2012 was featured in the British Columbia Magazine Winter 2014. This female elephant seal (Squall) was born at Race Rocks and was successful in leaving theisland without injury.
Balaenoptera acutorostrata: Minke Whale–The Race Rocks Taxonomy
Minke whales are being seen more frequently in recent years off Race Rocks . See the posts on Minke whales sighted from the Ecological Reserve.
(We are still waiting for a picture of whales in the Ecological Reserve.)
For reporting Minke whales, go to the Northeast Pacific minke whale project.
The BC Cetacean Sightings Network has a good description and images:
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Eutheria
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Mysticeti
Family: Balaenopteridae
Genus: Balaenoptera
Species: B. acutorostrata
Other Members of the Class Mammalia at Race Rocks.
| Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File |
| The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. |
Seawater Data : Salinity and Temperature July 2015
Station Race Rocks Lightstation
Month :July
Year:2015
Observer Lester B. Pearson College UWC
| Date | Time | Sea | Jar | Hydro- meter No. | Observed Density | YSI Salinity | YSI Temp °C |
| Temp. | Temp. | ||||||
| °C | °C | ||||||
| 1 | 20:40 | 30.5 | 12.3 | ||||
| 2 | 21:10 | 30.6 | 12.2 | ||||
| 3 | 21:00 | 30.4 | 11.9 | ||||
| 4 | 21:45 | 30.5 | 11.7 | ||||
| 5 | 20:40 | 31.5 | 11.1 | ||||
| 6 | 20:35 | 31.4 | 11.2 | ||||
| 7 | 20:55 | 30.1 | 11.4 | ||||
| 8 | 19:55 | 31.2 | 11.3 | ||||
| 9 | 20:50 | 31.3 | 11.5 | ||||
| 10 | 21:05 | 30.5 | 12.0 | ||||
| 11 | 20:50 | 31.1 | 11.8 | ||||
| 12 | 21:15 | 30.2 | 11.2 | ||||
| 13 | 21:15 | 31.3 | 11.6 | ||||
| 14 | 21:00 | 31.7 | 11.7 | ||||
| 15 | 20:45 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 10,802 | 22.5 | 32.1 | 11.1 |
| 16 | 21:00 | 31.7 | 11.7 | ||||
| 17 | 20:50 | 31.6 | 11.3 | ||||
| 18 | 21:15 | 31.6 | 12.2 | ||||
| 19 | 20:55 | 31.4 | 11.9 | ||||
| 20 | 20:20 | 31.6 | 12.3 | ||||
| 21 | 19:55 | 31.5 | 12.2 | ||||
| 22 | 20:15 | 31.4 | 12.2 | ||||
| 23 | 19:30 | 31.1 | 12.5 | ||||
| 24 | 20:20 | 30.8 | 12.4 | ||||
| 25 | 20:15 | 30.7 | 12.8 | ||||
| 26 | 20:00 | 30.7 | 12.9 | ||||
| 27 | 20:45 | 30.6 | 12.9 | ||||
| 28 | 20:45 | 30.8 | 12.8 | ||||
| 29 | 21:00 | 31.2 | 12.4 | ||||
| 30 | 20:50 | 31.6 | 12.2 | ||||
| 31 | 20:50 | 31.6 | 12.5 | ||||
| Mean | 31.1 | 12.0 | |||||
| Recorded by Race Rocks Ecological Reserve Guardian for Lester B. Pearson College | |||||||
Fishers and Hunters : Stewards of the Environment?
We received a copy of this article from a Sooke newspaper in July. It never ceases to amaze me how some people can be so out of touch about conservation and species and ecosystems at risk. It seems that some think that as long as “humans have it all ” then it doesn’t matter about others with whom we share the resources of this planet.
Click to enlarge