Category Archives: Bird Notes

Oct 17 Census

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How am I already on my third census of the trip? Time is going WAY too fast out here.

Today was very windy, and as a result (I think) animal numbers seem to be down. Except for the cormorants who reached an all time high for my counts.

Mammals:

  • Harbour seal: 40
  • California sea lion: 371
  • Steller sea lion: 448 (there really do seem to be a LOT more Steller sea lions here this year)
  • Sea otter: 1
  • Elephant seal: 1
  • Not seen today, but honourable mention to the one Northern fur seal here this week,

The sea otter and the fur seal were too far for any good photos so massive shout out to Tom from Eagle Wing for sending me these photos and allowing me to post them here. I will also mention that these photos were taken with a long lens and cropped, and the vessel respected all animal space/followed the law for approach distance.

Photo Credit: Tom F

Northern fur seal, Photo Credit: Tom F

 

 

Stellers are taking over!

These photos will also help us continue to ID the sea otter and see if it stays around. I have started calling him Oswald (Ozzie for short). I figured we should stick with O names around here and honour our good buddy Ollie who is no longer around but definitely made a name for himself out here at Race Rocks!

On to the bird count:

  • Gull: 435
  • Cormorant: 1,160 (every rock and island was just peppered with cormorants!)
  • Canada goose: 10
  • Bald eagle: 1
  • Sparrows: many, too fast too count
  • Turnstone: 34
  • Honourable mention for the red-footed booby who I last saw yesterday!

Red-footed booby taking off

A Busy and Beautiful Day!

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Today was the definition of perfect! Not even the smallest amount of wind, clear skies, and animals everywhere!

Tomorrow is supposed to be quite windy so I took full advantage of the good weather and barely spent any time inside.

I also got a visit from the Coast Guard helicopter when they came to check in on a few things, that’s always a fun visit! And because it’s a small world, I just so happened to know the pilot!

Animal Notes:

  • The Red-footed booby is still here! Has most recently decided to hangout on the main island, just in front of the house.
  • I did not see the sea otter or the fur seal today but I did manage to get some better photos of the otter, well…at least photos where you can tell it’s actually an otter!
  • Still plenty of humpbacks around but not as many as I’ve had previously.
  • I saw a heron today, not exactly a rare bird but I haven’t seen them here before, and never standing on a kelp bed! I also saw a kingfisher yesterday but it was much too fast for a photo!

Our recently disentangled sea lion looking GREAT.

 

The new sea otter in town…I’ve been calling him Oswald.

Facility Work:

  • Cleaned main house windows
  • Topped up batteries
  • Cleaned algae off side of main house
  • Fence repair

Vessels:

  • Ecotourism: 11
  • Private: 3

DND Blasts:

  • 4 throughout the day, animals alert but minimal disturbance

A Blog for the Booby

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The Red-footed booby is still here and the past couple of days it’s done a few close circles around the main rock and house so I’ve been able to get a closer look. Although it’s very difficult to photograph it while it moves so fast!

As they do with most birds, the gulls chase and harass the booby, it’s like they just can help but be menaces to other animals!

I’ve never been a bird person but working at Race Rocks has taught me so much, and now I can add Red-footed booby to my list of bird facts. Here is some of what I’ve learned:

  • They are the smallest of the booby species
  • They nest in trees as opposed to on the ground
  • They live in tropical and sub-tropical areas such as the Galapagos and Hawaii
  • Their diet consists of flying fish and squid, in addition to other smaller schooling fish
  • Their predators include Galapagos hawks and coconut crabs (yes crabs!)
  • The oldest recorded Red-footed booby was over 22 years old
  • This is the second Red-footed booby ever spotted in British Columbia

Now I have something thoughts and questions, and I’m aware they are not rational…

  • What warm tropical island did it come from?
  • Does it know it’s in Canada?
  • Is it cold? Confused?
  • Has it ever seen a harbour seal before now?
  • If a crab is its usual predator, the bald eagles must be TERRIFYING.
  • How long will it stay?
  • Will any of its friends show up?

