Author Archives: Anne Stewart

Panting to Cool Down on Great Race

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Westerly breezes of 15 to 20 knots kept the island comfortably cool today as the sun shone steadily. The overall tendency of the barometer, was to slowly fall today ending up at 1012 hPA., as the sun set. The forecast is for continued strong westerlies and clear skies.

Twenty-one visits to Ecological Reserve by whale watching boats were observed today and there were probably more that I missed while doing other chores. Again most of the operators were great but there are a few who speed and a few who go too close. Several sport fishing boats and one rental were also seen transiting the Reserve.

The large Humpback whale affectionately known as Big Momma by the whale watchers did a complete circuit of Race Rocks today without actually entering the Reserve itself. While travelling through Race Passage she was accompanied by five to ten whale watching boats and was never alone.

Vessels in Race Passage can be seen in the distance with Humpback Whale "big Momma"

Vessels in Race Passage can be seen in the distance with Humpback Whale “big Momma”

Chunk and Floyd, the two large male Northern Elephant Seals spent a lot of time “fighting’ in the water today and that was also draw for the whale watching boats. Chunk definitely has the advantage over Floyd both in terms of size and personality. Floyd had quite a few fresh bleeding scars this evening and Chunk was doing quite a bit of perhaps, triumphant bellowing.

The lone male, sea otter that hangs out in the Middle Channel kelp bed directly opposite the eco-guardians’ house was also a draw today. The sea otter was viewed close up, by just about every vessel and he seemed completely unfazed by all the attention. Whale watching vessel congestion in the Ecological Reserve continues to be potentially problematic. Also dangerous for the little rental boats that like to follow close behind some of the bigger whale watching boats.

ww in middle ch

Whale watching vessel operators are good at avoiding each other in narrow channels.

Gull incubation is happening right now and one of the interesting behaviours observed is thermoregulation by panting. Today there panting gulls everywhere.

Gulls can keep their eggs at just the right temperature by evaporative cooling through panting.

Gulls can keep their eggs at just the right temperature by evaporative cooling through panting.

gwgu panting

Of note, the majority of the Canada Geese have left the island after a rash of Bald Eagle attacks. They were observed practicing the swim across to Middle Island with the goslings and were gone by June 10th, leaving three pairs of adults and their 10 collective goslings.

There were no visitors today and chores were routine.

Floyd and Chunk Throwing Their Weight Around.

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It was a limpid June day with very little wind and a sultry, summer feel. The solar radiation highpoint of the day was over 1000 Watts per meter2 and this is higher than it has been all week. Around noon the wind changed direction moving about 180o from what it has been for months. It didn’t really do much other than change direction, which was in itself rather remarkable due to the longevity of the westerlies. Maybe now that the interior is heating up so much that it actually catching on fire, it is time for the outflow winds. By late after noon the wind was backing towards south. A cloud formed and dissipated, although bigger cloud formations are building along the Olympic and Cascade Mountains. Although the barometer has been dropping for > 24 hours, it is still high, at 1016 hPA. and the forecast is for clear skies, sunshine and strong westerly winds. By the time the sun set, the wind had returned to westerly 10 to 15 knots.

It was busy on the water here; with 25 whale-watching boat visits, observed within the Ecological Reserve. Some vessels made multiple trips back to Victoria and out again, the last one leaving Race Rocks at 21:20.  At times during the day, there were 5 to 10 vessels in reserve at the same time.

Most of the operators were awesome (as usual) but a few were obviously not aware of the Pacific Whale Watching Association’ Race Rocks Special Operating Area Guidelines and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Mammal Regulations. The latter can carry a powerful punch. Speed is an issue, so is distance and route is another. At one point today I was concerned about the risk of collision and passenger safety but they are all used to dancing around each other and my worries may have been unwarranted. It would certainly have been difficult for any marine mammal in the water with all of those vessels plus the current to contend with.

