‘2004-01-09′,’17:09:52’,’Over 250 Northern Sea Lions ( many juveniles) on middle rock only today- One large male elephant seal there also and one on Great Race – ( On the lawn near helipad- check on the robotic camera ) Several bald eagles on the rocks. Garry,)
Category Archives: Animal census
Census Jan 8
Black Oystercatchers (over 100–a record for RR) and gulls with westerly swells.
Green Winged Teals
The SGBs (Small Grey Birds). Not only do they all look very similar but they hide their beaks! There was a mix of Black Turnstone, Surfbirds and Rock Sandpipers in the NE bay.
On January 7 an 8th there was a W wind 30-35 knots. The Green Winged Teals returned to the island with slightly higher numbers than last time, they spent their time in the pools on the NE side and picking through the mud with their beaks. I have not seen any Pelicans in about a week and there have not been any Canada Geese here for about two weeks. Karen Benzel from International Bird Rescue contacted us recently to report that Pelican R36 that was seen here in November has been taken in for rehabilitation at Wild Arc in Metchosin.
Census January 8, 2013:
75 Cormorants
7 Harlequin ducks
4 Bald Eagles
1 Mallard
81 Black Oyster Catchers
120 Gulls
17 Green Winged Teals
20 Black Turnstone
10 Surfbirds
10 Rock Sandpipers
1 Kildeer
1 River Otter
20 Harbour Seals
100 Northern sea lions
10 Elephant Seals: 8 female, 2 male
Christmas Bird Count at Race Rocks 2012
| Greater White-fronted Goose | American Kestrel | |||||||||||
| Snow Goose | Merlin | |||||||||||
| Cackling Goose | Gyrfalcon | |||||||||||
| Canada Goose | Peregrine Falcon | |||||||||||
| Mute Swan | Ring-necked Pheasant | |||||||||||
| Trumpeter Swan | Virginia Rail | |||||||||||
| Tundra Swan | American Coot | |||||||||||
| Wood Duck | Sandhill Crane | |||||||||||
| Gadwall | Black-bellied Plover | |||||||||||
| Eurasian Wigeon | Killdeer | |||||||||||
| American Wigeon | Black Oystercatcher | GRR | 36 | |||||||||
| Mallard | G RR | 1 | Greater Yellowlegs | |||||||||
| Northern Shoveler | Spotted Sandpiper | |||||||||||
| Northern Pintail | Whimbrel | |||||||||||
| Green-winged Teal | Black Turnstone | GRR | 10 | |||||||||
| Canvasback | Surfbird | GRR | 2 | |||||||||
| Redhead | Sanderling | 2 | ||||||||||
| Ring-necked Duck | Rock Sandpiper | GRR | 1 | |||||||||
| Greater Scaup | Dunlin | |||||||||||
| Lesser Scaup | Wilson’s Snipe | |||||||||||
| Harlequin Duck | 3 | Bonaparte’s Gull | ||||||||||
| Surf Scoter | *****PedderBay | 60 | Heermann’s Gull ( * ) | |||||||||
| White-winged Scoter | Mew Gull | |||||||||||
| Black Scoter | Ring-billed Gull ( * ) | |||||||||||
| Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw) | California Gull | |||||||||||
| Bufflehead | *****PedderBay | 95 | Herring Gull | |||||||||
| Common Goldeneye | Thayer’s Gull | GRR | 250 | |||||||||
| Barrow’s Goldeneye | Western Gull | GRR1 | ||||||||||
| Hooded Merganser | *****PedBay | 2 | Glaucous-winged Gull | GRR | 10 | |||||||
| Common Merganser | Glaucous Gull | |||||||||||
| Red-breasted Merganser | Common Murre | Race Pas | 50 | |||||||||
| Ruddy Duck | Pigeon Guillemot. | |||||||||||
| Ruffed Grouse | Marbled Murrelet | |||||||||||
| Blue Grouse | Ancient Murrelet | |||||||||||
| California Quail | Cassin’s Auklet (*) | |||||||||||
| Red-throated Loon | ******PedBay | 1 | Rhinoceros Auklet | |||||||||
| Pacific Loon | *****Pedder Bay | 3 | Rock Pigeon | |||||||||
| Common Loon | Band-tailed Pigeon | |||||||||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | Mourning Dove | |||||||||||
| Horned Grebe | Barn Owl | |||||||||||