Anyway, I’m really enjoying trying to find it each day and take somewhat blurry photos of it. Maybe one day before I leave I’ll snap a decent one!

As for the rest of the blog:

Facility work:

  • Painted the new door for the main house
  • Cleaned main house windows
  • Ran the generator

Vessels:

  • Ecotourism: 15
  • Private: 12
  • Paddle board: 2
  • Jetski: 1

A Red-Footed Booby!? Here?!

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Beautiful day today, cloudy but flat calm seas. Only a few minor repairs for the fence today, the new system is pretty sleek!

As per usual most of my notes are wildlife related. I found 4 sea lions with entanglement scars today, two are untagged so were likely able to free themselves. Two were tagged, one was the CSL the team at VAMMR disentangled in August about a month ago, and the other one took me a bit longer to track down the story.

Entanglement scar, no tag.

Entanglement scar and tagged, this one was rescued in August thanks to Eva’s great tracking and reporting.

As it turns out, he was disentangled by a NOAA team in 2021 on San Miguel Island when he was only a couple of years old. It’s wild that he’s come so far, but he looks great!

Later in the day I got a call over the radio from one of the eco-tourism boats in the area to let me now a few transients were coming by. They passed quickly but were awesome to see, and for the first time in my LIFE I actually stopped photographing killer whales to photograph…a bird!!!

But not just any bird, it was a red-footed booby! It was first sighted around Race Rocks a few weeks ago and was apparently hanging around but I really didn’t think I’d get to see it. My photos aren’t great so hopefully he’ll stick around for some better ones!

 

 

Facility work:

  • Fence repairs
  • Ran the generator

Vessels:

  • Paddleboard: 1
  • Private: 2
  • Eco tourism: 15

I’m Back!

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Home sweet home! If I’m counting correctly, this is my 8th time coming out to work at Race Rocks, and fingers crossed there are many more in my future!

Christine left the house and site in excellent condition and set me up for a great month ahead. No huge changes since last October, will mostly be just getting back into my usual routine.

Tons of sea lions out here, but not as many as I’ve seen previously, but I suppose it’s not even October yet and I’m sure it’ll fill up fast! I saw a few pelicans this afternoon, including one with a different plumage I haven’t seen here before. Lots of humpbacks around the reserve this afternoon and even a few breaches.

Great start already!

Vessels:

  • Eco: 6
  • Private: 1
  • Paddle: 1

Facility work:

  • Just unloading and settling in!

    Tiny Steller Sea lion pup! Only a few months old.

    Adult Steller, much bigger, and still not fully grown!

    Adult pelican, I have never seen this plumage before!

A New Moon

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Last night’s full moon and near-complete eclipse was certainly a sight to see! Alas it was a tricky business getting a clear photo in the wind.

It’s my last night on the ecological reserve. Before leaving to come here, a friend asked how I could bear to live alone for such a long time. I jokingly replied, “I won’t be alone, I’ll have more than a thousand neighbours out there!”

And truly, this has been one of the liveliest neighbourhoods I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of. Whether watching the chicks grow from wobble-kneed balls of down to crazy crash pilots, seeing a sea lion stuck so long in a painful bind finally be freed, or learning to notice and know the whales that pass by- every day has been filled with hard work and wonder. Over the past month I’ve learned so much, from fixing facilities while dodging the liquid assaults of protective gull parents, to wildlife photography and the daily curiosities of marine mammals.

Without taking up too much space on the log, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone at Pearson College, the ecoguardians, researchers, sponsors, supporters and all those who lend their time, talent and treasure to make this space possible, and the peoples of the Salish coast, long stewards of this land.

 

Wildlife Notes

Discarded down from the fledgelings has settled all over the island. Not even the strong winds have been enough to sweep them all away yet! Their white summer snow is dotted here and there with stray tufts of fur from the molting sea lions.

