Category Archives: Admin

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.

good weather, 1 speeding boat

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Another beautiful day of clear sky and light wind.  The barometer hit a high of over 1040 hPa today.

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sunrise, mpountain peaks in the US

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rosedale reef buoy, olympic mountains in background

 

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birds feeding in the straight, olympics in background

Vessels observed in the reserve today: 1 ecotour, 1 dive boat, 1 pleasure craft (rental from Pedder Bay Marina).  The rental boat was traveling over the designated speed limit of 7 knots within 400 meters of the rocks.  I photographed the vessel with 4 people onboard, got the hull numbers and reported it to Pedder Bay Marina who said they would speak with the operators-who were likely unaware of the regulations.

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Chopped wood and did some more cleanup of debris in the jetty area.

 

Humpback Whales

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The wind blew at about 15 knots from the northeast for the daylight hours.  A swell with small whitecaps from the northeast died down at noon. The barometer dropped slightly from 1031 to 1029 hPa.  The sky was clear all day.

There were six whale watching boats seen in the reserve today.  The only other boat was the Race Rocks boat making a round trip to Pedder Bay at noon, for an Ecoguardian switchover.

Over the weekend, Jeff completed the installation of the new composting toilet in the Ecoguardian’s house.  It’s a big step up from the humanure system that was in place before.  The new waterless system has a unit in the basement, directly below the toilet, that decomposes the human waste and only needs to be emptied once a year.  An identical unit is going to be installed in the Marine Science Centre, once some minor wall demolition happens to accommodate unit in the basement.

At 14:00, there were two or three humpback whales within a few hundred metres of the northeast of Great Race Rocks.  They made their way to the south, diving for five minutes at a time and then resurfacing.  Two whale watching boats remained with them for about 45 minutes, sometimes very close to the whales.

Mystery Gull and Monster Mosh Pit

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The day started with light westerly winds that brought quite a bit of sunshine. Although the wind picked up a little, today’s weather and sea conditions seemed like a bit of a reprieve after the last week of big swells and high winds. The barometer rose all day but it looks like another southeaster coming tomorrow.

Four whale watching boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today. There was one sports fishing boat fishing in the Ecological Reserve just before sunset.

Sportsfisher trolling in front of Eco-guardian house late in the day.

Sport-fisher trolling in front of Eco-guardian house just before sunset.

I spotted a gull that was a total mystery. I have the question out for help in identification. Do you know what it is? An albino Thayer’s Gull? (This just in: Dick Cannings says that it is a very light, second year, Glaucous-winged Gull.) Sorry no mystery for Halloween.

Mystery gull visited Race Rocks. Jury still out on its identification.

Mystery gull visited Race Rocks. Jury still out on its identification. One possibility is an immature Iceland gull (gf)

There were at least five Humpback Whales spotted to the south and the west of Race Rocks today.

The Northern Elephant Seals continue to occupy the ramp from the jetty. This little guy has tag # 7625 and was tagged as a weanling at Ano Nuevo Island in 2013. So he will turn two this winter.

Northern Elephant Seal tagged as a weanling in the winter of 2013. This feisty little guy is out on land using gravity to help strengthen his bones and prepare him for hauling out for longer times as an adult.

Northern Elephant Seal tagged as a weanling in the winter of 2013. This feisty little guy is out on land using gravity to help strengthen his bones and prepare him for hauling out for longer times as an adult.

 

The sealion count is up dramatically from last week with 980 individuals, 447 Stellers and 433 Californians. It took me so long to count them that I am going to have to finish the census tomorrow and that will give me a chance to recount, if I start earlier. It is a bit like trying to count people in a mosh pit. The photos really help fine tune the numbers.

These sealions are keeping each other warm and catching up on their sleep.

These sealions are keeping each other warm and catching up on their sleep.

 

There were quite a few visitors today including two veterinarians Martin and Joe who are part of a collaborative, international team that is (amongst other things) disentangling sealions.  They completed reconnaissance for a possible rescue here. If you have been following the blog you will know that there are at least six ring-necked sealions here with plastic strapping and three more with fishing gear. Entanglement is definitely a human caused issue, hard to deny that one. Both Garry the Ecological Reserve Warden and Chris head of operations at Pearson College were here as well as my colleague Courtney, a contractor and two former students.