| Red-necked Grebe | Western Screech-Owl | |||||||||||
| Eared Grebe | Great Horned Owl | |||||||||||
| Western Grebe | Ped Bay | 2 | Northern Pygmy Owl | |||||||||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | *****Race Passage | 10 | Barred Owl | |||||||||
| Double-crested Cormoran | 240 | Short-eared Owl | ||||||||||
| Pelagic Cormorant | Northern Saw-whet Owl | |||||||||||
| Great blue Heron | Anna’s Hummingbird | |||||||||||
| Turkey Vulture | Belted Kingfisher | PedBay | 1 | |||||||||
| Bald Eagle (adult) | RR | 2 | Red-breasted Sapsucker | |||||||||
| (immature) | Downy Woodpecker | |||||||||||
| Northern Harrier | Hairy Woodpecker | |||||||||||
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Northern Flicker | |||||||||||
| Cooper’s Hawk | Pileated Woodpecker | |||||||||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | Northern Shrike | |||||||||||
| Golden Eagle ( * ) | Hutton’s Vireo | |||||||||||
| Brown Pelican | GRR2 | |||||||||||
| Total Number of Birds | 784 | |||||||||||
| Total Species | 22 | |||||||||||
| Observer/Phone/Email: Garry Fletcher | Location | Species | Date | |||||||||
| Race Rocks | 21 | December 29, 2012 | ||||||||||
Animal Notes and Census
A few days ago we had two unusual visitors to our waters. Two Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) spent several days on Great Race and North Rocks. Brown Pelicans, though the smalles of pelicans, are enormous birds weighing up to 6 kilos and measuring up to 135 cms with a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters.
A visitor from warmer climes….
Northern vacation to Race Rocks….
We have had two other unusual visitors in the last week. I discovered a Barred Owl in the boathouse attacking a Starling (another recent arrival), and Pam our avid photographer friend from England got several pictures of Peregrine Falcons that came through hunting sparrows and starlings. Pam’s pictures can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Another tagged e-seal showed up in the boathouse yesterday.
Might as well hang out somewhere cozy…
Tagged 7225
Animal Census Nov 8 2012
| Species | Current Population (Est) |
| Stellar/Northern Sea Lion | 30 |
| Elephant Seal | 7 |
| Harbour Seal | 200 |
| California Sea Lion | 50 |
| Glaucous-winged Gull | 150 |
| Herring Gull | 300 |
| California Gull | 30 |
| Heerman’s Gull | 80 |
| Black Turnstones | 100 |
| Surfbird | 6 |
| Pelagic Cormorants | 40 |
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 30 |
| Killdeer | 6 |
| Dunlin | 16 |
| Harlequin Ducks | 20 |
| Canada Goose | 14 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 |
| Black Oyster-catcher | 40 |
| Sanderlings | 8 |
| Starlings | 8 |
| Race Rocks Eco-Guardian | 1 |
| Rhinoceros Auklet | 100 |
| Common Murre | 100 |
| Sparrows | 20 |
| Brown Pelican | 2 |
| Barred Owl | 1 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 2 |
Pink-tagged female elephant seal
Early November finds us at the end of the Sea Lion occupation of Great Race Rock. There are perhaps only 50 or 60 remaining in the Reserve and they have moved back to the smaller offshore islets. And though I shall miss them I admit to feeling some relief that the 7 weeks of the cacophonic onslaught is over! Never would I have imagined that I would have lived so close (almost under) a posse of Steller and California Sea Lions and have the opportunity to learn their ways. But it is also a bit lonely/solitary again; the misty grey days of November, the enveloping fog banks, glassy swells rolling up the Strait… there is something a bit ethereal about the whole experience living on the edge of the world.
