Category Archives: Bird videos

Revisiting Intertidal Transect sites at Race Rocks

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Watden’s Report, September 3, 2021

I was fortunate to be able to get out to Race Rocks on one of the last morning low tides of the season. I wanted to revisit intertidal locations around the island in order to take photos of belt transects in locations I had recorded with baseline studies back in May of 1995. Photographic transects are valuable records in the event of changes that may happen along coastlines, usually caused by humans and/or by extreme weather events . 

 

Images taken in 1995 can be seen in this index on transects: https://racerocks.ca/ecology/ecological-monitoring/

The belt transect files with images will be linked here when they have been processed :

Peg 6  Peg5: Peg 5a  Peg 5b Peg 14a,  Peg 14b Peg 115. 

I was fortunate to have the assistance of Cedric Torres, the ecoguardian in doing the work on the transects.

 

At this time of year the island is populated by many young  glaucous-winged gulls, some fully fledged and other son various states of maturity. There were also a number of mortalities around the island which is typical for this time of year in a breeding colony.  In the following videos a number of behaviours of the chicks are shown .

Harbour seals with pups are hauled out on the southern most reef, note the current was still  ebbing in this video.

The California and Stellers sea lions have started coming back in large numbers. typically the Californias outnumber the Stelllers at this time of year.

Beneath the tower, the Californians( barking)  are predominant: but there is alos a mix of the growling Stellers.

 

On the East side cove a large group of Californian Sea lions were hauled out. The ones here were very skittish, any movement near the east end of the  house would startle them

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Other observations : two orcas in Race Passage ( surprizingly with no whale watching boats nearby.  The nice weather on Sept 3 brought out many whale watching boats and as usual they approach closer to the north side in front of the docks than necessary and well within the distance for viewing marine mammal colonies. The sea lions on that side are more habituated to the presence of humans and these boats than on other parts of the island, but many still go into an alert stage when the boats pass by.

Only a few pelagic cormorants were seen on the south west tip of the island.

The Calendula escapes from gardens of lightkeepers over 50 years ago still exist along the pathways, although the dry summer has been challenging. I was able to make a new species observation of these green blow flies on the flowers.

 

This summer with the heat dome experience on Vancouver Island there have been reports of damage to intertidal life. I took these images of high intertidal level barnacles in the arintertidal between peg 14 and 15. which show very little damage from this event,

We checked out Anita’s pool #6 . The intertidal life in the area has been unchanged for decades.

On the west side of the cliff near peg 5 , we took these images on the vertical rock face as records of barnacle distribution:

And near peg 15 we noted these finger limpets in a shaded rock at an extreme high intertidal elevation.

And a follow-up photo of The ill-fated tidepool #13 which was readjusted in the hurricane of 2006

 

 

 

 

 

Corvus caurinus:NorthWestern Crow, Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The Norhwestern Crow closely resembles the American crow being black noisy and having forward facing bristles above its nostrils. The nw crow is smaller in size and has a shorter lower caw. It also has a smaller bill, smaller wings and has a greater wing beat rate.They usually inhabit coastal areas such as Race Rocks and are not thought to be birds which migrate. The crow usually forages for food near coast lines and its diet may include dead fish, crab, mussels or clams. In most regions its nest may be located at high elevations or in the branches of Conifer trees. Here at Race Rocks, the closest suitable nesting sites are on Bentinck Island.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Passeriformes
Family Corvidae
Genus Corvus
Species caurinus
Common Name: NorthWestern Crow
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Original text by Lawson Connor, PC student Dec. 2002

Hirundo rustica: Barn Swallow

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UPDATE 2023 Derek Sterling has taken some excellent photos and written about the return of barn Swallows to Race rocks

This video shows the barn swallow fledglings in their nest.

June, 2005: the adult birds were observed going in and out of the vents on the north side of the water desalinator building on Race Rocks.