My tasks today were focused on cleanup (some of the outside windows on the guardian house), the bathroom, the basement and on sorting and cataloguing images. If someone had told me how time consuming that job is, I wouldn’t have taken so many photos.

Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning.

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Today was a transitional day that started with a spectacular sunrise of backlit clouds with lots of pinks and reds. That was a warning of things to come. It didn’t blow much until just before sunset and then switched from the dithering north and northeast winds of the daytime to a steady westerly of 20 knots, gusting to over 25 knots. The rain was not far behind.

This warm blow feels and smells like a pineapple express, even above the essence of sea lion. The barometer track from last night to this one was a diagonal drop but the forecast shows some hope for sunshine tomorrow and then back to southeast.

There were ten commercial whale watching boat visits to the Ecological Reserve today and even more activity in Race Passage. There were multiple Humpback Whales in the neighbourhood again today. It was also a busy day for sports-fishing boats and people racing around in speedboats. There were several speeders in the Ecological Reserve including a young family who had rented at Pedder Bay marina.
Pedder Bay Rental speeding in ER
speedboat Oct 19 ER

A Harbour Seal hauls out in the Jetty bay most afternoons now. It is very photogenic with its little pink tongue and great stretches. Check-out those not so cute, formidable looking nails (aka claws).
Phvt pink tongue
Phvt stretch

Another favorite resident here is the Black Oystercatcher.
BLOY headshot

I did the usual chores today, clean-up, wash solar panels, sample seawater and run the generator for a couple of hours to top up the batteries. I tried unsuccessfully (again) to fix the wind direction input on the weather station and to get the weed-eater going.

Camera 2 Reconnected

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The weather changed many times today. It started out foggy with no wind, then cleared with a light north wind. Then it clouded over and blew a little more from the southeast. By late after noon there was light rain, which continued into the evening while the wind shifted back to the northeast. The barometer remained fairly steady until this evening when it started to fall. The forecast for the weekend is cloudy with showers and a strong wind warning for central Juan de Fuca Strait.

Only one whale watching boat was noted in the Ecological Reserve today and it arrived in front of the jetty at the exact time that Second Nature arrived with students from Pearson. Second nature tied up to the jetty and conducted a working dive installing the underwater camera (Webcam #2). Half the team dealt with mounting and connecting the camera while the rest of the crew ran the cable out and secured it along the way. Everyone was well-briefed top-side and it was probably a thrilling dive with the many sea lions in the water all around the divers. Students Stuart, Alex and Sean were in the water with Chris and Courtney led Joliene, Sarah and Yam. Riikka was dive marshal and had a crew of three who made sure that everything went according to plan. The camera is installed and connected and we should be able to view it again shortly.

I didn’t spend much time on ecological observations today but as I was wheel barrowing gear around in the morning, I looked up and saw a big flock of Turkey Vultures. They seemed to be coming from Rocky Point and heading across the Strait to Washington State. They seemed to be using the light tower as a navigation aid. I counted and the group included 102 birds. Five of them turned around just after Race Rocks, maybe they had forgotten their passports.

Today was a clean-up and re-group day here. I tidied up after the electricians and moved and packaged up the waste and debris from the oil change on the Lister generator. The solar panels were washed, fresh water made and electricity generated. Just before the dive was over I launched the boat and went to pick up Alex.

Last Blast of Summer

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Tomorrow is the equinox and it was a glorious last day of summer today on Race Rocks. In the morning, outflow northeasterly winds soon gave way to westerlies, which gained momentum creating whitecaps and active seas in the afternoon. Both yesterday and today there was also an ocean swell, indicating a storm out at sea. Some of the surges created large, standing waves in the tidal flows. The barometer continued slide today and a change is on the way with showers forecast to start by tomorrow evening.

There were only a few whale-watching boats today, four observed in total. The Ogden Point Dive Centre’s charter boat ran a dive right off the jetty today. A few recreational boats stopped to watch the sea lions and three were speeding in the reserve, as they came into and left the area. A Pedder Bay, Oak Bay Marine Group rental boat didn’t bother to slow at all and sped through the area packed with sea lions.

After picking up calipers at the floating lab, I was able to almost complete meristic data collection for the Glaucous-wing Gull mortality study. Measurements were made of over 50 gulls in order to determine the age range and location at death. It has been so dry for so long, that the birds were basically mummified, not nearly as gross as standing up-wind of the living sea lions.