Solitary Steller on North Race
A half dozen young Elephant Seals continue to occupy Middle Rock with random forays over here. Yesterday there was a little fellow in the boathouse, and a new individual with a pink tag!
Elephant seals enjoy the comforts of the boathouse
Tagged elephant seal female N472
Many visitors have been dropping by including Pearson College Director David Hawley and his advisee group for a weekend, and a visiting group of trustees from a UWC school in Germany. I am puttering away at a few maintenance projects, keeping the energy and weather systems functioning, and cleaning up after the Sea Lions. They have coughed a pink, fishy mucus all over the white walls of the buildings and it dried and adhered in the late September sunshine. A charming souvenir of their stay!
More coming soon….
Animal Census
| Species | Current Population (Est) |
| Stellar/Northern Sea Lion | 175 |
| Elephant Seal | 8 |
| Harbour Seal | 200 |
| California Sea Lion | 200 |
| Glaucous-winged Gull | 150 |
| Herring Gull | 30 |
| California Gull | 6 |
| Surfbirds | 1 |
| Black Turnstones | 40 |
| Western Grebe | 2 |
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 30 |
| Sparrows | 12 |
| Horned Lark | 5 |
| Harlequin Ducks | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 8 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 |
| Black Oyster-catcher | 10 |
| River Otter | 1 |
| Pearson Students/Staff | 16 |
| Race Rocks Eco-Guardian | 1 |
| Rhinoceros Auklet | 100 |
| Common Murre | 100 |
Birds and…
A few different bird species have shown up or passed through in the last few days. 5 Horned Larks (Eremophila Alpestris) stoppped by on its migration south.
Horned Lark
4 or 5 Sparrows (probably Fox) have been here but the little guys are pretty hard to photograph! They rarely stay still and flit away when they see me coming…
Fox Sparrow?
Other birds observed in the last few days (besides the ubiquitous Glaucous-winged Gull) have been:
1 Harlequin Duck
10 Brandts Cormorants
8 Oystercatchers
40 Black Turnstones
1 Surfbird
and, considering all the Sea Lions here, what I can only conclude is a suicidal salmon in the kelp bed!
Lone Salmon
Animal Census First Sea Otter at Race Rocks
Sea Otter in Race Rocks Kelp Beds, photo by Adam Bird on June 10/2012
Things have been fairly quite lately regarding birds and mammals here, though one of the eco-tour boats reported seeing a Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) in a kelp bed on Monday! The percussive blasts from Rocky Point military testing range scared off most of the Sea Lions last Thursday and only a few have returned in the last couple days. A large pod of orca passed through and near the reserve on Tuesday. Thanks to Suna, Doris and Ishmael for the census.
Elephant Seals: about 10
Steller Sea Lions: 2
California Sea Lions: 2
Harbour Seals: 204
Glaucous-winged Gull: 246
Surfbirds: 18
Pigeon Guillemots: 108
Canada Goose: 13
Bald Eagle: 3
Black Oystercatcher: 12
Northwestern Crow: 1
Raven: 1
Sparrow: 4
Sea Otter: 1
Caspian Terns: 6
Herring Gulls: 20
Animal Census May 2-9 2012
Species and Number
Animal Census Apr 18, 2012
Stellar Sea Lion – 20
Elephant Seal – 12
Harbour Seal – 200
Glaucous-winged Gull – 200
Brandt’s Cormorant – 250
Pelagic Cormorant – 10
Black Turnstones – 30 w/ 2 juveniles
Surfbirds – 10
Raven – 4
Crow – 1
Dunlin – 2
Sparrows – 6
Pigeon Guillemots – 150
Harlequin Ducks – 100
Canada Goose – 20
Bald Eagle (adult) – 4 (juvenile) 8
Black Oyster-catcher – 40
34 people have visited in the least 2 weeks