Author Archives: Derek Sterling

Animal Census

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This last month, the daily numbers vary dramatically, possibly  due to rapid changes in weather and ultra high tides (?) Still no Elephant Seals hauling out.

 

Birds

  • Harlequin duck              – 6
  • Bald eagle adult            – 4
  • Bald eagle juvenile       – 12
  • Turnstones                    – 18
  • Gulls                               – 43
  • Cormorants                    – 74
  • Oyster catcher               – 6
  • Canadian goose             – 16
  • Dunlin                              – 4

 

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                   – 132
  • Harbour seal                       – 22
  • California sea lion              – 41
  • Sea otter                              – 1     (reported to me by Eco-Tourism vessel)

Holiday Storm

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Best Wishes to you if you celebrate anything special this time of year!

Ecological Notes:

  • Still no Elephant Seals hauling out.
  • 1 yearling(?) came ashore for a couple days. When if first arrived it spent half a day moving around the central area, “calling” loudly (perhaps checking for others to haul out with?)

“You can’t see me here”

  • The Sea Otter – “Ollie” – was reported to be just off Helicopter rock by a photographer out on one of the EcoTourism boats. It’s nice to get updates on this animal, as his teeth are failing, and he is relatively old for a Sea Otter

    “Ollie” the sea Otter Photo submitted by Clint William

  • After dropping to very low numbers, there seems to be another surge of both Steller and California Sea Lions to the haul outs
  • There have been 2 or 3 small wrens in the flower beds, with help from Ann Nightingale, we believe these to be Pacific Wrens … too fast for me to get my own photo ….

photo by Mason Maron

Visitors:

  • 2 contractors from Viriidian Energy came and serviced the generator and upgraded the control system with an Auto Start/Stop system
  • Park Warden Garry Fletcher visited, and in addition to gaining an overview of the park and facilities, spent time with the Eco-Guardian providing interesting stories and history around the facility

Facility Work:

  • Spent some time analyzing and making adjustments to the new control system for the generator system
  • Initial setting on the Auto system proved to be problematic in that they resulted in very extended runs times(up to twice as long = twice the fuel burn and fuel transport!) Discussed with the programmer and they remotely adjusted the unit  to more appropriate times. Also, found out how to properly override the system for a manual run,  to ensure once a week full charges can still be done.
  • Will re-visit with the technician after the holidays
  • After help to secure some more logs … ongoing bucking and splitting to build up firewood stocks for the winter.
  • Did full maintenance on the chainsaw
  • Now running both the old, and the new Seawater data units, to give both readings to adjust  older incorrect readings

  • Proof on Concept: As the damp wood produces less heat in the woodstove, I decided to try to curtain off some areas, such as the front doorway and the kitchen. Using found materials , the main curtain is very thin, and does not cover the top very well, but it still produces a very noticeable temperature difference on either side

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ongoing Eco-Tourism vessels in the park
  • Several private vessels visiting, no noted infractions

Weather Events:

Ongoing winter weather, unseasonably warm, winds direction shifting daily, very little rain

  • Monday, December 25::
    • Sky: Dense, High overcast, very light sprinkles threatening rain, but none occurred
    • Wind: ENE 5-15 kts during the day, rising to nighttime winds gusting to 35 kts
    • Sea:1 meter swells from the East
    • Temperature Low 8.5oC, High 11oC
  • Tuesday, December 26:
    • Sky: Bright overcast sky
    • Wind: ENE, calm in the morning, expected to rise to 25kts during the day and up to 45kts by evening
    • Sea: Large rolling swells from the east
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 11.5oC

 

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, 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?

Winter Storms and High Tides

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Ecological Notes:

  • 1 small  Elephant Seal out on Helicopter rock (reported to me by an ecotourism vessel)
  • 1 Female Elephant Seal (looked like it was in season to pup), only made it to the boat ramp. When the sea lions above her were startled and stampeded down, she was very vocal and left.
  • Up to 20 eagles here each morning, preying on gulls for the most part
  • Over 300 Steller Sea Lions here….. quite a few very small one, only found 2 actually nursing pups (last year was the first time I had ever personally seen pups nursing here, and have been observing from the water for 20 years)
  • Turnstones and other small birds nave returned now that the Barred Owl has left

Visitors:

  • contractors
  • Cedric brought a few faculty staff out for a quick visit

Facility Work:

  • Continued work by contractors in the main house, some window trim and painting
  • Started cleaning the gutters on the student house, a job that should only be done when there is someone here to hold the ladder!
  • More storm logs are now starting to come in, collecting them when able
  • Now able to start bucking up for firewood
  • Other note: exchanges the ocean temp/salinity device, and obtaining more reasonable numbers now

DND events:

  • Ongoing blasting ….. My opinion! … is the Steller sea lions are far more reactive to the blasts, and after heavy blasts, they seem to move to the southern rocks

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ecotourism vessel, and an educational vessel
  • Some private vessels, no noted infractions or fishing

Weather Events:

    • A full mix of typical fall weather. more and more days of N and NE winds
    • 2 full on storms, accentuating the seasonal high tides

 

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, 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?