The PWWA guidelines say that while vessels are in the Race Rocks go-slow zone, they will transit the area with the current and will remain as close to mid-channel as is possible between major rock outcroppings known as Great Race (with the lighthouse), North Race Rock, West Race Rocks and Helicopter Rock. Some operators think it okay to squeeze in between Great Race and South Islands and there is just not enough room in there even for the smaller zodiacs, especially if they are scaring animals into the water at the same time. This is a professional development opportunity for the industry. I fyou are an owner or manager, please set clear operation standards for the Race Rocks Special Operating Area. Rise above the low bar of guidelines and regulations. Educate the public by doing the right thing and demonstrate support your operators to get on side, for the business of summer is about to descend upon us.

A coast guard rigid hull inflatable hailed me when I was out on the jetty today. They were on patrol from the CCGS M. Charles M.B., which was anchored nearby. They offered support on the enforcement side for the Race Rocks Rockfish Conservation Area and said that part of why they were here was to deter marine mammal harassment. The vessel is named after a famous life-saving, west coast chief, the late Martin Charles Hereditary Chief of the Dididaht and long-time Bamfield Coast Guard hero. He was a great man and it is very good to see a Coast Guard vessel named after him.

There were only four Northern Elephant Seals on Great Race today and Middle Rock only had two. On Great Race it was Floyd, Chunk, an untagged female nicknamed Grace and the tagged female 5866. Chunk threw his weight around during the Floyd and Chunk show today and after a big, half body neck press by Chunk, Floyd fled, his usual fate. Later Floyd did the same thing to Grace, only he had her by the neck with his teeth and she is only a fraction his size. She managed to wriggle away in the water.

There was serious whale action in the area but not right in the Ecological Reserve today.

I ran the fire pump today and pumped seawater into the cistern. The transformation of saltwater into freshwater by desalination, running off solar power, is really sweet. It makes me very aware of and thankful for fresh water consumption.

Most chores were routine and there were no visitors today.

 

Double-Billing (Thursday-Friday)

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Thursday was a howler. The wind started early and blew ferociously all day. Although it developed into a classic westerly, it actually started out from the west-northwest, which is closer to the direction running down the outside coast of Vancouver Island (NW). Most of the day, it was westerly from 30 – 40 knots and late in the afternoon there gusts over 40 knots. The fog that formed early on the Port Angeles side of the Strait was blown away early and the sky stayed clear until just after sunset when clouds became visible in the west. The barometer has been rising since Wednesday and the forecast is for continued gale warnings and mix of sun and cloud.

 

It really calmed down on Friday. The westerlies with a touch of southwest, continued but at moderate speeds of 15 -25 knots. Although there were clouds to the west early in the morning, they evaporated quickly and it was full on sunshine all day. The barometer is dropping from a high of 1020 hPa and the forecast is for strong winds and mostly clear skies.

There were no whale-watching boats, or sport fishers on Thursday, as the weather and sea conditions were just too wild. Friday was a totally different story with 16 whale-watching vessels observed, visiting the Ecological Reserve. Some vessels made multiple visits.

There was a lot of whale activity within and around the Ecological Reserve. Both a Minke Whale and a large Humpback were feeding just to the southeast and south respectively and three different pods of Killer Whales moved through the area in the afternoon and evening, including small group of Bigg’s Killer Whales (Transients), two pods of southern residents ( J-pod and L-pod according to the whale-watching boats). One of the SRKW pods came right into the Reserve within fifty meters of South Rock, heading east. There were two large adult males, one small calf and about 15 individuals all together. Another ~ 20 individuals were travelling in the same direction about one mile to south, at the same time. It appeared as though the two groups met up and mingled to the east of Race Rocks. Time for the sockeye to be running.

gwgu on nest juniper

Other ecological happenings are progressing as has been reported on for the past few weeks. I started a Glaucous-winged Gull nest survey Thursday and finished surveying about one third of the island. On Friday the female Northern Elephant Seal # 5866’s tags were noted. Chunk and Floyd have been peacefully moulting, sleeping and travelling up and down the ramp for several swims a day (more like lolly-gagging in the water).

Thursdays are animal census day. It is worth noting that the winter resident bird species such as Black Turnstone, Harlequin Duck and many species of gulls that nest elsewhere are gone now and so are the transitory migrant shorebirds and other migrants that stop off briefly or for a while. The sealions are at their lowest number which is expected since they too should be on or heading towards their breeding grounds. Census results follow.

