Author Archives: Ann Nightingale

It’s Sea Lion Season!!

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Hey, look who’s back!  I’ve been on Race Rocks since Saturday for a quick relief stint and will be heading back to the “Big Island” on Tuesday.  This is my first trip to Race in September, and it’s very different from trips earlier in the season.

We are just about at the peak of songbird migration on Vancouver Island, so I was optimistic that I might see or hear more birds going over.  The few birds on the ground have almost all been Savannah Sparrows. There was one raven here on Sunday, but other than that, no passerines seen or heard–yet.

Savannah Sparrow

Seabird activity has been off the charts outside of the marine protected area with reports of many jaegers, shearwaters, and of course, gulls of several species. Within the Race Rocks limits, it has been variable. Upon arrival on Saturday, I estimated more than 8,000 gulls in view, most of them California Gulls.  There have been good numbers of Heermann’s Gulls, especially youngsters. The number of Glaucous-winged Gulls–the ones that breed on Race Rocks–are lower now that most of the young have dispersed. Despite scouring the flocks, I was unable to detect any less common gulls or the terns that have been spotted nearby. However, eight Brown Pelicans were nearby. They must have blown out with the wind on Saturday night! Since the grand welcoming, the gulls have spread out more throughout the area, often following the Humpback Whales and Orca that are keeping the growing number of ecotourism boats in business.

Welcoming party

Brown Pelican in the kelp

Pigeon Guillemots, one of the most abundant species earlier in the year, have moved offshore.  They will spend the winter in their pale gray and white plumage, a startling contrast to the sharp black and white with bright red feet that we see here in the summer. The shorebirds that rested here each evening in July and August are largely gone, with just a few Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, and Black Oystercatchers onsite along with a few other stragglers. There was one species I missed in August that put in an appearance.  Two Wandering Tattlers were here on Sunday and one posed for photos on Monday.

Wandering Tattler

The population that has exploded since I was last here are the sea lions. California and Steller’s stacked like cordwood all around the outskirts of Great Race and the surrounding islands. It is quite clear that they would be at the door if it weren’t for a perimeter fence that (mostly) keeps them to the outer portion of the island. The work of a September ecoguardian is largely to keep the buildings and equipment zone sea lion free!

Sea lions aplenty!

The days are getting shorter, and it feels like the winds are getting stronger. Winter is coming!

More photos from the last few days:

A Quick Week on the Rocks

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A week goes by quickly out here!  First, an update:

The branded Steller’s sea lion I reported in my last post has a history that includes a previous trip to Race Rocks. 746R was branded at Rogue Reef (Southern Oregon) on July 12, 2009.  He has been all over Carroll Isl WA, Graves Rock SE AK, Castle Rock CA, Barkley Sound BC, Race Rocks in 2016, Sucia Island WA, Ewing Isl WA and Cape Arago OR as recently as July 7 this year. This and other marked sea lions are being studied by Susan Riemer of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. If you see marked sea lions, she really appreciates hearing about your sightings.

The last few days have had all of the weather possibilities for this time of year except hot. Foggy much of the time, windy most of the rest, and sometimes foggy and windy just to change things up. No rain, but humidity in the high 90s.  I’m always struck by how different the temperatures can be just a couple of kilometres away. The wind yesterday actually broke the electric fencing tape on the jetty, which I fixed this morning.

Despite the wind, it’s been a good week for shorebirds.  Another new one for me here (but not for Race Rocks) was a Sanderling. Normally seen chasing and being chased by incoming waves on a sandy beach, they do spend some time in more rocky environments.

The thick stubby bill and “spangled” back pattern are characteristics of Sanderling

The red colouring on the neck had me hoping it might be a MEGA rarity, but it was not.

The predominant gull at Race Rocks this time of year is the Glaucous-winged Gull. They are the regular breeders in this area.  But gulls don’t necessarily stick to their own kind. When they hybridize with Western Gulls, the offspring are known as Olympic gulls.  When they hybridize with Herring Gulls, the offspring are known as Cook Inlet Gulls. There is a gull that I’ve been watching that I think may be one of the latter.

