Category Archives: Admin

Mount Baker to Bahokas Peak.

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It was clear here early and once easterly outflow breezes cleared the American side, it was a beautiful day on the Strait. There was a hazy view all the way to Mt. Baker in the east and out to Bahokas Peak in the west. The barometer is continuing its leisurely dive, started Thursday and as the sunsets, is close to 1003 hPa. The forecast is for more of the same with showers and a chance of thunderstorms.

No tour boats or fishers were noted in the Ecological Reserve today however one boat sped through Middle Channel from the west and then after slowing down went between the South Islands and extremely close to seals and sea lions. Sea lions and seals were on high alert. All of the seals went into the water and some of the sea lions jumped in between the rock and the boat. The boat went back and forth very close to the sea lions several times before speeding off in the direction of Victoria. The whole thing only took a few minutes. The rest of the day made up for it in calm and peacefulness.

Antenna just visible in top left, boat below sea lions.

Antenna just visible in top left, boat below sea lions.

Speeding off.

Speeding off.

Last night as I was saying goodnight to the students who had been helping with chores, there was a definite smell of baleen whale breath in the evening air. I thought it might be the first Humpback Whale of the season. We looked but it was almost dusk and we didn’t see a whale. I heard on the VHF radio today that the whale watching boats had spotted their first Minke Whale of the season, so my guess is that there was a stinky Minke upwind last night.

While doing the seawater sample today, I noticed that there is plenty of big plankton right now. Visible from the jetty are gazillions of beautiful ctenophores or comb jellies. Their scientific name is Pleurobrachia and another common name is sea gooseberry. These jellies are spherical and unlike most jellies they don’t have stinging cells, just sticky cells on their two dangling tentacles, to tangle their prey. They also have eight rows of amazing, tiny paddle-like structures called combs or ctenes. The combs basically do the wave and when they do, it makes a rainbow-like shimmering. So a clear ball, with eight rows of rainbow inducing pulsations and two trailing tentacles; this is a pretty intriguing looking creature.

Ctenophores are important top-down regulators of copepod abundance so they are important ecologically. Copepods are little crustaceans that feed directly on phytoplankton, the photosynthetic kind of plankton. The copepods can be so abundant that at times most of the phytoplankton biomass can be found in their guts. One reason the water is so clear right now may be due to an abundance of copepods. There are also lots of cross-jellies, which are true jellies or cnidarians, meaning they can sting. Their scientific name is Mitrocoma cellularia and they are also predators on smaller animal plankton like copepods. These large plankters are of course also food for baleen whales.

I had a bit of a catch-up day today. I gave the solar panels a thorough scrub and wash, fixed the underwater camera, took photos, cleaned up in front of the boat-house and generally monitored and documented things while tidying up.

A more peaceful sail past ata more respectful and legal distance.

A more peaceful sail past at a more respectful and legal distance.

It has been a treat to have students out for the weekend and I think they have been enjoying the peacefulness, nature and each other’s company. I went out to dinner for the first time on the island and we had a delicious meal prepared by the students.

 

April 4th – Full Moon and Blood Moon

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The weather was much more subdued today with light winds and a morning switch in direction to the east, northeast and then back to westerlies at sunset. The sky was partially overcast but more sunny than cloudy with only the slightest of showers. The barometer continued its very slow and not very steady, decline that began on Thursday. The forecast is for more of the same. Today’s full moon was in total eclipse early this morning and although I was up at 5:00 AM, I did not see it, maybe that is because it was totally eclipsed ; – )?

Only two tour boats were noted within the Ecological Reserve today and they both kept their speed down and seemed to be very respectful of the wildlife. There was no fishing activity noted inside the Conservation Area.  A couple of Kayakers were paddling in the Ecological Reserve today and they were very close to the sea lions. They managed to make it past them without any disturbance, but the sea lions woke up after the kayakers passed. They were only concerned enough to do some neck craning and alert behaviour before falling back asleep.

Paddler passes close by sleeping sea lions.

Paddler passes close by sleeping sea lions.

The two kayaks regroup after getting by the sea lions on South Islands.

The two kayaks regroup after getting by the sea lions on South Islands.

Sea lions wake up and smell the kayakers. Looking alert but not too disturbed.

Sea lions wake up and smell the kayakers. Looking alert but not too disturbed.

Ecologically things were very much like the previous two days, the gulls are slowly becoming a little more territorial and parental looking. I saw two holding nesting material in their bills today and several pairs were doing a synchronous bill down dance that might demonstrate to the other how beautifully they will be able to regurgitate into any chicks they might produce together. I also witnessed some nasty bill holding that drew blood and descended into an outright wrestling match. I was not sure if these gulls were territorial competitors or mates but they were determined to not let go of each other. Gulls are supposed to mate for life so it makes me wonder, when I see the same gulls sitting poignantly all alone, on their spots, day after day. Is their mate missing in action or just late?

The Canada Geese are very broody and in some places are running the gulls off. Some geese are already incubating four to eight eggs per clutch.  I guess the crows know this and there is often a small murder of crows strutting around the nesting areas and also being chased off by the geese.