On a slightly less fun note, I noticed this sea gull chick didn’t seem too wary of my presence when I stepped back to take a photo of the new jetty fence configuration. It was definitely alive, but not running away even though I was only a few feet away at the time. When I came back around after a few minutes, it had died. I don’t believe that any of the adults nearby came to attack, and I wonder what may have caused its death- I’ve heard mention of widespread die-offs previously when the gulls were unable to find enough fish and were feeding their chicks with contaminated garbage. I hope this is not a repeating trend.

 

Facility Notes

  • Cleaned panels
  • Refueled Generator / oil check
  • Final deep clean of main house
  • Reconfigured jetty electric fence

 

Weather

Cloudy, with periods of clear skies. Winds mostly West by Northwesterly, from 15 to 26 knots. Temperatures from 13 to 17 degrees.

 

Vessels Observed

Ecotourism: 16

Private: 2

Ramping up

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Wildlife
There’s a seagull chick I’ve named “Phelps” due to its tendency to escape into the water next to the jetty every time someone approaches from the path- I have watched this little one sprint to the water and hop right in at least once a day. It’s down has slowly given way to progressively more feathers, and Phelps is noticeably bigger since my arrival, but still far from big enough to take on a whole lineup of California Sea Lions!
This is becoming an issue. Now my path down to the end of the jetty involves a sort of sideways sneak-around, to avoid scaring Phelps off the side of the jetty into the busy waters below. This is complicated by the crowd gathered on either side of the raised concrete pathway, which set the nesting parents and chick itself much more on edge than before. I hope this little one survives the increasing popularity of its shoreline nesting site.

Facility notes
– Cleaned panels
– Cleaned main+ student house windows
– Finished student house kitchen inventory/ food storage
– Topped up batteries

Visitors
Greg and Richard came by to troubleshoot and fix up the jetty fence; we’re operating at pretty much full power now. A friend from the College came with, taking the opportunity to spend an hour or so away from the hustle and bustle of the UWC reunions and pre-term prep. Little did she know just how much hustle and bustle there is here with all the seagull chicks!

Weather
Sunny, dry, clouds. Strong Westerlies from 19 to 29 knots. Daytime temperatures from 12 to 18 degrees.

Vessels
Ecotourism: 12
Private: 1

August 07 Census

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California Sea Lion: 92
Steller Sea Lion: 116
Seal: 47

Seagulls (adult): 750 (+another 300 or so chicks)
Oyster catcher: 13
Rock Sandpiper: 12
Black Turnstone: 141
Cormorant: 47
Pigeon Guillemot: 112
Bald eagle: 1

I noticed from the lighthouse an interesting nesting pair; I am not entirely certain but they’re either Western Gulls or hybrids of some flavour. I’m still only beginning to get familiar with the various types of gulls and their identifiers- what an incredibly deep rabbit hole to explore. This guide from Bird Studies Canada : Identifying Hybrid & Immature Gulls in Coastal B.C. is a great place to start.

Visitors
Two technicians came to work on the CODAR SeaSonde from around 11:00am to 2:30pm today, accompanied by two of the Pearson waterfront folks and two others from campus.

The CODAR SeaSonde is a coastal radar system that monitors ocean currents and wave conditions like height, direction, and period. It works by sending out radio waves and analyzing the signals bounced back from waves that are half the radar’s wavelength. Combining data from multiple stations like the one positioned on the South-West corner of the rocks allows it to calculate total ocean current speeds and directions where coverage overlaps. You can go to this post from 2018 for more information about the setup and project as a whole.

Facility notes
– Cleaned house decks
– Cleaned panels

Weather
Heavy fog, strong gusts in the morning, opening up to a calm sunny afternoon. Winds mostly west-by-southwesterly, from 15 to 33 knots. Temperatures from 10 to 15 degrees.