Note the white “window” in the outer primary feather

The orbital ring is orange-yellow like both the Western and Herring gulls. The iris is darker than a Herring gull and lighter than most Glaucous-winged Gulls.

I’ll be passing these and other photos on to someone more “gullible” than I am!

The Second Nature from Pearson College has been making the rounds with alumni and friends of the school. Some of them had to look hard to find us through the fog!

Thanks to Greg Dickinson and Pearson College for providing this opportunity to me again.

Visitors:

  • No visitors ashore, but several from Pearson College on boat tours around the rocks
  • Ecotourism traffic has been picking up, despite the fog.

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels daily
  • Cleaned outbuilding windows inside and out
  • Swabbed the decks at the Ecoguardian residence
  • Fixed a shock-inducing break of the electric fence on the jetty
  • Visually checked the entire run of the fence and reconnected tape blown out by high winds

More photos:

 

Aug 2 – Census surprises

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One of the reasons for doing a weekly census is to put down in writing the numbers of mammals and birds that are actually in the reserve. This gives us the opportunity to compare the results, not simply rely on memory. And that’s a good thing!  My impression on my return to Race Rocks is that there were a lot fewer gulls here than last year.  A check of a census at a similar date in 2022 shows that not to be true. The numbers are actually very similar, but down about 15% from the same period in 2021. Census records the high counts of each species observed during the day. The marine mammals, for instance are best counted at low tide when most are hauled out. The adult gulls are at their highest numbers first thing in the morning and shorebirds gather on the east beach in late afternoon. Gull chicks can be counted anytime, but are usually undercounted because of their great hiding skills. In between, the census person watches for any other birds and animals that might show themselves.

Gull chick hidden in the marigolds.

Today’s census had several surprises apart from the number of gulls. While on the jetty, I thought I caught the flash of a bird in the corner of my eye.  It was more than one. At least 3 swallows were feeding on insects in the small bay beside the jetty. I managed to get some bad photos, but good enough to identify two different Barn Swallows and one Violet-green Swallow. Later in the day, a Lesser Yellowlegs was resting with the other shorebirds, and a Parasitic Jaeger (also identified by bad photos) headed west not far off Great Race. An adult and juvenile Glaucous-winged Gull were out for a little swim.  It always amazes me to see these youngsters in the water!

Lesser Yellowlegs, possibly the first documented for Race Rocks.  First on eBird for the Race Rocks hotspot.

Out for a swim

Among the sea lions today, I found one entangled with a fishing lure. This poor animal has been her for several weeks. Another had been branded for a research study. I’ll report this number to get its history.

tagged 746R

Sea lion entangled with sports fishing tackle.

More photos below!

Census, 2 August 2023

Birds

  • Harlequin Duck                              1
  • Black Oystercatcher                       23
  • Ruddy Turnstone                            1
  • Black Turnstone                              93
  • Surfbird                                           24
  • Western Sandpiper                         2
  • Short-billed Dowitcher                     2
  • Lesser Yellowlegs                           1
  • Parasitic Jaeger                              1
  • Pigeon Guillemot                            83
  • Heermann’s Gull                             2
  • Western Gull                                   1
  • California Gull                                 120
  • Glaucous winged Gulls                 332 adults, 237 juvenile
  • “Olympic” Gull                                3 adults 3 juvenile
  • Brandt’s Cormorant                        7
  • Pelagic Cormorant                         2
  • Violet-green Swallow                     1
  • Barn Swallow                                 2
  • Brown-headed Cowbird                 2

Mammals

  • Harbour seal                                195
  • Northern (Steller’s) sea lion         79
  • California sea lion                        7
  • Sea otter                                      1

Visitors:

  • No visitors
  • Ecotourism traffic has been slow.  Several boats a day, but rarely more than one in the area at a time

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels
  • Replaced batteries in smoke, CO alarm in Student House

More photos:

** All wildlife photos taken at safe distances with high-powered zoom, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

What a difference a couple of months makes!