The Bald Eagles are here all day everyday right now and I watched one adult chase off another so there must be something good to eat. Is it gulls? The chase was quite spectacular with climbs and dives and at one point, upside-down flying in self defence. The defeated intruder headed over to Bentick Island.

It wasn’t sunny enough today to just go with solar power and I had to run the generator for a couple of hours in spite of having no extra draw on energy. I know the day is coming when there will be enough sunshine to go through a whole day, entirely on solar power.

Thirteen visitors came to the island today. Chris brought out a group of eight students and his son accompanied him with a school friend. Alex was deckhand again and brought his father who was visiting, along for the brief version of the Race Rocks tour. Alex’s Dad likes using the Race Rocks video cameras, so one more reason that I need to figure out how to get cameras #2 and #5, back up and running. The students will go back mid-day on Monday and are already earning their keep.

Chores were a mix of entropy fighting of  today. It was really nice to know that there is lots of water in the midst of churning compost and the usual tasks. I am still tidying up wood and very grateful to Alex and Virginie for all the firewood and lovely kindling. I also want to thank Nick for leaving the house so spick and span, very nice.

New DFO Report highly critical of Kinder Morgan /TMX environmental assessment on Whales

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The recentlly released DFO report:
(See Full PDF) SUFFICIENCY REVIEW OF THE INFORMATION ON EFFECTS OF UNDERWATER NOISE AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SHIP STRIKES FROM MARINE SHIPPING ON MARINE MAMMALS IN THE FACILITIES APPLICATION FOR THE TRANS MOUNTAIN EXPANSION PROJECT was very critical of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project Application documents. The Conclusion of the report is concerned with Vessel strikes on Whales and the overall impact of noise from increased Project-related traffic.  Included below are the conclusions of the report.

Conclusions

There are deficiencies in both the assessment of potential effects resulting from ships strikes and exposure to underwater noise in the Trans Mountain Expansion Project Application documents.

There is insufficient information and analysis provided with which to assess ship strike risk in the Marine RSA from either existing or Project-related traffic. Ship strike is a threat of conservation concern, particularly for baleen whales such as Fin Whales, Humpback Whales and other baleen whales (Gregr et al. 2006). If shipping intensity increases as projected in Section 4.4 in the Marine RSA and the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait as a whole, the significance of this threat to cetacean populations that occupy the region will increase.

Incidence of recovered whale carcasses is not considered to be an adequate measure of the frequency of ship strikes. No information is provided about the speed and maneuverability of Project-related ships or the distribution of whales in relation to the shipping lanes. Analyses that consider the statistical probability of ship-whale encounters and the risk of collisions are considered appropriate methodologies to assess this potential effect.

The JASCO MONM model, as it has been applied by the Proponent, is not adequate to assess the overall impact of noise from increased Project-related traffic. Although state-of-the-art acoustic modelling has been used to model the noise propagation associated with a single Project-related tanker in the Marine RSA, only four locations were chosen to represent the Marine RSA; therefore, the assessment does not adequately represent the noise exposure for the entire time a marine mammal would be in the RSA. The assessment represents only Project-related tanker traffic and not the current noise environment or the potential increase due to Project-related traffic. Finally, the method used to assess the significance of impacts from the modelled noise level contours resulting from a single Project-related tanker and tug on indicator cetacean and pinniped species is qualitative and the lack of an appropriate assessment framework reduces DFO’s ability to evaluate the assessment.

(See Full PDF) SUFFICIENCY REVIEW OF THE INFORMATION ON EFFECTS OF UNDERWATER NOISE AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SHIP STRIKES FROM MARINE SHIPPING ON MARINE MAMMALS IN THE FACILITIES APPLICATION FOR THE TRANS MOUNTAIN EXPANSION PROJECT

See other posts on Oil Spill Risk for the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

Feb 22

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Sunny, 5-10 knot East wind.

2 Personal Watercraft and 2 whale watchers in the reserve.  There were several sports fishing boats around the reserve, counted over 25 in the area.  I called and left a message with one whale watching company regarding one of their boats in the reserve and its proximity to marine mammals

Chris came out in the afternoon with Laura and Simon, Alison and 3 guests.

I worked on a few projects including: pvc cementing vent pipe on guest house toilet, re-caulking chute on the toilet with silicone, changed pre-filters on diesal, replaced a leaky ball valve on diesal, untangled snapped derrick cable, and cut and chopped firewood.

The female elephant seal has stayed by the pup’s body most of the day.

Feb 16-18

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Feb 16: sunny, wind 10-20 NE.  Blasting on Bentinck Island.  Today was the first day in several weeks that I there are not female elephant seals visible on West rock. While it coincides with the blasting, they haven’t previously appeared bothered by it. 2 whale watching boats in the reserve. Worked on removing old utility box on camera 5 for replacement and repairs.  Composting toilet chamber is evaporated so I have unplugged the unit to conserve energy.

heron feb 18

Great Blue Heron on NE side of main island, Feb 18

Feb 17: Sunny, wind NE 10-20 knots. Cut, chopped and stacked wood.  Finished removing old utility box and preparing for new install.