Animal Census

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  • Bald eagle adult                          2
  • Bald eagle juvenile                     4
  • Barred Owl                                  1
  • Black Turnstones                      10
  • Black Oyster Catchers                6
  • Gulls                                           148
  • Cormorants  mostly Brandt’s    87
  • Canadian goose                          22
  • Ravens                                          2
  • Surf Scoters                                 12
  • Dunlin                                            8

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                          590
  • Harbour seal                                42
  • California sea lion                     380
  • Sea Otter                                      1

Several Humpback Whales visible from the reserve

Underwater Scenes

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Ecological Notes:

  • Sea Lion numbers range up and down daily. Have notice more smaller sea lions this year, and can hear the higher squawks of younger ones. Unlike last year, I haven’t found any nursing pups yet.
  • Barred Owl is still here. For a couple days, there were zero other birds on the top area of the main island (Canada Geese, Turnstones, Gulls, or Dunlins)….. but they are gradually returning now. I suspect maybe the Owl hunted extensively one night and scared them all away(?)
  • Humpback whales still visible daily
  • On one day, in addition to the Humpbacks, Southern Resident Orca passed south of the reserve heading west, and Bigg’s (Transient) Orca passed heading East. While they were too far to get photographs, both groups were visible by eye (once I located them with binoculars)

Visitors:

  • Group of students and instructor from Pearson College visited for the weekend. They were primarily interested in mapping the kelp forests and how they are affected by Urchins and Sea Otters. They helped with other projects and used the ROV to view the underwater area off the jetty.

Siri, Finn, Maria, Annabelle, and Edgar

Always curious!

Sea Urchins

Young Bull Kelp

  • Contractors to work on the main house windows

Facility Work:

  • Now able to start bucking logs from the ramp area and moving to the full bucking area for firewood.
  • Cleaned and prepped the science house for the students visit
  • Did another full sweep of the main island to remove dead gull carcasses
  • Contractors continue the finishing work on the newly installed windows, moving primarily to the sills and finish on the inside.

  • Communicating with DFO in regards to the salinity measurements. They seem high, even though the meter was recently replaced. Tested with a meter owned by Pearson College and that meter showed numbers I would be expecting.
  • Ongoing spray down of walkways and decks to reduce slim and algae, but wondering if the cooler weather is reducing the effectiveness of the spray(?)

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Continued visits by Eco- Tourism vessels
  • Some private vessels transiting, some pausing to enjoy the nature in the reserve.

 Noted Infractions:

  • No attempted fishing detected
  • Transit and departure speeds all good

Weather Events:

  • Winds pretty consistent NNE 10-15 Kts
  • Mixes of partial cloudy, and some fog at night
  • Temperatures ranging 4 to 7 degrees

 

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, 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?

Waiting on the storm(s)

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Ecological Notes:

  • All Elephant Seals have moved along, I imagine they will return in December or January and stay for the moult season
  • Although I thought it was a random event, there has been a Barred Owl roosting under the tank shed deck for 3 days now

  • Sea lion numbers are down, and many moved to the southern rocks after heavy blasting at the DND site

Visitors:

  • Ongoing visits by contractors working on main house windows

Facility Work:

  • Working on gradual trimming and removal of plants from the walkways. the root systems can be destructive to the concrete and brick, as well as encouraging water leak into the buildings…. will scrub down the  paths with the next heavy rains
  • Diesel Generator oil change

  • Weekly battery electrolyte top up and check
  • Continuing to collect logs for firewood
  • Even in the less messy months, cleaning the solar panels every now and then helps

DND events:

  • Several very loud blasts during the week, noted more than average disturbance with the birds and sea lions. (maybe coincidental but it was the day of the loudest that the 3 elephant seals left)

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ecotourism and education vessels in the reserve, most following guidelines well.
  • Several private vessels in the reserve. None were observed fishing, but they commonly exit the reserve at high speed.

Weather Events:

  • Friday, November 17:
    • Sky: Mostly sunny and clear, with slight haze and overcast far south in the strait
    • Wind: NE winds 10-15 kts shifting to ENE later in the afternoon
    • Sea: rippled to with minimal chop
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 9oC
  • Saturday, November 18:
    • Sky: clear until mid-afternoon, with clouds and haze on the south side of the strait.clouds gradually increased in the late afternoon
    • Wind: early morning rising to NE 15 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 8oC

 

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, 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?