Vessels observed
Ecotourism: 22
Private: 3

Squeegee Skills and Other Wisdom

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I was lucky to spend time with Christine, following her around like a baby seal learning to swim in the slow eddy of the South Seal Rocks. Together we went through some of the duties of an Ecoguardian; the log, making water, battery and solar panel maintenance, the census, how to prepare the house for a change of shift. In a day and a half of showing me the ropes, I could feel myself catching her infectious love for this place with each story-saturated task.
Brushes and squeegees in hand at the base of the energy building, she turned and offered a piece of advice that encapsulated something of both the reality and the magic of this place:

“Whatever you’re doing here, you have to be doing it 100%. Focus on one thing at a time.”

There’s near-perfect cell service and wi-fi across the rocks, and we carry a handheld VHF; but when it comes to emergencies, it might still be a while before any help can arrive. Living and working here, situational awareness is non-negotiable.
And what a delight! In a world where one is often juggling five tasks with one hand, typing twenty-three replies with the other while three different media streams play in each ear, it’s a relief to focus entirely for a moment on the placement of my rubber boot on a ladder rung. Standing on the roof in the morning sun and stiff sea breeze, surrounded by a symphony of gulls and sea lions, it’s not hard to enjoy being fully present. (Also, this would be a rather inconvenient spot to break an ankle.)

Wildlife

Facility Work
– Daily water sample
– Topped up batteries
– Gathered final monthly report figures
– Cleaned Ecoguardian living space

Vessels
– Ecotourism: 16
– Private: 2

Weather
Sunny. Mostly westerly wind, increasing from 10 to 31 knots by early evening. Temperature from 12 to 18.4 degrees.

More Elephant Seals!

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Ecological Notes:

  • 2  Adult female Elephant Seals
  • 2 young ones…. 1 is this years pup born here… the other is a bit bigger,  it seems pretty big to be a new pup, but a bit small to be a yearling….. we will see when the moult starts

The 2 newest ones

  • Gulls and Oyster Catchers still paired off, no noted nest building yet
  • Orca and a Humpback passed the reserve, without entering
  • Although most have given up, found a new Canadian Goose nest…. easy to miss them when they use an old site, and cover it well when they’re not there!

Visitors:

  • Greg And Richard for fuel and grocery delivery
  • Guests of Pearson College came to the Rock to stay in the Student Building
  • Greg also brought the future Eco-Guardians for a quick overview of the site.

Facility Work:

  • Richard sealed a crack on the desalinator bunker roof

  • Solar Panel cleaning
  • Fuel transfers

DND events:

  • Several Blasts on Wednesday and Thursday

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Starting to see more Eco-Tourism vessel
  • Weekends also included more private vessels coming through to observe the wildlife

  • RCMSAR  vessel did a bit of a tour through the reserve

 

 Noted Infractions:

  • none

Weather Events:

  • Wednesday, April 22:
    • Sky: haze overhead, clouds in all directions on the horizon
    • Wind: WSW 10-22kts, variable throughout the day
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 9.3oC, High 12.4oC
  • Thursday, April 23:
    • Sky: High overcast with haze on all horizons…. giving way to mostly clear late afternoon overhead
    • Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to flat by afternoon
    • Temperature Low 9.0oC, High 11.8oC
  • Friday, April 24:
    • Sky: Sunny and bright, some haze on the horizon lines though
    • Wind: Variable wind, mostly NE to SE, 5-15kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature Low 7.6oC, High 15.9oC
  • Saturday, April 25:
    • Sky: Sunny and bright, some haze on the horizon lines 
    • Wind: Variable S SE winds 0-10 kts
    • Sea: very little chop, some slight current lines
    • Temperature Low 7.3oC, High 16.6oC
  • Great Solar generation today so far! (the “from battery” number includes everything drawn during the night too)

 

 

** Any wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

 

Weather – Current:

https://tempestwx.com/station/190757/

 

Weather – Past:

https://tempestwx.com/history/190757