Northern Elephant Seals 10 (including 5 on Great Race)

Harbour Seals 218

California Sealions 5

Northern or Stellers Sealions 2

River Otter 1

Sea Otter 1

Canada Geese 24 (= 10 goslings + 14 adults) (many appear to have swum away)

Pelagic Cormorants 3

Double Crested Cormorants 5

Bald Eagles 2 (1 adult, 1 sub-adult)

Black Oystercatchers 10 (5 nesting pairs all incubating)

Kildeer 2

Pigeon Guillemots 110

Caspian Terns 2

Glaucous-winged Gulls total 424 (402 adults in nesting areas; 22 sub-adults in roosting/resting area). Most gulls are incubating now, although some are still getting started.

There were no visitors on Thursday and two visitors Friday, who did a retreat in the science house. They came and went in Second Nature with Chris.

Chores and maintenance were routine today and I am glad to report that I am able to wash windows again.

 

Wednesday, June 10

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Wednesday was another westerly day with gentle winds of 10 – 15 in the early morning rising to 25 – 30 knots by evening. Sunshine prevailed, although visibility was reduced by haze to less than 15 nm. The barometer is 1014 and falling and the forecast calls for gale warnings continued with sunny skies and a very low probability of precipitation.

Only one whale watching boat was observed in the Ecological Reserve today and no sports fishing activity was noted.

Ecological happenings continued to develop as they have been over the last few weeks. Nothing of particular note happened today.

In terms of sustainability, the sunshine is really appreciated these days for powering the solar panels and maintaining the battery bank. It also allows the desalination plant to be run off solar power, which in turn reduces the carbon footprint. With the gulls in full attendance, washing the solar panels has moved into the realm of a daily activity from every second day but it is done with a sort of reverence for the power produced. The composting toilets are operating well now that temperatures are higher and they are an important piece of the sustainability picture here, increasing hygiene, reducing fly populations and saving on fresh water use.

I made a trip ashore today and met Peter from DFO. He provided a new temperature/salinity meter and we traded thermometers, replacing a mercury thermometer for a new alcohol thermometer.

There were no visitors and chores were routine.

The web-site has been down so I am late posting this. Thursday’s log will be posted in the morning.

Chunk ‘nd the Trunk

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It was a glorious day at Race Rocks with westerly winds continuing from yesterday but with more moderate speeds of 15 – 25 knots and even lighter winds of 10 – 15 early in the morning. The sky was clear above although there was a ‘marine haze’, which reduced visibility early to less than ten nautical miles. As the winds picked up so did air quality leading one to wonder if the ‘marine air’ actually has an onshore and anthropogenic source.  Solar radiation intensity was high today peaking at over 900 W/m2. It is 19:00 hours as I write this, with more sunshine to come and the accumulated solar radiation for the day is already close to 700 Langleys. The forecast includes a westerly gale warning for tomorrow afternoon and evening with clear skies and a high UV index of seven.

Only one whale watching boat (from Sooke) was observed in the Ecological Reserve today.

There were more large and startling (at least to me)  explosions today, which did not result in even a visible flinch by the Northern Elephant Seals. The Harbour Seals got into the water and were looking around at the surface and the Pigeon Guillemots flew but quickly returned and recovered. Two vessels with containment booms, one travelling at a fairly urgent-looking speed towing some of the booms were observed in the vicinity of Race Passage today. It may have just been an exercise, as they didn’t stay long.

Ecologically, things are continuing to grow at a tremendous rate as spring accelerates for the shift into summer, in less than two weeks. The goslings have graduated from short paddles to longer endurance swims crossing Middle Channel. Their grazing pressure on the island continues but doesn’t seem to exceed the productivity of the grasses that they graze on.

In the water, the productivity of Bull Kelp or Nereocystis lutkeana continues unabated and large, well formed kelp beds fringe all of the islets and reefs, producing tremendous amounts of food for a broad array of direct grazers and both peripheral and out-lying detritovores that eat the sloughing bits and pieces that drift down from the canopy and out of the kelp beds.

We are supposed to stay on the walkways when moving around the island. Not always possible when there are traffic jams like this one in this morning's commute.

We are supposed to stay on the walkways when moving around the island. Not always possible when there are traffic jams like this one in this morning’s commute.