Several opportunistic brand photos were taken today and census photos were taken to validate against the more traditional census technique.

Sometimes the brands are easier to read with binoculars than in the photo. This one is 1032.

Sometimes the brands are easier to read with binoculars than in the photo. This one is 1032.

It seems that more Steller’s Sea Lions, Thayer’s Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants are arriving daily As you can see from this photograph of one the main California Sea Lion sleeping areas they are packed in tightly and not strictly segregated by species.

Sea lions pack into sleeping areas. This big Steller's Sea Lion caused a ruckus by walking over the Californians.

Sea lions pack into sleeping areas. This big Steller’s Sea Lion caused a ruckus by walking over the Californians.

The more mundane tasks of washing the solar panels, building up the compost, washing windows and mending the fences were done in the morning and it was actually hot, hmmm, just like summer. The seawater data was collected in the afternoon as the sunshine powered the solar panels which in turn powered the desalinator to make fresh water out of salt water. As the sun set south of Cape Flattery now, the classic Lister generator topped up the batteries for the overnight period.

Super September

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It just keeps going, for now. The barometer is not doing much; the gentle outflows are keeping the fog out. The smog from the interior is cranking up the sunsets. It is supposed to change by Wednesday though, so enjoy it while you can.

There were 24 whale watching boats observed in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve and Rockfish Conservation Area today. Most of them came in the afternoon and spent time to the south of the reserve watching cetaceans before or after coming in to see the sea lions.

Most of the Whale Watching boats are very well behaved and respectful but there are a few boats that may be pushing the boundaries in terms of slowing to 7 knots within the Reserve and/or speeding before leaving the Reserve. The same may be said for dive charters and some sport’s fishing charter boats. The speed limit is 7 knots within the Reserve.

A dive charter operator out of Victoria was back again today with divers and the operator of the vessel sped around the kelp bed, an area with lots of sea lions in the water, after dropping off his divers. In the end he had to come back to the drop-off point to pick up the divers, so not sure what the point was. One Pedder Bay Marine rental boat was reported jigging in the reserve again today.

Maintenance work took priority over observations today and Alex helped with all kinds of entropy-fighting activities including fence mending, moving concrete blocks, and fixing the weed eater. Now I will be able to put aside some hay for composting in the winter without bringing in off-island seeds or continuing to use the little hand scythe. He also contributed some great ideas for improvements like adding vertical rubbing strakes on the jetty, painting a mark on the marine railway carriage to indicate the depth required for loading/unloading the whaler and sending an e-map showing the 40m contour to all the operators who frequent the Reserve.

Killer Whales, Porpoise and Sea Lions Galore.

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It was another glorious day at Race Rocks and the trend is continuing. The barometer rose slowly until late afternoon and then levelled off and dropped a bit. The forecast is for outflow easterlies that are so good at keeping the fog at bay.
Following a little too close.
There was a flurry of whale watching activity today as Southern Resident Killer Whales went past Race Rocks going east with the tide. After the main pod had passed, there were 15 whale watching boats in the reserve and I noted a total of 32 over the day.
Crowded in front of the jetty
I saw two Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) feeding in the reserve. They are such smooth, quiet, little divers. They seemed to be feeding on some sort of forage fish that were flipping at the surface. Very tidy and well behaved compared to the sea lions.
Tide is coming up.
Some of the choice spots for hauling out are quite crowded now and there is a lot of jockeying for position in the California Sea Lion mosh pit where it is not unusual to see animals running across others to find a comfy sleeping spot. They stack in like cord-wood and must keep each other warm.

Here are a few shots of the California Sea Lion with the orange tags (no numbers) that has been ring-necked but seems to be healthy and vigorous. I didn’t find the ring-necked Steller’s today.
Stopped scratching for a moment.
Healing Ring-neck.Healthier ring-neck

Alex Fletcher solved my bird mystery: the mystery birds are Killdeer that arrive just after dark each night. Alex has heard them in the winter too. They must roost on the island and then leave for the day, as I have not seen them in daylight yet.

I finished the fence today, did more cleaning and made fresh water with the desalinator. By the time I went to turn off the generator the Sea Lions were laying on my fence. Hmmm, that is not not very effective.