This afternoon we observed a vessel enter the reserve while a humpback whale was present. The whales typically maintain position in the strong currents for upwards of 30 minutes, appearing to be feeding on plankton as it’s pushed towards them.
Today a humpback whale entered the reserve to hover in the current. Within 2 minutes an eco-tourism vessel came speeding towards it from the Victoria direction. The boat entered the reserve behind the whale, and the whale turned back the way it had come to move away from it and avoid becoming trapped. The whale was deterred from remaining in the reserve as they normally would do and made swiftly towards Victoria as the boat followed it closely away from Race Rocks.
We have observed vessels conducting themselves in this way on many other occasions, but often they leave the reserve quickly when we make ourselves visible.
Whale just to the left of our jetty in the middle of race passage. They prefer this spot to hover in the strongest current.
Eco-tourism boat speeding towards it.
The dark area (whale) in the right of this photo shows the whale’s proximity to the vessel as they entered the reserve.
Over the past few days we have been keeping an eye on eco-tourism vessels, and have been documenting their presence and their proximity to wildlife. The somewhat isolated nature of Race Rocks, minimal to no presence of regulating authority, and many other factors lead to a high risk of animals and the delicate marine environment being disturbed and potentially exploited.
While the distance of a vessel from wildlife is important, another considerable disturbance may be vibration and noise. Eco-tourism vessels fighting against the current to get the best viewing angle of resting animals easily vibrates a glass of water in our concrete foundation dwelling, over 100m from the waters edge. Another factor to consider is the volume of traffic. Items shaking in our home is normal, and we often hear boats coming before we see them. Perhaps a handful of boats conducting themselves responsibly would not be a problem, but on some days we see approximately 35+ eco-tourism boats alone. This does not include private vessels.
The below video is from July 31st, 2019 at 1413hr. It shows two zodiacs coming close to a pod of orcas within the reserve. The orcas were visible for over 15 minutes before this video was taken, and conversation on VHF channel 68 and 79 indicated that all boats in the area knew of their presence. Based on what we observed, it seemed as though the boats did not accidentally drift into place. Visible in the background is North Rock, video taken from the jetty.
We were unable to previously post it due to its size, but discovered uploading to YouTube and embedding to be a great solution.
As mentioned in the last blog post, the hauled out sea lions continue to provide an opportunity to observe how closely boats approach the wildlife. Here are three more videos of boats approaching the resting sea lions, all filmed within the last few days:
Additionally, here are some photos of miscellaneous vessels taken within the last 5 days or so:
This boat is interesting, it comes through often (see matching hull numbers) with different passengers but the same operator.
Another interesting boat coming in close for a look:
Weather:
Sky clear
Visibility 15+ miles
Wind 10 knots W
Water flat to rippled
Boats/Visitors:
No visitors over the last few days.
Ecological:
On the day the roofers were here a pod of orcas came through the reserve and I misplaced this photo, here it is now.
Census as follows:
250 sea lions
200-300 seagulls
6 Canadian geese
Ruddy Turnstones and migrating birds come and go frequently
A work crew came out and replaced the roof on the boat house, tank shed, and crane control room.
The old shingles and tar paper are heavy! Removing them is messy work – but headway has been made. I think one more load taken away in Second Nature would deal with the leftovers.
Today Mara returned, catching a ride with a water delivery.
The work begins…
The roofing team works quickly!
A seal invades the worksite, it returned to the ocean unharmed.
In a day and a half, the roofs were replaced.
The cleanup crew hard at work.
Ecological:
Sea lions are taking over! Their numbers continue increasing.
I’ve seen young seagulls land in the shallow water by the jetty, only to have a sea lion come up under it and eat it whole.
The adult seagulls have started to chase and peck at their own young. I think this is probably to encourage their independence.
The weekend was quiet, and Monday has been the same.
Ecological:
The sea lions continue their advances on the island! I think that the electric fence will soon need to be deployed.
Seagulls continue to develop, see in the picture a family of three young (grouped) and one adult (foreground). The shorter chick hatched roughly 5 days later than its siblings and struggles to keep up in growth. Hopefully there’s lots more growing in it’s future, we named the little one Bonsai!
Lots of recreational boaters out fishing this weekend, with many coming for a cruise through the reserve. For the most part, they keep a good distance.