June-July 2006: This nest was built of mud, lined with goose and gull feathers under the concrete stairway of the Marine Science Centre. (Tis structure was replaced with a wooden staircase in 2020) On July 4, they were seen to be flying in and out of the opening frequently. Barn swallows are frequent nesters in rural areas all throughout western Canada. They choose a nesting site always located in an assured dry location.Frequently this is an out-building on a farm with an open door or window. They have excellent aerodynamic  maneuvering control as they fly quickly over open areas catching insects with a wide opening mouth. They are valued for their voracious appetite for mosquitoes and flies. With their food being flying insects, the island certainly provides an abundant supply of the kelp fly Coelopa vanduzeei

These pictures were taken of a newly-fledged family on a balcony in nearby Metchosin. The juvenile birds were waiting to be fed

An interesting question was posed by someone recently. Since swallows fly from the brightly lit outside rapidly into a dark building, do they have a specially evolved vision system for rapid dark adaptation? We know that bats do this with their echolocation system, but birds don’t have that ability.

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Sub-phylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Hirundo
Species: rustica
Common Name:Barn swallow

Physical Description:
The barn swallow is the only one of its family with a deeply forked tail. It can be identified by its rusty under parts and orange rump as well as a dark orange forehead and throat. Like all swallows, it is a strong and elegant flyer. Its legs and bill are short, but it has a wide mouth for capturing insects. These birds are generally around 15 cm in length.


Habitat:
True to its name, the barn swallow is common near farms. It builds a nest of mud on the timbers of barns and other such buildings. It commonly inhabits caves and areas

underneath bridges. Barn swallows are migratory birds, and fly south from North America to South America for the winter.

Reproduction:
The length of incubation for barn swallow eggs is 13 to 17 days. They lay in open-cup nests made of mud pellets and grass. The eggs are speckled and nesting begins in the second half of May. If the pair of swallows is successful, two broods are raised each year.

Feeding Habits:
This swallow feeds exclusively on insects. Hunting typically takes place on or close to ground level. However, on summer afternoons, they can be seen flying high in the air. The barn swallow simply follows the desired insects and catches them in flight.

Global Distribution:
The barn swallow can be found in almost all parts of Canada and the USA. It typically inhabits every continent except Australia. It is a resident of rural areas, and populations are most heavily concentrated in southern Texas and central USA.

Predators:
Predators are most commonly cats and raccoons. When a predator approaches, the entire colony will launch an attack in a display of aerial acrobatics.

Interesting Fact:
The barn swallow’s song is long and twittering. They are commonly known to perch on wires and are often seen in large, mixed flocks.

References:
. Brunn, B. C.S. Robbins, Singer and H.S. Zim. 1966. A Guide to Field Identification, Birds of North America. Golden Press. New York, NY.
. http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/per/b4.htm
. http://www.museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/msbirds/bns0261.htm

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

December 2005-  Chelsea Howard, Nfld. year( PC year 32)

Helicopter Landing Kills Gulls

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Human disruption in a seabird nesting colony at certain times of the year can have disastrous consequences for young birds. The territorial instinct is so strong that young birds leaving the envelope of their nesting territory get attacked by other adults of nearby territories. This incident was precipitated when a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter made an unscheduled landing at the island in August 2003. Normally they do not come to the island in the sensitive period, this time a mistake was made!

Limnodromus griseus: Short-billed Dowitcher–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Short -Billed Dowitchers, photo by Riley Strother, April 20 2017

This juvenile short-billed Dowitcher was seen up near the tower in August 18 2009. It was very tame and quite unconcerned with the local humans. Image by Ian Perry.

The same juvenile, (Aug 18/ 09) , shown above. Images by G.Fletcher
Dowitcher probing for invertebrates Note the Halosaccion band of the intertidal zone where it is feeding rear view- note buff colored underparts side view- note dark eye.
Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Limnodromus
Species griseus
Common Name: Short Billed Dowitcher

The Short-billed Dowitcher breeds in Northern Canada. It winters in South America.
It occurs rarely and solitary at Race Rocks where it stops on migration. Short-billed Dowitchers normally are birds of mudflats along the Pacific Coast. One individual bird was filmed on May 1 2003 (above)as it probed for food among the barnacles and algae of the Halosaccion zone at Race Rocks.