The Northern Elephant Seals spend time in the water draped in the kelp and playing with it with their mouths. What is not clear is whether this is intentional or just there (in the way). The big males are taking several swims a day right now thanks to the marine railway, which makes access so much easier for them. Chunk’s moult is just visibly starting today, on his nose and just below his mouth and on what would be a chin if he had one. Floyd’s moult is progressing visibly as wound sites and patches where he can scratch are coming off. There were some interactions between the two big guys today but hostilities were averted through strategic maneuvering by Floyd, basically avoidance behavior. Above, he is making a slow get-away which of course requires a tremendous amount of energy and much resting.

 

Chunk stretched out, having a nap. His large proboscis is prominent and the scars that run along his back are just visible.

Chunk stretched out, having a nap. His large proboscis is prominent and the scars that run along his back are just visible.

More gulls are sitting on eggs each day and their nests are beautifully made by pulling up grass by the roots and carefully packing it into just the right shape by pushing down with their sternums, tails in the air. Level is of course important. All of the nests observed today had three eggs.

 

There were no visitors today and chores were routine.

Boom times on Great Race

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The west winds blew all night and through the day today, attempting in vane to air-condition an interior that is heating up. The fog came and went and the wind continued throughout, generally blowing 25 to 35 but peaking in the early evening with gusts up to 43 knots. Winds dropped to 25 – 30 knots after the sun set and the forecast has it slowing to 15 late overnight and then rising tomorrow to gale force. The outlook is for clear skies and I am assuming fog.

There was only one whale watching vessel observed in the Ecological Reserve today and no other vessels were spotted in reserve.

There were eight large explosions today that shook the house and the red flags flew to warn people off and away from Rocky Point.

Most of the Northern Elephant Seals that were moulting here have gone in the week that I was away. The two big males Floyd and Chunk are still here and are really just starting to moult and there are a handful of smaller individuals coming and going.

Floyd is having a full facial peel with a little grass added for special effects. He remains a mellow fellow throughout the ordeal.

Floyd is having a full facial peel with a little grass added for special effects. He remains a mellow fellow throughout the ordeal.

Floyd is a little ahead of Chunk in the moulting department but Chunk prevails in matters of size. I thought Floyd was big, measureing 3.23meters (127 inches) from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. Chunk has decidedly more girth and his length measures 3.61 meters (142 inches).

Many of the Glaucous-winged gulls are sitting on eggs now, as mentioned by Christine. Most nests have either two or three eggs.

The beach pea  is blooming in the boulder scree where the Pigeon Guillemots like to nest on the north side of Great Race. As I am still vexed by vetch I will get back about the identification.

beach pea

It was a bit scary getting out to Race Rocks last night. Alex made the rough, wet and salty trip out much less of a religious experience. There were no visitors other than Alex and chores were routine.

Ghosting through the Kelp Forest.

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I had trouble with a temprarily unavailable log-in page when I went to to post my log blog last night, so am posting the two days together now.

The westerly blew throughout both days and fog obstructed the views. Yesterday it cleared after 4 PM and by 6 PM, thick fog had moved back in and visibility was back down to several hundred meters. Today it cleared earlier and stayed clear until sunset (at least). Wind speed both days varied between 10 and 25 knots over the course of the day and in varied direction from west-southwest to west. Yesterday the barometer went up to 1015 hPa from 1014 and then started dropping. Today, it was steady until noon and then it started dropping going as far as 1010hPA by 8 PM. The forecast for today was correct: strong westerly wind warnings, fog “patches” and sunshine. Tomorrow the wind warning has been upgraded to a gales and the rest remains the same.

Six whale watching vessels were observed working in the Ecological Reserve yesterday and today I saw three. They all abided by the rules and regulations more or less. Some boats/skippers may be used to pushing the distance limits but I did not observe negative impacts.

 

I was lucky enough to see Chunk ghosting around the island from the top of the light tower and it was a surreal sight. He started out in the surge channel in front of the science house and swam around anti-clockwise. If it wasn’t for his white scar, I might have missed him, as it was a bit foggy. He only came up to look around and make a right angle turn to avoid a reef, once. He moved elegantly with hind flippers sweeping side to side, ever so slightly and propelling his huge mass along at a good speed. He seemed to purposefully seek out the kelp and sweep through it. The pale grey, submarine shape shifted in and out of the kelp, hugging the coastline, in shallow water. How different this must be from his normal habitat offshore and in the deep. If that is what our Canadian elephant actually does. It would be nice to know where they go when they are not here.

