Author Archives: Joan Rosenberg

Fog and Wind

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This is my last night here.

I feel so privileged to get to spend time on Race Rocks. I am grateful for all the new work done to the house (the thermal windows make it SO much quieter). Christine seems to have organized, cleaned and decluttered in every space. The ecoguardians care about Race Rocks and it is apparent. I am just so grateful this rock has been protected. So many animals, all year round depend on it to survive. Garry Fletcher was visionary in getting it protected.

 

Today I awoke to fog. It was thick. Seal Rocks was not visible. The perfect morning to wash windows. After the solar panels I washed the house windows. The wind was strong all day. Sometimes 25 knots from west. The wind and the gulls have managed to paint the windows once again.

Then I swept all the stairs in the lighthouse. I wore a mask and hazmat suit as I imagine the paint has lead in it. It has been a couple of years since I have swept the stairs and there is alarming deterioration of the sandstone. Apparently the bottom two thirds of the lighthouse is built from granite (imported from Scotland) and the top third is sandstone. If sandstone is not sealed it absorbs water and will deteriorate and that is what is happening. Still it was a satisfying job.

Sandstone losing its seal. Lighthouse ceiling.

Before sweeping

Energy

Since I arrived on Sunday (4 days ago) we have not needed the generator. Solar has provided the station with energy.

Visitors

Eco tourism boats around 12

Weather

Westerly all day with gusts to 25

Fog until about 8 a.m. then clear

Observations

I was thinking that with these winds a few interesting birds might visit but real estate on Race Rocks is tight and so far I haven’t recognized any visitors. Four Stellar Sea Lions are on the South Islands.

First thing this morning I saw a gull with a bloody beak and chest. It had been fighting with its neighbour, the gull I find most aggressive. They locked beaks and kept pulling. I am glad to see the beaks both look to be functional still.

Gull bleeding after fight

The Summer Day

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Mary Oliver’s poem has become cliche but today I have thought about her words “Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life” from the poem “The Summer Day”. Being here on RR is a good thing to do with “my one life”.  It has been a day of quiet observations, as she says, “how to be idle and blessed “. It started at 5:30 a.m. with a spectacular sunrise. It continued with FOUR different whale sightings of Orcas and Humpbacks. There is a newly hatched chick in the nest right beside the basement door. It is one day old and another chick is working its way out. Of course, this is happening all over the island. Life is happening on Race Rocks and it’s mesmerizing.

Two elephant seals were seen swimming from the lighthouse by Seal Rocks. One was swimming by the boat ramp this evening and the other pulled out on the South Island (picture below). It looks like an immature male,

Elephant Seal

Work

Solar panels cleaned

Lamp room cleaning continues

Batteries all checked

Visitors

This morning there were about 20 ecotourism boats through the pass, a massive cruise ship is in Victoria Harbour, perhaps supplying clientele

Weather

Initially the sea and wind were calm. At about noon the wind picked up and at 5 pm it is a westerly at 20 knots. Clear skies all day.

Herring regurgitated by startled gull

Breathing and not yet born

 

a spectacular sunrise

Calm but not peaceful

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I am back on Race Rocks after over a two year break. Although I have been here many times I have never been here in July .It is not peaceful. The nesting gulls have lots to say. Mostly to me. I have been here in April when they are establishing their territories and building nests and even in June when they are starting to lay eggs but JULY with chicks hatched it is a whole different atmosphere and, guess what?, they are not happy to see me. However, after only 24 hours we have come to some understanding. I wear a hard hat and carry a broom and they screech until I pass.

Work

My day started at 530 am with a beautiful sunrise and I was cleaning the solar panels at about 6. I started cleaning the student house windows yesterday and continued this morning. I have started cleaning the lamp room and lighthouse.

I have never seen the house and outbuildings in such good shape! Lots of work has happened since I was last here.

Observations

It was a negative low tide and a  sunny calm day so I spent a couple hours exploring. I saw 5 starfish, pictures below. In the past several visits to Race Rocks I have seen several Henricia sp. and most of them seemed to be suffering from wasting disease. This is the healthiest one I have seen but it still looks affected. I noticed a study led by MARINe, a multiagency intertidal network including UC Santa Cruz, looking at Sea Stars and their recovery. I will send them my information.

Just above the intertidal I saw a couple of short-billed Dowitchers mixed in with the Surfbirds, Turnstones, Harlequin Ducks and Oystercatchers.

Visitors

Greg and Richard came and filled up the fuel tank and tidy tank. Three volunteers at Pearson came to look around. One will be the ecoguardian in August.

6 to 10 wildlife viewing boats came through Race Passage

Energy

All solar today!