In the photo to the right from September 2005, another dowitcher roamed through the area near the base of the rock on the East side. So presumably we have pictures of the stopover going North and South!

Compare with the size of a gull in this Link to a post showing Dowitchers at Race Rocks-April 20 , 2017

This video shows the Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) in the intertidal zone to the East of the docks at Race Rocks. Note the “sewing machine ” action as it probes for food. The biology class watched this bird on May1/03 before starting on an intertidal transect in the same area. The coloration was noticeably buff-colored when compared to other shore birds. This individual was very fearless, even returning to feed briefly nearby after we had laid down our transect. This is normally a bird of the Pacific Coast mudflats.

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. May 2003– Garry Fletcher/strong>

Eagles Congregate in Winter at Race Rocks

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In January, on a planned dive off West Race Rocks, the divers had to divert to another location because of a large number of eagles on the island. They shot this clip as they went by the island. Carol Slater had counted 43 on the Rocks earlier in the day. This is typical of their peak in numbers every January. The brown juveniles and the white headed adults number fairly equally.


 

Arenaria melanocephala: Black Turnstone–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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black-turnstone

Ryan took this image in January 2009. At that time of year there were over a dozen turnstones foraging across the island.

 

The Black Turnstone breeds in Western and Southern Alaska on the coastal plain. It winters only on the Pacific coast, from southeast Alaska to central Mexico. It is the most abundant shorebird of rocky shorelines. Favourite habitats include reefs, rocky beaches, jetties, and gravel bars at the mouths of rivers or along lagoons. It may also forage on adjacent mudflats wet sandy beaches, floating kelp beds, and piles of washed-up seaweed. Black Turnstones have been recorded roosting on dry rocks, jetties, and floating log booms at which time they may gather into extremely dense flocks.
It is widely distributed along the inner and outer coast. Its distribution is largely restricted to rocky coastal shorelines, but it frequents many fiords and protected inlets. It is a vagrant in the interior. The Black Turnstone usually occurs in flocks of 10 to 30 birds at Race Rocks where it overwinters.


This slide show shows the Black Turnstone being part of the Food Web at Race Rocks providing  energy for the Peregrine falcon!

Reference used:http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/nh_papers/gracebell/english/b_turnst.htm

Below are the records for population numbers of Black Turnstones observed in the Christmas Bird Counts.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Arenaria
Species melanocephala
Common Name: Black Turnstone

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.
Angela Chaisson, PC yr 28

 

Haliacetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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In November 2009, Ryan Murphy captured this set of images when a juvenile eagle was making his daily pass by to prey on a seabird. The juvenile california gull provides the meal for that day. Click the image to see a slide show video of this sequence..See the Eagle Set on Ryan’s Flickr site

Bald Eagles measure from 30″ to 43″ ( 76 to 109 cm) in length and from 70″ to 96″ ( 2 to 2.4 m) in wingspan. They have a high thin, chittering voice which contrasts with its magnificent appearance. Bald Eagle’s diet is primarily based on fish catching. It also eats carrion and crippled waterfowl. At Race Rocks, eagles frequently take adult Gulls and Pigeon Guillemots as can be seen in the accompanying images.

The adult Bald Eagle has a snow-white head and tail, the immature ones have brown head feathers which develop white underneath and gradually grow out over several years.
It was formerly found living all over North America. Hunting, poaching and the growth of civilization has had a negative impact in the Bald Eagle population whch has dimished considerably in the last decades. Nowadays it is found only in the Aleutians, Alaska, sections of Northern and Eastern Canada, British Columbia, Northern United States and Florida.