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Just two months ago, my arrival was met with uncountable numbers of flies and hundreds of Glaucous-winged Gulls building and tending to their nests, many with eggs. While there are still a few nests, most of the gulls are now divided into territories with adults and associated young.   It seems to me that there are fewer pairs here now than there were in June, and considerably fewer than there were a year ago at this time.  The census on Wednesday should tell an interesting story.

Overall, my impression is fewer gulls, fewer guillemots, fewer mammals (no elephant seals) and many, many fewer flies than the last two Augusts.  Fewer gulls means bigger territories, less bickering and fewer mortalities.  I have been here two full days and have only seen one dead young gull.  This contrasts sharply from the last two summers when there were many remains in the colony — a perfectly normal state of affairs. Perhaps lower productivity has meant an increase in chick survival this year.

Young Glaucous-winged Gulls enjoying some sunshine

The Western Gull I mentioned in an earlier post has produced three young. The adult pair consists of the Western and an “Olympic” gull. Olympic Gulls are a blend of Western and Glaucous-winged Gulls.  I believe the Western of this pair is the female, but since both parents provide egg incubation and chick care, I am not certain.

Western Gull keeping an eye on the three chicks.

One of the Western Gull’s chicks. This one will be an “Olympic” Gull due to its mixed heritage.

The Barn Swallows that arrived on Race Rocks this spring definitely built a nest.  With them gone now, I crept into the space where they had been going and located it.  It’s a wonderful nest, but there are considerably fewer droppings beneath it than I expected.  I think that it may have failed.  It should be left in place, though, as swallows usually return to their nests and get a head start in subsequent years. A single nest can take 600 mouthfuls of mud to create.  That’s a lot of work for small birds.

This nice nest looks a little too pristine to have been used.

Passerine numbers are small as usual.  The only songbird species I have seen so far this week is Brown-headed Cowbird, with up to five gathering in a small flock. The fact that they find each other still amazes me.  How do they know they are cowbirds?  As a brood parasite, all Brown-headed Cowbirds are raised by other species.

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Perhaps the biggest news of the week happened before I arrived.  Derek Sterling, a Race Rocks ecoguardian spending his summer guiding on Eagle Wing boats which frequently come out to Race Rocks called last weekend with the news that there was a mother sea otter with a pup just off the islands. This is fantastic, possibly a first for the area in more than 100 years! I haven’t managed to see them, but Ollie is perched in his usual spot in the kelp.

The shorebird beach in the East Bay is active in the late afternoons, with many Black Turnstones and Surfbirds, the resident Oystercatchers and a few special guests.  Since my arrival, I have seen up to four Short-billed Dowitchers, one Ruddy Turnstone, one Western Sandpiper, and one non-shorebird, a Harlequin Duck, hunkered down out of the wind there.

Four species of shorebirds: Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Western Sandpiper, and Short-billed Dowitcher

Western Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Short-billed Dowitcher

Harlequin Duck

And speaking of the wind—could someone please turn it down? Although the mornings have started out with moderate winds, by early afternoon they have increased to the level of unpleasantness, and by evenings, I feel like I am getting a taste of what winter must be like out here!

I’m here earlier in August than I have been the last couple of years, so things are understandably a little different.  Wednesday’s census should tell a more complete story.

Maintenance:

Daily maintenance includes washing all the solar panels and the windows that have taken the brunt of gulls flying by. With the winds this week, this is a considerable task!

Weather – Current:

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

 

Weather – Past:

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

Ollie, the land otter!

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I’m back for a short stint on Race Rocks, and it feels strangely like home–with some improvements.  I much appreciate the upgrade to the composting toilet! Yesterday, I  conducted a simultaneous seawatch with Daniel Donnecke at Beechey Head.  He always seems to have higher numbers of most species and more diversity, but we definitely had some overlaps yesterday. If you would like to see our respective lists for the first two hours of decent light, here are the links:
Beechey Head hour 1
Race Rocks hour 1
Beechey Head hour 2
Race Rocks hour 2

Many of the birds that appeared on yesterday’s list weren’t on today’s, as seawatch counts extend well beyond the boundaries of the reserve.  On a seawatch, you can count a bird clear across the strait, if you can identify it!