Feb 18: Sunny in the morning, wind under 10 knots.  2 whale watching boats and a group of around 20 kayakers in the reserve. The kayakers stayed together and didnt get too close to the sealions.  Continued work on cam 5 utility box. A heron was in the reserve in the morning, I think this is the first time I have seen one here.

 

Feb 13-14 toilet and traffic

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composting toilet with steamy septic soup.

composting toilet with steamy septic soup.

Feb 13: Wind light becoming west 20 knots.  2 eco tour, 2 pleasure craft. Went off island in the morning to pick up guests.  Toilet in guest house has been running steady but liquid evaporation is going slowly.

Feb 14: Wind west 20 knots becoming calm and clear in the afternoon.  Male elephant seal was up in the jetty area in the morning. Took guest back to campus and ran some errands in town.  With the nice weather there was a lot more traffic in the reserve than there has been lately.  I was gone for a good part of the day but still saw 6 whale watching boats and 3 pleasure craft in the reserve when I returned.  There was some disturbance of the sealions, which exited into the water, caused by a few of the boats that were within the 100 meter marine mammal setback.

Jan 30-31

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Jan 30: Clear sky, no wind. 1 ecotour 1 pleasure craft. Cut and chopped wood. Worked on finishing toilet install in assist house: drain line, vent pipe.

Jan 31:  Fog horn went off throughout the night. Cloudy in the morning, wind 10-15 knots NE. Moved firewood and measured station fuel and water levels for month end report. 3 ecotour boats, 1 sailboat. The sailboat came around the South side of the main island and passed through the small channel between the South Islands, it came very close to the sealions hauled out on the closer South Island.  I called Pedder Bay Marina, gave them the boat’s serial number and asked them to talk to the operator about the 100m marine mammal setback rule.

Census:

California Sea lions: 14

Northern Sea Lions: 15

Harbour Seals: 28

Elephant Seals: 7 female, 2 male

Cormorants: 22

Canada Geese: 10

Gulls: 6

Bald Eagle: 5

Harlequin Ducks: 10

Black Turnstone: 5

Black Oyster Catcher: 7

Surfbird: 2

Sparrow: 2

Killdeer: 2 (night only)

 

 

Jan 22-26: fog, eagles, orcas

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juvenile bald eagle on the tope of the crane boom

Jan 22: Misty, low visibility. Wind N 10-15 knots. 1 private pleasure craft in the reserve. Cut and chopped firewood.

Jan 23: Rain, wind N 10-15 knots.  1 ecotour vessel in the reserve.  Followed up with eco tour company I spoke to a couple days ago about one of their boats, distance to mammals and avoiding disturbance. Also called a different eco tour charter company, that I hadn’t seen here before, about distance from mammals and speed in the vicinity of the rocks.  Cut and chopped firewood. Could hear elephant seal pup again today.

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juvenile bald eagle on one of the anemometers on top of the tower

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Jan 24:  A blanket of fog rolled in from the North in the morning reducing visibility and triggering fog horn including in the middle of the night. Periods of rain too.  Two ecotour vessels in the reserve. Went off island around noon in the fog, navigated by GPS on boat with cell phone as back up.  Picked up supplies in Colwood including extra chains, files and lube for the station chainsaw.  Brought three guests back out with me in the afternoon to stay overnight.  Sea was very calm on the way over and the fog had lifted enough to see to Port Angeles. The fog came back before dusk but lifted overnight.

Jan 25:  Cloudy, light rain, light wind.  10-15 orcas passed through race passage going with the current, heading SW. I brought guests back to college around noon. On the way over we passed by elephant seal rock and were able to see the pup with its mother.  It was on the West side of the mother, out of sight from the main island or tower cam. Came back out before dark.

Jan 26: Foggy in the morning, fog horn went off during the night. Cloudy throughout day, wind light.  1 ecotour vessel.  Cut and chopped wood. Foggy again in the evening.

Jan 2-4

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Jan 2: Cloudy, light rain. 1 recreational rental going too fast inside the reserve. I contacted Pedder Bay Marina and they talked to the boat renters.  I went off island in afternoon to get supplies.

Jan 3: Cloudy, light rain, wind 10-15 knots NE. 3 recreational boats, 4 eco tour boats. 1 dive boat that got quite close to sea lions on the rocks.  I spoke with the dive boat operator who was apologetic and understanding.  Chopped wood. Did a calibration check of the “YSI” digital sea temperature and salinity meter as requested by DFO. Sent off Dec seawater data to DFO.

checking calibration of YSI unit against analog hydrometer and thermometer

checking calibration of YSI unit against analog hydrometer and thermometer

Jan 4: Cloudy, rain throughout the day. Wind 10-15 knots NE. Chunk had been back on the main island but departed this morning.  One sports fishing boat.