Weather

Clear all day

No wind

Ocean flat calm

 

Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher

Shade is scarce.It is hot on the cistern concrete. Adult gull is panting and the chicks use her for shade

Henricia sp. perhaps still symptomatic wasting disease?

Sunrise

Least Sandpipers

Gumboot Chiton

Orthasterias

Census, Rescue, New Chicks

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I am here for another brief stint, just 4 days. After arriving in relatively calm weather within an hour boat a gale started. For about 30 hours the wind didn’t let up. Which means the electric fences came down and anything not tied down went flying or crashing (like the doors to the water tank shed).And seagull poop travels horizontally in a gale. That meant the amazing calm weather today came with some tasks, which are welcome when it is so easy to be outside. The 2 barn swallows are the only ones flying with gusto. Those two are everywhere and the wind did not seem to deter them. The gulls are sticking close to their eggs and I have only seen one eagle pass overhead. The oyster catcher eggs have hatched and it is easy to witness the chicks being fed from the lighthouse or our back porch. I saw another chick above the heli pad from the light house as well. I don’t dare go in the intertidal and scare any parent away from the nest so I didn’t record any activity in other O.C. nests.

Greg and Second Nature did a rescue today. An aluminium craft called for help as their boat engines had quit right in Race Passage. They reported “imminent danger” and Greg came and towed them back to safety! There apparently was a “very pregnant” woman on board as well so she was probably happy to get back to dry land.

Visitors

No visitors on the island

Few ecotourism boats, during the gale there were 2 or 3 and although it is flat calm today there have only been 3

Work

vacuumed and mopped the basement floor using the water that is leaking from the pipes

cleaned the science house windows and (as high as I could reach) the light house windows

cleaned the solar panels

fences, moved a bit of wood, cleaning and preparing for new resident will be done tomorrow

 

Census

Mammals

California sea lions 5

Stellar sea lions 1

Elephant seals 1 female

Seals 94

Birds

Pigeon guillemots  56

Swifts 2

Canada geese 2

Gulls 460 (and many nests with eggs)

cormorants 7

barn swallows 2

Insects

thousands of flies!

 

 

Second Nature to the rescue

3 chicks

feeding

 

Mist Maiden, Whimbrel and Gratitude

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This morning the wind was less than 10 knots and it was a beautiful time to be outside compared with the howling winds the last couple of days. It is from the west and increasing as the day goes on.

Often people ask me why I come to Race Rocks and this morning was a great reminder. As I cleaned the solar panels there was a soft west wind, the sun was in and out of the clouds as it rose in the east. Two California sealions were catching fish and shaking them as they surfaced. An eagle flew over and picked up a fish only to be chased ashore by two glaucous wing gulls. There are moments here when one is called to be present. There are many moments of frustration ( the electric fence is down again) and occasional fear (the wind, the geese) and boredom but then there are moments when one just doesn’t want to be anywhere else. And how often that does that happen in one’s life?

Visitors:

  • Pearson College had about 6 divers in Race Channel today but did not come ashore.
  • Just after noon now and 10 ecotourism boats have passed by

Observations:

  • Mist Maiden (Romanzoffia tracyi) is blooming!
  • I took a picture of the chiton shells and will post below. When walking around there are so many things that are taken for granted. Like the hundreds (thousands) of chiton shells. I suppose they are a stable food source. Has it always fed these birds? Did there used to be more fish skeletons? Sometimes it is good to record the obvious.

Work:

  • Cleaned the solar panels this morning
  • continued wheelbarrowing wood to house
  • cleaned out the wood stove
  • cleaning the house for Jill’s return
This female may be recognizable if this new puncture wound, upper right abdomen, leaves a scar

This female may be recognizable if this new puncture wound, upper right abdomen, leaves a scar

 

The beginning of nesting season

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I am here for four days to give Jillian Brown a chance to attend to her family. It is a special time for me because it is my birthday and the fourth time that I have been here on April 30 but only my second time in the capacity of eco-guardian. This is my third day here and I have updated the SOP to include the up to date log sign in details (Thank you Garry).

The weather is currently 15 knots west but over the past day has been as high as 30 knots, SW and NW. The sky was clear for 2 days and there was enough energy provided from the solar panels to take care of electrical needs.

Below is a picture of a tagged glaucous wing gull that I saw the May 22,2022 (see log entry that date)  in the exact same place. Although this may not surprise you it made me feel like the animals here are familiar. It does seem like the geese nesting by the fuel shed are the same aggressive geese as last year and the ones under the keeper’s house stairs the same mellower geese but I just never had proof. This gave me a feeling of community.

There are 6 elephant seals here, females and immatures, including the tagged yearling. I haven’t seen this year’s pup for 24 hours so perhaps all the newborns are now gone.