The gulls and the guillemots have been very “busy” this week. There have been a lot of double-decker moments and cloacal kissing going on. There should be a bumper crop of chicks in the next few weeks!

One surprising sightings is an apparent Western Gull nesting on the east side of the island. Although they do breed as near as the Columbia River area, they are not usual breeders in the Puget Sound/Salish Sea area.  She may well have some Glaucous-winged Gull genes in her lineage, but nothing obvious from her appearance.

Western Gull

The two highlights for me this week have been the continuation of the Barn Swallow pair.  It seemed to me that suitable mud for their nest might have been a limiting factor, but they appear to have chosen a storage cupboard on the outside of the generator building as their potential location. This is very exciting!!

Barn Swallows

The second was a great encounter with Ollie, the sea otter. Today, during census, I found him out of the water on one of the exposed rocks on the west side of Great Race.  I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see a sea otter in Victoria waters, but that bucket list item was checked off when I met Ollie several years ago.  I never even dreamed I would see him on land!  He came out to roll around in some seaweed, straighten some fur, have a little scratch, and then returned to his normal environment.

Ollie the sea otter

Census, 7 June 2023Birds

  • Bald Eagle                                       2 adult   1 juvenile
  • Glaucous winged Gulls                  412 many with nests, most nests with 3                                                                        eggs
  • Western Gull                                    1 (uncommon-not usual nester in this                                                                     area)
  • Caspian Tern                                     2
  • Brandt’s Cormorant                         55
  • Pigeon Guillemots                           139
  • Black Oystercatcher                         7
  • Barn Swallow                                     2
  • Canada Goose                                   2
  • Purple Martin                                     1 (at top of lighthouse)
  • Hummingbird sp.                               1 (probably Anna’s)

Mammals

  • Harbour seal                                 61
  • California sea lion                        10
  • Elephant seal sub adult male      1
  • Elephant seal adult female          1
  • Elephant seal pups                      1
  • Sea Otter                                       1

Visitors:

  • No visitors so far this week
  • Ecotourism traffic is building.  Several wildlife watching boats a day coming through now, sometimes multiple in the passage at once.

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels
  • Fixed basement screen door piston
  • Monitored leaking pump situation.  Attempted remedies didn’t work.

More photos:

** All wildlife photos taken at safe distances with high-powered zoom, 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?

August 24 and 25

Aside

On Wednesday, a Coast Guard Helicopter arrived with a repair crew to deal with the foghorn.  While the Glaucous-winged Gulls around the helipad were disrupted temporarily, and many California Gulls on the Middle Islands took to the air, most were back in their places within a few minutes. The marine mammals from harbour seals to elephant seals were relatively unaffected, with the exception of several Steller’s sea lions which briefly moved from the jetty area.  They returned within 10 minutes of the helicopter’s departure. Although the foghorn was given a clean bill of health in the good weather, it failed again on Thursday when the fog lasted several hours. The Coast Guard was notified.

Several branded sea lions are being seen.

A Common Raven (not common on Race Rocks) flew over the island around noon.

Census numbers show changes in the birds that have been breeding here. Most of the PIGU have moved on now that young have fledged. Likewise, GWGU numbers are dropping as young gulls take to the air.

Harbour seals and shorebirds have been adjusting to increasing presence of sea lions, with the former loafing more on the outer islets, and the shorebirds bunching up more against the rocks on the east of the island rather than on the beach.

This will be my last post as relief ecoguardian this year. It’s been a pleasure to be here again amongst the wildlife. I hope my personal project–renewal of the compost–will be appreciated by the ecoguardians who follow. For a more personal and detailed look at life as a relief ecoguardian, please check out my blog at http://nightingaleadventures.blogspot.ca

Ecological Notes:

  • The young elephant seals appear to have moved on. The alpha male continues and has started his molt, moving between the Science Building for resting and the jetty for relief.
  • Passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird and Common Raven.
  • Branded Steller’s sea lions (882R, 998E, 431Y, and 486Y) and 1 branded California sea lion (V29) were seen during census on Wednesday.  882R and a new California sea lion (U958) were seen on Thursday. The latter also visited Race Rocks in 2020.
  • Bird action on the water over the last two days, with many birds feeding on the tide lines.
  • 2 California sea lions breached the fences on Thursday Both were escorted back to the other side of the fences.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Census (Wednesday, August 24):

Mammals

  • Elephant seal: 1 (1 adult male)
  • Steller sea lion: 210 (including branded (882R, 998E, 431Y, and 486Y)
  • California sea lion: 343 (including branded V27)
  • Harbour seal: 237
  • Sea Otter: 1
  • Harbour porpoise: 14 (to the west of the reserve)

Birds

  • Black oystercatcher: 5 (4 adults 1 chick )
  • Killdeer 1
  • Black Turnstone: 85
  • Surfbird: 10
  • Common Murre: 300, plus another 550 beyond the reserve
  • Pigeon Guillemot: 28
  • Rhinoceros Auklet: 8
  • Heermann’s Gull: 2
  • California Gulls: 800, plus another 500 beyond the reserve
  • Glaucous-winged Gulls: 343 adults 141 chicks
  • Pelagic Cormorant: 1
  • Brandt’s Cormorant: 11
  • Common Raven: 1
  • Brown-headed Cowbird: 1

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Wednesday, August 24):
    • Sky: Brief period of fog in the morning, then clear
    • Wind: Variable calm-25 kts
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 18oC
  • Today (Thursday, August 25):
    • Sky: Foggy until mid-afternoon, clear and sunny to overcast
    • Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature Low  12oC, High  20oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
  • Fence line visually inspected and several posts put back into place.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

431Y remains at Race Rocks

486Y still on Race Rocks

882R branded at Rogue Reef, OR in 2011

998R still on site

Sea Otter is back in the kelp off the east side of Race Rocks.

Foghorn repair crew landing

Coast Guard crew cleaning their solar panels.

Alpha male elephant seal beginning his annual molt.

Steller’s sea lions

California Gulls circling during helicopter approach

Marine mammals were unperturbed by the helicopter.

Adult and some juvenile gulls departing as helicopter landed.

Youngsters gathered into creches when the adults left due to helicopter landing

It didn’t take long for the gulls to resume normal activities.

Alpha male elephant seal beginning his annual molt.

Alpha male elephant seal beginning his annual molt.

Alpha male elephant seal beginning his annual molt.

Brown-headed Cowbird

U958 was branded in Astoria, OR in 2015 and was previously seen at Race Rocks in 2020.

Surfbird molting from its breeding plumage.

Neck wound caused by entanglement.

Fence breach!

California sea lion branded at San Miguel Island, California in 2010.

August 22 and 23

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Both Monday and Tuesday were foggy for much of the day, as can be typical in August.  At about 11 am on Tuesday, the fog signal stopped sounding when the fog was at its most dense.  The Coast Guard and nearby marinas were notified.  Most boats have GPS and/or depth sounders so a grounding was unlikely but still a concern. It started up again at 1 pm, then off again an hour later. The Coast Guard hope to be able to come tomorrow to repair it, but in the meantime a navigation advisory has been issued.

Ecological Notes:

  • The alpha male elephant seal has been present both Monday and Tuesday, but the young female headed back to the water sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.
  • Steller’s sea lion (431Y) was seen again on Tuesday.
  • A Short-billed Dowitcher remained on East Beach on Monday.
  • An unofficial tally of sea lions during high tide on Tuesday evening produced a count of 456 (not separated by species).
  • A Common Murre was seen aground beside the jetty on Tuesday afternoon. This is an unusual behaviour for this species away from their nest site.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Monday, August 22):
    • Sky: Foggy in the early morning becoming partly cloudy
    • Wind: W 10-31 kts
    • Sea: light chop to 3′ seas
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 15oC
  • Today (Tuesday, August 23):
    • Sky: Foggy most of the day
    • Wind:   W 17-29 kts
    • Sea: moderate to heavy chop
    • Temperature Low 12 oC, High 15 oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
  • Batteries topped up on Monday.
  • Fences are being checked and downed posts reset daily.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Alpha male elephant seal and young female come nose to nose

California sea lions swim with their tails up!