Its habitat is on or near seacoasts as well as close to large lakes and rivers, where the fish population is abundant. It nests in tall conifers, often old growth Douglas Fir or Cedar. Nests are common in the Southern part of Vancouver island. The closest to Race Rocks are on Bentinck Island and along Taylor Beach. The nests are renovated every year starting in January with new sticks, often ripped from tall dead fir trees. The eggs are white and come in groups of 1 to 3 each time.Its beachcombing , scavenging role, and the fact that it eats at the highest trophic level, can cause the Bald Eagle to accumulate pesticides in its body ( from contaminated fish and wildllife. ) The Bald Eagle population remains high in the rain forest coastal area of central and Northern British Columbia and Alaska.

This image comes from the slide show “Fresh Kill” It provides a closeup of an eagle whose head coloring is almost mature, but has not yet lost its dark speckling.
Reference: Miklos D. F. Uduvardy ,1977 The Audubon Society, Field Guide to North American Birds, Western region., Chanticler press, fifth edition: NY

 

The nictitation membrane is a transparent inner eyelid in birds, reptiles, and some mammals that closes to protect and moisten the eye. It is also called the third eyelid.
Pam captured these images of young eagles close to camera 5 in the spring of 2005 to help us demonstrate this adaptation.You can find further information about this feature at: http://ebiomedia.com/gall/eyes/protect.html

Bald Eagles in the Rain

 

 

 

 

Bad Hair Day for the Eagles

 

 

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Carolina Munoz 1987

 

Haematopus bachmani: Black Oystercatcher–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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2bloy

Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani photo by Ryan Murphy

Usually up to 6 pairs of the Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani nest at Race Rocks . They are also winter residents on the island, with numbers up to 100 individuals at times .

This link will connect you with the log showing the many
entries referring to Haematopus bachmani at Race Rocks.

ryansseton -Black oystercatcher

 

See  Ryan Murphy’s Flickr site for excellent images he took while he was ecoguardian at Race Rocks- 2009-2011

 

bloynest3mAn Oystercatcher nest demonstrates the fine art of camouflage
Classification:
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrate
Class Aves
Subclass Neornithes
Superorder Neognathae
Order Charadriiformes
Suborder Charadrii
Family Haematopodidae
Genus Haematopus
Species bachmani
Common Name :
Black Oystercatcher

Images for this slide show of mating Black oystercatchers were taken on the remote camera 5 by PB. May 29, 2006

This video of the black oystercatcher on the nest in June 2007 was screen-captured from camera 2 which was placed two metres from the nest for the duration of incubation.

June 24, 2007: Hatching day! By the end of the day three chicks are active. This video by Garry Fletcher is a compilation of events throughout the day.

BLOYJune8 -hatch
Link to this post from June 22, 2008 for the hatch of Black Oystercatchers near the boathouse captured from a live webcast on a video camera.

blkoybehav1sSee this video on Black Oystercatcher Behaviour

 

 

 

This post in 2024 has great photos of the chicks of BLOYs

For an interesting article on precocial birds such as these oystercatchers see this link.

The black oyster catcher is a jet black bird with a long red beak and pink legs. They grow to 43-44 cm, relatively large for shorebirds. The male and female adult birds are alike in appearance, but juveniles are dull brown. Race Rocks is home to at least six pairs during early May. The birds leave in early fall and return in later December, in numbers up to 30. In the Race Rocks Christmas bird counts numbers as high as 64 in 1997 have been recorded.

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
64 17 1 25 16 39 storm 16 35 22 0 storm
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
57 32 60 36 30 3 40 — — — — —

The birds often use distracting displays, pretending to have a broken wing or surprising other birds that invade their nests, but are otherwise non-territorial. Both parents incubate two or three eggs on average, and mates may stay together for several years. Locally, since there are no oysters, the bird is not so aptly named, but it does prey upon a variety of intertidal shellfish, including limpets, chitons and various snails. Birds of the same family occupying the same ecological niche are found throughout the shorelines of the world.
Their long, chisel-like beak is perfect for prying the shells open to feed on the soft flesh inside. The skull to the left was the product of predation by a river otter in 2001. The presence of the black oyster catcher nesting areas can be noted upon the discovery of piles of empty shells in the nooks and crannies of Race Rocks. Analysis of the different shells found in these piles has been done and it serves as an indicator of shellfish species diversity on the island, as well as the food web of the oystercatchers.