Visitors

Yesterday (April 29) I was surprised when 6 kayaks pulled up the jetty. They were from Pearson College and had been given permission to land. Of course the sea lions stampeded on their arrival. Luckily not many kayakers do come this way as the sea lions usually get right in the water even though motor boats come much closer without scaring them. Perhaps they should turn some music on LOUD as they approach?

There were only 2 or 3 ecotourism boats over Friday and Saturday but today there have been 8 in every size, perhaps tied to the massive cruise ship recently docked in Victoria?

Maintenance:

  • I am working on the wood pile, chopping and stacking in the house.
  • Swept the lamp room and continued sweeping the light house stairs.
  • Filled the batteries with distilled water.
  • This is month end so sent the salinity and temp chart to Sebastien Donnet.
  • Also have almost completed the month end report but need to review a few details with Greg.
  • Sent the info of tagged bird info to appropriate source.

 

 

 

 

 

Gull with bands

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Weather: the storm blew itself out and today the sun shone and the wind was 1 to 3 knots from the west

Visitors: at least 10 ecotourism boats through Race Passage today and probably more that I didn’t see as I am packing to leave. All were respectful. One I asked to slow down as the boat entered and he did. (In the time I wrote this 3 more boats have come by!)

Observations: with the wind calm and the ocean calm I was able to observe the sea otter hanging out with the seals. Also there were 12 Harlequin ducks and a return of the surf birds. Still no turnstones. I photographed a western gull with leg bands and reported it to the right place (with Ann Nightingale’s help) so we should hear about it’s history soon.

tagged gull

The intertidal was glorious today. I saw more starfish. None of them looking healthy. By that I mean they all looked limp. One obviously dead.

Greg is on his way to pick me up so I will wheelbarrow my belongings to the dock. What an amazing adventure every trip to Race Rocks is! I think of all the work that has gone into protecting these rocks and I am so grateful for it! Thank you Garry Fletcher and Pearson College. And thanks to Greg who goes above and beyond to make each Ecoguardian feel comfortable (and we are a strange bunch). I also read notes from previous ecoguardians and saw how knowledgeable many of them are. If you have time read Anne Stewart’s notes. A marine biologist, naturalist extraordinaire and wonderful teacher. I realize now that she is also a writer.

This was a quick trip to fill in unexpectedly because of an emergency. I did luck out with mid day low tides, a gale and a beautiful summer day.

 

Census, elephant seal D018 returns

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Weather: wind mostly westerly averaging 30 to 40 k/hr sunny most of the day

Visitors: no boats braved Race Rocks today, after the storm yesterday the swell was still big, the wind strong all day and the tidal variation caused fast currents

Addendum: at around 8 pm a ecotourism boat came through for a beautiful sunset run. Cold and windy but clear.

Census,

 

Although not the ideal day for the census as the winds were still very strong and I think the lack of small birds may be due to that, no sparrows, no turnstones and no shorebirds, but Greg is taking over from me and he will have his hands full doing island maintenance so I thought I would help out in this way.

Elephant seals 6

A large male (compared to the 3 young ones on the island) showed up today. His tag reads D018 and he has been here several times. The last record I can find of him is 2020. But he did come in 2019 and 2018. I have contacted Patrick Robinson and look forward to hearing more of his history. A small female also arrived. Her skin is in bad shape. I believe it is more than moulting but we can see how she fares the next few days if she stays around.

D018

Newly arrived small female with skin condition

Gulls  421

Seals 66

California sealions 17

Stellar 10

Canada Geese 14, currently 3 active nests

Pigeon guillemots 136

Cormorants 34

Harlequin ducks 6

Oyster catchers 6

River otter 1 on the grass by the crane

It was a mid day low tide of .4 metres. The westerly was strong and there was some swell. The tidepools and spring seaweed growth were phenomenal. Here are a few pictures.

Codium and isopod

Henricia

WIND!! Gusts up to 93 km/hour

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Morning rainbows

Today was all about the weather. At 6:30 a.m. the wind speed was 0. I was surprised as the reports warned of high winds. It had rained in the night so I decided to wash the solar panels. By the time I finished the wind had arrived. It didn’t let up all day. North east to Northwest to Westerly probably averaged 30 km/hour but gusts constantly above 60 km. I read on the news that Race Rocks recorded the highest winds on southern Vancouver Island at 93 km/hour. The sky was mostly clear. Constant rainbows for 2 hours in the morning.

Visitors: none

Maintenance: solar panels cleaned, too windy for outdoor work

Energy: enough sun to charge batteries

Observations: I was hoping for this wind to blow a new bird to Race Rocks  but not yet. I did see a couple of swallow like birds. They were moving too quickly to identify.

Before the wind