Glaucous-winged Gull chicks nestled in compost

Float seen east of Great Race

Standing waves in Race Passage

Common Murre

Seal lions moving closer to the fence line

Seal lions moving close to the fence line. Downed post was picked up and straightened without causing a stampede, although the sea lions were paying close attention.

Young Glaucous-winged Gull with a “toy”

Black Turnstones have been moved inland by sea lions on East Bay beach

Sea lions on East Bay beach

Alpha male elephant seal seen from the tower

Navigational warning issued when foghorn failed

August 20 and 21

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Compost project was completed on Saturday, with incorporation of a barrel of rain/fog water from the roof as the final touch. The rainwater was heavily contaminated with gull droppings, so not useful for much, but excellent to keep the compost moist and provide nutrients. The number and aroma of sea lions is increasing, but bird diversity remains low.

Ecological Notes:

  • Only the alpha male and one young female elephant seal were seen present in the last couple of days.  The male remained in his spot alongside the science house until mid-day Sunday. One of the young females made her way to that spot Sunday morning, and was still in place at sunset.
  • Only passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird.
  • Another branded Steller’s sea lion (431Y) was seen. He was branded at Rogue Reef, Oregon in Jul 2013, and had not been reported since 2014. (Although some data is still pending.
  • Birders touring the area on Sunday found a single Common Tern, rare for this area.
  • A Short-billed Dowitcher was on East Beach on Sunday.
  • The aroma from the California sea lions and resulting flies are increasing. All  California sea lions have remained outside the fence–so far.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Saturday, August 20):
    • Sky: Overcast in the early morning becoming clear and sunny
    • Wind: W/WNW 12-29 kts
    • Sea: light chop to 3′ chop
    • Temperature Low 13oC, High 17oC
  • Today (Sunday, August 21):
    • Sky: Overcast in the early morning becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon
    • Wind:   W/WSW 9-24 kts
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 14 oC, High 16 oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
  • Compost renewal project completed
  • Fences all checked and one west of lighthouse repaired

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Brown Pelicans

Short-billed-Dowitcher

Surfbirds

Short-billed Dowitcher with Black Turnstones

Birders checking out the shorebirds in East Bay

Young Glaucous-winged Gulls and young elephant seal

Young elephant seal beside the Science Building

Harbour seal and pup

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Bonaparte’s Gull

Steller’s sea lions

Steller’s sea lions

Branded Steller’s sea lion

Steller’s sea lions

Steller’s sea lions

Steller’s sea lions

Collected rainwater makes good compost moisture!

Boards all in place and ready for compost action

Compost project – Done!

 

August 18 and 19

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The compost rejuvenation project is almost complete! The first chamber was completely emptied with the compost spread to various locations, but mainly in the hollow along the main path to the Ecoguardian’s residence. The compost still in process from the second chamber was put into the first chamber, then topped with some completed compost which can be used to cover any new materials added.  Compost from the second chamber was used to fill some voids around both residences, although it was not all used up. There remains about 1/3 of the mature compost, piled up for future removal or to cover new compostable materials. The final steps are to reattach the boards and maybe one more little thing…

Ecological Notes:

  • All three elephant seals were seen on August 18. One of the young females followed the alpha male all the way to his usual place alongside the researcher residence.  She stayed with him for about 5 hours before returning on her own to the ramp.
  • Only passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird.
  • The branded California sea lion (X759) seen Wednesday originates from Astoria, Oregon. He was branded in Feb 2017 and had not been reported away from that site after March 2017.
  • A Sooty Shearwater was seen south  of Race Rocks on Friday.
  • At least one Ruddy Turnstone remains.
  • Very quiet on the water over the last two days.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Thursday, August 18):
    • Sky: Overcast in the early morning becoming clear and sunny
    • Wind: Variable 1-21 kts
    • Sea: calm to rippled
    • Temperature Low 15oC, High 27oC
  • Today (Friday, August 19):
    • Sky: Overcast with distant morning thunderstorms. Fog in the late morning, but mostly clear in the afternoon.
    • Wind:  mostly W 3-34 kts
    • Sea: calm to 3′ chop.
    • Temperature Low  13oC, High  21oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
  • Chimney at the ecoguardian house cleaned on Thursday
  • Fence east of lighthouse repaired
  • Compost renewal project continues and is near the end.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Young elephant seal following adult male