Floyd as water watchdog.

Floyd as water watchdog.

 

I was glad that I topped up the freshwater the day before yesterday as Floyd decided to sleep right up against the freshwater tank-house yesterday and today. It would have been a challenge to get in and out to check water-levels with his head jammed in between the Diefenbunker and the tank-house.

How to avoid Floyd

The two-year-old northern elephant seals that looked so bad before moulting are now starting to look much better as their moult progresses. This one still looks a bit scabby but no more oozing and bleeding sores.

scabby moult

According to my favorite vet, Marty Haulena of the Vancouver Aquarium (Who else knows about such things?), “when there are deep cracks, bleeding and large ulcers it becomes part of a syndrome known as northern elephant sealskin diseases (NESSD) and that syndrome is not well understood though it is likely a combination of secondary bacterial infection, immune-mediated disease, and endocrine problems. It is most likely to occur in yearlings during their first or second major moult. If minor they can survive” Thanks Marty for letting me know.

These two have been moulting, losing weight and sleeping more and more since they arrived a couple of months ago.

These two have been moulting, losing weight and sleeping more and more since they arrived a couple of months ago.

Thursday was census day and here are the results.

 

Northern Elephant Seals 22 (including 16 on Great Race)

Harbour Seals 110

California Sea lions 19

Northern or Stellers Sea lions 25 (One male with a neck ring, one female with a two year old, is branded but could not see brand.)

River Otter 1

Sea Otter 1

Canada Geese 23 (+ 26 goslings, one gosling missing) (note one adult (non-breeding) taken by eagles)

Harlequin Ducks 0 (left last week)

Pelagic Cormorants 16

Double Crested Cormorants 3

Bald Eagle 1 adults, 2 sub-adults

Black Oystercatchers 10

Kildeer 2

Pigeon Guillemots 211

Glaucous-winged Gulls total 444 (436 adults in nesting areas; 8 sub-adults in roosting/resting area) Some gulls starting laying and incubating.

 

There were no visitors either day and chores were routine. I leave for Portugal tomorrow Christine will be doing the blog. Back June 7th.

 

 

 

Chunk Came Back.

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Not surprisingly it was another day of westerly winds ranging from 15 to 20 knots. There was also thick fog almost all day, with only a few minutes here and there, with good visibility. The barometer didn’t do much and ended up where it started at ~1015 hPA and the forecast is calling for the usual strong wind warning and fog patches.

Five whale watching vessels were observed in the Ecological Reserve and there could well have been others, but I couldn’t see them due to the thick fog.

The demolition range at Rocky Point was very active today. There were some very large explosions, which when in succession, had the effect of scaring the Stellers Sealions into the water. The Northern Elephant Seals didn’t even flinch and the California Sealions became alert and then went back to sleep after a bit of barking.

Chunk returned to Race Rocks today after an absence. He seems to have itchy flippers.

Chunk returned to Race Rocks today after an absence. He seems to have itchy flippers.

Chunk looks older and wiser.

Chunk looks older and wiser.

Chunk came back today. His absence has had me wondering whether he had met his fate in the deep or far offshore. I haven’t seen him since winter/spring 2014 and he is even bigger now. His unmistakable star shaped scar (the chunk that was torn out) is still prominent making identification straightforward.

Chunk fills the marine railway as he heads down for a swim. Floyd is lurking at the bottom in the water.

Chunk fills the marine railway as he heads down for a swim. Floyd is lurking at the bottom in the water.

Chunk turns and heads up and around tank shed to avoid Floyd.

Chunk turns and heads up and around tank shed to avoid Floyd.

The interactions between Floyd and Chunk were interesting; Chunk tried to avoid Floyd, at one point rotating 180 degrees on the jetty ramp and then “hustling” up the ramp ahead of Floyd, who was also ascending. Floyd followed and Chunk went all the way around the tank shed and back down the other path to get into the water without an interaction.