First week back

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Ecological Notes:

  • 3 Male Elephant Seals, 1 sub adult, 1 yearling, 1 3 year old(?) tagged – K646 (other tag obscured)
  • At least 20 Canada Geese, more adults than I have personally seen here before other than brief stop overs for migration
  • At least 6 Humpback whales, 2 well in the reserve

Visitors:

  • Contractors, working on the windows of the main house

Facility Work:

  • topped up battery electrolyte levels for solar storage

    Solar power battery bank

  • Took delivery of 1300 litres fresh water for the the storage tank

How we transfer water to the storage tank

  • Transferred a barrel of diesel to the main house tank, was a poor fall for wood salvage for the wood stove (so far)

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Still regular Ecotourism vessels, and the school educational vessel
  • 1 private vessel fishing in the reserve, left as soon as I contacted them on VHF

 

Weather Events:

  • Saturday, November 04:
    • Sky: Bright high cloud early, giving way  mixed high and low rain clouds by mid-morning
    • Wind: Low north winds in early morning, rising by noon to NW 35+ kts, dropping in the evening and overnight to light winds
    • Sea: Morning rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 11oC, High 15oC
  • Sunday, November 05:
    • Sky: Early morning fog giving way to high cloudy overcast
    • Wind: morning NNW 5 kts, gradually shifting to N and rising to 20kts mid day
    • Sea:  light chop with a slight underlying swell
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 12.5oC
  • Monday, November 06:
    • 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 13oC
  • Tuesday, November 06:
    • Sky: Clear and sunny to overcast by afternoon
    • Wind: NNE 15 kts dropping and shifting to W 3kts through the day
    • Sea:  light chop , with underlying swell
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 12oC

 

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, 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?

November Returns

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Happy to be returning to the Eco-Guardian position, after a summer on and off the ocean (and my motorcycles!)

Ecological Notes:

  • 3 Elephant Seals, one tagged

  • Large daily fluctuation of sea lions…… lots of forage fish in the area, and I believe some are moving further into the Salish Sea, as other regular haunts were low on sea lions last week
  • Did see “Ollie” the sea otter near one of the north west rocks
  • Deceased Sea Lion removed from boat ramp area ….. (untrained)observation looked like an older animal, in normal shape, with no visual injuries
  • Many Brandt’s Cormorants in the reserve
  • 3 Humpback whales in the pass between Race Rocks and Pedder bay, several more south of race, viewable by eye and binoculars

Visitors:

  • Contractors working on main house window replacement

Facility Work:

  • Contractors replacing windows
  • Perimeter fence maintenance
  • Moving maximum fuel to generator room, keeping it up to ensure easy access during the upcoming storm season
  • Opportunistically remove dead Gull carcasses from the island while performing other tasks
  • Solar working well, and batteries retaining levels well overnight

DND events:

  • none during this time period, but they were working there earlier in the week, and could account for lower sea lion levels mid week

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 2 or 3 Ecotourism vessels
  • 1 Ecotourism  vessel with multiple visits while implementing their education program
  • 2 Kayakers out and about in the reserve

Weather Events:

  • Friday, November 03:
    • Sky: Clear in the morning, then filling in with high overcast and some clouds, light haze on the water by mid-day
    • Wind: Dropping during the night , to 5-10 kts mid morning, northerly,  building to 20-25 kts mid afternoon/evening
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 13oC

 

 

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, 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?

Farewell and Adieu

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Finishing up nearly 6 months here at Race Rocks. I have had an amazing time, especially being here for the winter snow storm, and the birth of 3 Elephant Seal pups! Visiting students, media students, colleagues and friends have broken up the long periods and only added to my enjoyment. I look forwards to returning next fall.

Link to one of the Elephant Seal births video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmDLPNDahyU&t=1s

Some photos taken from the blog:

Animal Census

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Birds

  • Harlequin duck                                  7
  • Bald eagle adult                                2
  • Bald eagle juvenile                           5
  • Turnstones                                        11
  • Killdeer                                               2
  • Gulls                                                   64     
  • Cormorants                                        42
  • Pigeon Guillemots                             73
  • Oyster catcher                                     8
  • Canadian goose                                 10
  • Surf Birds                                             6

 

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                             23
  • Harbour seal                                 47
  • California sea lion                        18
  • Elephant seal sub adult male      3
  • Elephant seal adult female          3
  • Elephant seal pups(2F 1M)          3