Adult elephant seal and young female next to the researcher residence

Pigeon Guillemot

Brandt’s Cormorant

California Gull

Sunset from the researcher residence, with gull embellishment on the windows.

Compost being used to fill previous hoes and trenches.

Compost bin 1 ready for action

Compost bin 2 mostly emptied and remaining compost turned

Looking as good as new

Gulls are coming in with lots of bait fish for their young.

August 16 and 17

Posted on by

The compost rejuvenation project continues with 58 more buckets of aged compost removed from the first chamber to complete stage 1. Stage 2 involves moving the compost from the second chamber over to the first, turning and mixing it in the process.

Several branded sea lions are being seen.  When their histories are obtained, updates will be posted.

It has been very quiet on the water the last two days both mammal and bird-wise.

Ecological Notes:

  • All three elephant seals were seen on August 16 and 17
  • Only passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird.
  • 26 Brown Pelicans circled Great Race before heading towards Esquimalt at dusk on Wednesday.
  • 2 branded Steller’s sea lions (486Y and 304Y) and 1 branded California sea lion (X759) were seen during census on Wednesday. 304Y was branded at Rogue Reef, Oregon in July 2011, and has been resighted from California to BC.
  • Very quiet on the water over the last two days.
  • See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Census (Wednesday, August 17):

Mammals

  • Elephant seal: 3 (1 adult male, two juvenile females)
  • Steller sea lion: 129 (including branded 304Y and 486Y)
  • California sea lion: 115 (including branded X759)
  • Harbour seal: 131

Birds

  • Black oystercatcher: 9 (8 adults 1 chick )
  • Killdeer 1
  • Black Turnstone: 49
  • Surfbird: 11
  • Common Murre: 2
  • Pigeon Guillemot:60
  • Heermann’s Gull: 2
  • California Gulls: 500
  • Glaucous-winged Gulls: 448 adults 203 chicks (including 1 banded adult)
  • Pelagic Cormorant: 4
  • Brandt’s Cormorants: 19
  • Double-crested Cormorant: 4
  • Brown Pelican: 26
  • Bald Eagle: 1
  • Brown-headed Cowbird: 3

Weather:

  • Yesterday (Tuesday, August 16):
    • Sky: Foggy most of the morning; sunny in the afternoon, with light cloud
    • Wind: W/WSW 15-25 kts
    • Sea: up to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 13oC, High 15oC
  • Today (Wednesday, August 17):
    • Sky: Clear and sunny
    • Wind: variable calm to 22 kts
    • Sea: calm to rippled
    • Temperature Low  14oC, High  25oC

Facility Work:

  • Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
  • Fence east of lighthouse repaired
  • Compost renewal project continues.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.
  • Tours from Pearson College continued on Wednesday.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Compost chamber emptied and ready to be refilled.

On to the next chamber!

Potatoes were growing in the compost. Unfortunately not fit for human consumption.

Elephant seals

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Fence in need of repair

Glaucous-winged Gulls circling the tower

Gulls have been particularly aggressive with each other this week.

Colour-banded Glaucous-winged Gull

California sea lion

These look as though there might have been scientific equipment attached. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/marine-mammal-protection/california-sea-lion-research

Adult male and juvenile female elephant seals.

Steller’s sea lions on alert

Possibly scar from previous entanglement. No rope or line was visible.

Pearson College tour.

Branded California sea lion

Branded California sea lion

Brandt’s Cormorant (left) and Pelagic Cormorant (right) demonstrating size and shape differences.

Branded Steller’s sea lion

Brown Pelicans at dusk

Brown Pelicans

Flock of 26 Brown Pelicans