Tagged Northern Elephant Seal female #5086 was spotted today. Her tag is getting a little worn, as is her flipper where it rubs. Earlier a male was biting her on the tale hard enough to draw blood.

5086F Mian

5086F Mian

This little female loves chasing her own  tail in the water.

Round and round in the water, chasing her own tail. You can see from this photo how loose her skin is getting during this moulting fast.

Round and round in the water, chasing her own tail. You can see from this photo how loose her skin is getting during this moulting fast.

There were no visitors and chores were routine.

May 26

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It was another steady, west by southwest day, blowing 15 to 20 knots, from morning to night and clearing out the clouds for a glorious afternoon and evening. There was just enough marine haze on the horizon to make a great sunset. This morning barometer gradually rose to 1016 hPA and then started a slow decline after noon ending up at 1014hPA just before 8:00 PM. The forecast is calling for strong westerlies to continue with a mix of sun and cloud.

Only four whale watching boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today and everyone was on their best behaviour.

Ecological happenings were subtle today. More sealions are hauling out on Great Race including a few very chunky Stellers bulls. The California Sealions seem to putting the call out for others within hearing range to come and bark in concert. There are more birds mating wherever you look, the Canada Geese goslings are growing incredibly fast and the bull kelp is now forming a broad canopy even on the high tide. The gull bolus contents are shifting to more ‘forage fish’ bone content from the earlier strong bias toward chiton plates and the adults are feeding each other in practice for parenthood?

The Bald Eagles continue to fly in and scare all the gulls, geese and oystercatchers and it looked like they caught something today, but I am not sure what..

Chris and Courtney brought Second Nature out in the afternoon with two visitors from Scotland, (an alumna and her husband), and the two relief eco-guardians Guy and Christine who will be here for the summer. Chris, Courtney and Guy delivered diesel for the generator, using the derrick, barrels, a drum dolly and a fair bit of sweat. It looked scary to me but they pulled it off with aplomb and Chris said it is easier, safer and less risky than the old method, so that is really great.

My chores today were routine. I am going to post this now and update it with photos later in case the Internet goes down again in between. Must run and shut down the generator.

 

 

Marine Mammal Hotspot.

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As predicted, the west-southwest winds continued today with velocities of 15 – 20 knots. The first half of the day was cloudy and fog threatened but the sun eventually prevailed. Because of the late start, accumulated daily solar radiation was only half of yesterday’s value.

Accumulated daily solar radiation in Langleys.

Accumulated daily solar radiation in Langleys.

The barometer hovered between 1013 and 1024 hPa, rising in the morning and falling again, in the afternoon. The forecast is for more of the same with the addition of a 30% chance of showers tomorrow.

There were at least 15 visits to the Ecological Reserve by whale watching boats today and probably more as I wasn’t looking every second. Two sports fishing boats sped through the Reserve while most of the whale watching boats followed the rules, slowing on approach and in Reserve, steering well clear of marine mammals, using the middle of Middle Channel, and drifting with the current, or at least going with it.

The reason for all of the whale watching activity was of course biological activity in the area. Race Rocks and environs was a marine mammal hotspot today with at least seven species. At one point there was a Minke Whale very close to the Ecological Reserve boundary just to the east of Great Race and at the same time a large, adult Humpback could be seen ~ 1 nm south of Rosedale Reef travelling east. Once when I looked out at Humpback, it had six vessels pacing it.

Next on the horizon, there were two groups of Killer Whales, both apparently Biggs or Transient (aka mammal eating) Killer Whales. One group appeared to be made up of ~ 3 adult males and the other group looked like females, calves and one smaller bull. The last mentioned group shot out on the ebb tide to the west through Race Passage with a trail of whale watching boats trying to keep up.

oror distant ororFs

 

The garden gnomes are busy flattening new parts of the lawn that have not had the treatment yet.

fresh grass to flatten

Floyd may look like a large lump but when I saw him being frisky today I was amazed at how fast he could hustle that bulk across the lawn after a female.

 

Floyd may look like a large lump but when I saw him being frisky today I was amazed at how fast he could hustle that bulk across the lawn after a female.

Floyd may look like a large lump but when I saw him being frisky today, I was amazed at how fast he could hustle that bulk (all 3.23meters of it) across the lawn after a female.

There were no visitors today and chores were routine.