Second Nature came out twice today, first to deliver water and second to bring out a tour group.
Ecological:
While some seagull young are growing up fast, others struggle. I’ve seen numerous problems ranging from broken wings to missing eyes!
Many whale watching vessels today. With the increasing number of sea lions hauling out on great race rock, these eco tourism boats contrast sharply (in relatively close quarters) against the wildlife looking to rest on the rocks.
The high traffic in conjunction with the sea lions provides a great opportunity to display the proximity of these vessels from the wildlife. See the videos and photos below:
Ecological:
An increasing number of sea lions hauling out on all rocks.
Young seagulls can be seen strengthening their wings, flapping and hopping 3 feet in the air. They play games with sticks and other debris, aggressively keeping the objects from their siblings looks to be practice for protecting precious food in the future.
Mentioned in a previous post, I was able to get a picture of the sea lion with the identifying gash in its side.
Sea lion with a cut (centre of photo)
Census:
350 – 400 seagulls
24 harbour seals
68 sea lions
A handful of oystercatchers and cormorants (roughly 5-10 of each)
Visibility 15+ miles in the afternoon, heavy fog in the morning
Wind 15 knots W
Calm water
Boats/Visitors:
This afternoon I (Kai) dropped Mara off on land, she will be away for a few days – I have the rock to myself!
Pearson vessel Second Nature has been doing water tours around Race Rocks
Ecological:
The sea lions double in number every day, and you smell them before you see them… Many can be seen with open wounds, 3-6″ long bloody cuts in their sides and back.
Beside the jetty, I spotted a young seagull getting its feet wet in the protected waters. This is the first time we’ve seen them enter the sea.
Sky overcast, some clear patches (not much solar power generated today)
Visibility 15+ miles, no fog
Wind 10-20 knots W
Water calm. Some interesting standing wave patterns lately.
Boats/Visitors:
On Thursday Greg came in the afternoon to top up our water supply. Pearson alum Norbert (currently alum in residence) also came along for the ride to check out our solar panels and provide suggestions for future improvements. Pearson maintenance volunteer Jimmy also stopped in for the night to visit race rocks before he goes home to Mexico. Safe travels!
We had many hands on deck, so we were able to successfully repair and raise the flagpole.
Yesterday Greg visited with a group of college guests who toured the island.
Ecological:
The sea lions have started to haul out on the N + S/SW sides of Great Race Rock.
The oyster catcher chicks have grown to be nearly as big as their parents and are flying all over!
The seagull chicks are getting bigger and when rival adults attack they now fight back. On Thursday we spotted a chick with one eye pecked out and were concerned that it would not survive. Fortunately, when we checked later it was doing well.
There have been large numbers of black turnstones present this past week, 30+ at once
Seagulls eating sea urchins
closer view
Male elephant seal having a soak on the jetty
Seagull bathing
Elephant seal on jetty
Signs of moulting skin and fur
California sea lions swimming
A small boat far from safety in the currents of race passage and very close to the sea lions.
Siblings hatched within 2 days of each other, one much smaller.
Black turnstones
Seersucker kelp on the jetty
Gumboot chiton
Gull catching drips of fresh water
One of the fish a gull regurgitated to feed its chicks
Blooming english stonecrop
Abandoned nest near jetty. Eggs did not hatch and mother is missing.
Not much boat traffic these past few days. It has been quite foggy and windy (40+ knots of wind)
Today Greg is bringing some water for the main tank. He is also bringing a volunteer from the college who will stay overnight.
Tomorrow morning we will have a group tour the island
Maintenance:
Yesterday Alex Fletcher came to take measurements from the batteries that supply the entire island. We have been having some problems with the technology but the batteries are looking good and healthy.
Our Canadian flag is still down, as the flag pole was too heavy for us to lower alone. We will try to enlist the help of Greg and the volunteer today and get things back in order!
Ecological:
The sea lions are starting to haul out onto Great Race Rock more and more. We will need to put up the electric fence soon to prevent them from coming right up to our backdoor as their local population increases. We are waiting for the elephant seals to leave, as the fence would prevent them from moving freely onto the jetty.
There are now two younger elephant seals who arrived a couple of days ago. One of them went back to a favourite spot of one of this years spring pups, so we wonder if it is the same one.
Waves on a windy day
Some yummy fresh produce from Alex’s farm. Thanks Alex!