See the results of the Fall 1999 collection of shells from the midden of the oystercatchers.

Also go to the Lab on the Ecological Niche of the Black Oyster-catcher.

see this Video by Paul Omole of a Black Oystercatcher Feeding. –Sounds of Foghorn in the background .
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

This file was originally started by Stewart Maudsley, Dec. 2001.

 

Cepphus columba: Pigeon Guillemot–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmmar2609piggguil

Pigeon Guillemots arrive in early January, some still in their mottled winter plumage. Their numbers build and nesting takes place in late spring. A favourite foraging area is in the main channel in font ( to the North) of the Race Rocks docks. They may number up to 100 in the water, diving down in the current and coming up with small fish, especially gunnels.

Ryan Murphy has done some amazing telephoto shots starting in February of 2009 of Pigeon Guillemots such as those below.  They are included in a set here on his Flickr site.

rm2010pigguilskip rmguillemot4
rmguillemot2

rm2piguil copy

Four samples of photos of Pigeon Guillemots by Ryan Murphy

winterplumage-pigu

Winter Plumage on Pigeon Guillemots, photo by Pam Birley by the Remote control Camera 5

raisajan152011pigu

Winter Plumage of Pigeon Guillemot. photo by Raisa Mirza


Description: The pigeon guillemot has an average size of 12-14”. Its summer plumage is black with large white wing patches interrupted by black stripes.

It is interesting to note that in winter, its head and upper parts lighten slightly, however in all seasons feet and bill lining are brilliant red. In the spring it can be heard making a high whistle.

How and what they eat: The Pigeon Guillemot feeds by diving and taking up small fish. Some examples are: Penpoint Gunnels or “Blenny”, sand lance, smelt, and sculpins.

Habitat: This species resides in rocky coastal areas, with shallow inshore waters as its feeding grounds. Nest cavities are found amongst holes and rock crevices on the West, North East and South sides of Great Race Rocks. Some habitat for nesting was created years ago when blasting for the helicopter pad produced rubble under which they could tunnel..

rmgunnelandpigil copy

Ryan Murphy took this picture of a pigeon guillemot having just caught a gunnel.

Lumpenus sagitta, pacific snake prickleback captured by Pigeon guillemot

Lumpenus sagitta, pacific snake prickleback captured by Pigeon guillemot, Ryan Murphy photo.

Predators: Seagulls are predators of pigeon guillemot eggs. At Race Rocks, the main threat is predation by Bald Eagles, Peregrine falcons and nest predation by River Otters.

ahjuly3011pigguilchick

Summer ecoguardian Adam Harding was able to take pictures of a the chicks in a guillemot nest in the summer of 2011. The nest was located at the end of the low rock wall West of the science house

 

piguilnest

1 or 2 greenish or whitish, dark-spotted eggs are laid in a crevice or burrow. This nest burrow had been abandoned,perhaps due to predation, at the end of the season eggs were still present unhatched in the burrow. The light keeper’s assistant is shown here-1984-

Pigeon Guillemots

Pigeon Guillemots photo by Ecoguardian Courtney Edwards in March , 2014

The slide show above was made from pictures taken by Pam Birley in 2007

Kiprop made this video of the Guillemots jostling for position on the rocky shore on the West side of the island.

slide show of mating guillemots by Pam Birley was made from camera 5 screen captures.

Video of pigeon guillemots on the island and out in the passage where they dive and forage.[/caption]

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image Gallery

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Original text of this taxonomy was done in Dec. 2001 by Anthony Woodside, PC Year 27