Category Archives: Bird Notes

Search on for lost fishermen

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Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 7.5C Min. 4.2C Reset 4.9C Rain 13.8mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 Bald Eagles – 1 mature, 2 pair of Geese. The largest bull elephant seal and the juvenile spent the day on the grass in front of the house, the large bull did make one trip to the ramp and back but the juvenile was quite still except for the occasional stretch and yawn.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 1 Pleasure craft and several low flying planes searching for 2 fishers missing from a 5 metre boat found over turned just west of Race Rocks.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:07 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast  Vis. 15 Miles  Light Rain  Wind South West 4 Knots  Sea Rippled  Occasional Breaks
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:13 AM

Elephant seals

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Thursday, February 28, 2002
 Good evening
Weather: Clear and sunny>> >> Vis 15 miles>> >>Wind N to NE 5-10 knots all day>> >> Sea rippled
MARINE LIFE: Quiet on all fronts. 4 Canada geese spent the day on the island. 2 mature Bald Eagles near the helipad this morning and 1 immature this afternoon. Spotted 4 adult male Elephant Seals hauled out on Middle Rock. No sign of the wounded young male we saw over the past few days.
HUMAN INTERACTION: Garry came by with the divers and the mother of a student visiting the college. Haven’t been diving since Monday; today would have been a good day to get wet. Zodiac from Victoria Coast Guard Auxillary came through around dinner time. The two Zodiacs from Victoria Police and Fisheries grazed the boundaries of the reserve on their way back to Victoria at sunset; which was a colorful event again tonight.
Chris
posted by Chris Blondeau at 11:44 PM

Balloon pollution !

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Saturday, February 23, 2002
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast –Vis 7 Miles — Moderate Rain — Wind NNE 18 Knots –Sea 1 foot chop.
posted by Angus Matthews at 7:24 AMGood Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 5.0c >Min 4.2c >Reset 4.8c > Rain 6.0
MARINE LIFE: A day of some confusion as a total reorganisation of the Centre Rock occurred when a large male Elephant Seal returned to the rock and everyone had to trade places. Some confusion for the geese as well with the arrival of a third pair starting a turf war. Only 1 mature and 1 immature Bald Eagle seen today about 16:45.
HUMAN INTERACTION: One dive charter boat with 4 divers aboard in the MPA during the morning and 2 eco-tour boats through in the afternoon. One rental boat 14K-37805 with two people aboard set up to fish just west of the engine room but left when hailed and waved off. A TRIDENT submarine was observed steaming (or reacting) west out of the strait for places unknown under the oceans. One other unusual environmental impact today; as a consequence of a political protest at the BC legislature some 12 nautical miles from Race Rocks. Three blue balloons with the Hospital Employee’s Union logo floated through the MPA carried on the ebb tide and a NNE breeze. Unfortunate pollution.
I was joined by my wife Sandy and our friends Cathy Denny and David Anderson who are staying overnight as deputy assistant guest Eco-guardians. This resulted in a great dinner of Red Snapper. (NOT taken from the MPA!)
posted by Angus Matthews at 9:32 PM

Eagles and geese

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Monday, February 18, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 7.8C Min. 5.9C Reset 6.5C  Rain 1.0 mm
MARINE LIFE: 16 mature 7 immature Bald Eagles,2 pairs of geese
on the island today.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 2 nd Nature out with visitors this morning,
and back in the afternoon for a dive off west race.
1 pleasure boat through M.P.A. today
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:33 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast Vis. 15 Miles  Wind West 4 Knots  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:14 AM

Students out from College for a webcast

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Thursday, February 14, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 7.9C  Min. 3.9C  Reset 6.0C
MARINE LIFE: 13 mature, 2 immature Bald Eagles. The Geese spent the day in the Northeast quadrant of Gr. Race, then just after dark we heard them move around to the grass area by the tower, maybe to spend the night out of the wind.
HUMAN INTERACTION: College boats out with Angus, Garry, Chris and students about 9:30 to do a live webcast,not the best weather wind wise – a cold 13 knts. from the north but at least it was sunny! Everyone was rewarded on the trip back to campus with an unexpected ‘ interlude’ with an Orca – most likely transient- just outside the entrance to Pedder Bay. The lone bull was moving westward not too far off shore and although we had to watch him through the telescope it is always exciting to get even a glimpse.Garry and students returned for a dive at 3p.m. Left for the campus about 4:45 p.m. 2 Pleasure craft through the reserve today.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:06 PM

Canada Geese like tulips

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Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 7.1C Min. 3.3C  Reset 6.9C
MARINE LIFE: 11 mature, 2 immature Bald Eagles today and still the 6 Geese which ‘discovered’ some nice green shoots that would have been daffodils and tulips in the coming weeks! oh well, it was fun to watch them trying to pull them up.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 1 Tour Boat through the reserve.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:06 PM

5 m long elephant seal

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Friday, March 08, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 4.0C  Min. -2.2C  Reset 2.9C  Snow 6.0 cm = 6.0mm
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature Bald Eagles arrived a little after 10 a.m. and left 11:45- don’t think they like the weather any more than we do! 2 pair of Geese today, they spent most of the time down by the desalination plant building and there are now 2 bull Elephant Seals hauling out on the boat ramp-Mike paced out the bigger one to just over 5 m long.Feel sorry for the birds with this unseasonable weather , hope it does not last as the rhubarb has started to leaf up nicely.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:07 PM
Good Afternoon
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy  Vis. 12 Miles  Wind West 19 Knots  Sea 3 Moderate
posted by Carol or Mike S at 2:29 PM

Moon Jellies

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Thursday, February 07, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 8.0C Min. 4.9C  Reset 6.1C Rain 4.0 mm
MARINE LIFE: 9 mature and 6 immature Bald Eagles today.There were no Moon Jellyfish in the water today, just three that had stranded in the gravel. A couple of crows and one immature gull did some ‘investigating’ but quickly lost interest.No Canada Geese today.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:15 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy  Vis. 15 Miles Wind Calm Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:16 AM

Moon jellyfish

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Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast  Vis. 15 Miles Light Rain  Wind West 7 Knots  Sea Rippled
MARINE LIFE: The Eagles arrived early a.m. as usual 14 mature and 5 immature but as the weather deteriorated about 11:30 with the front moving in from the west with 30+ knt winds, all but 3 matures left the area. A small group of surfbirds spent most of the afternoon along the shore by the boat dock somewhat protected from the wind. The 3 Canada Geese spent another day grazing in the grass in the northeast quadrant of Gr. Race then as the winds increased tucked in behind the rocks in the east bay area. We counted 7 Moon Jellyfish( Aurelia aurita) floating amid the logs and debris in the tide wash east side of the boat dock.Most of them were 15-16 cm wide. In the sea they looked bluish -white and translucent.Unfortunately they were somewhat battered as they washed towards shore and Garry said that they were on their last legs so to speak.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 2nd Nature in just after 9 a.m. with Angus,Garry and Chris for a informational staff meeting. Nice to have a visit especially this time of year even if short.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:29 AM
Tuesday, February 05, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 8.1C Min. 5.9C  Reset 6.7C  Rain 0.9 mm
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:07 PM

Herring ball feeding

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Friday, February 01, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 7.1C Min 4.3C Reset 5.1C Rain 0.6 mm
MARINE LIFE: 15 mature and 3 immature Bald Eagles today. They were feeding with several hundred gulls, cormorants, common murres and scoters in small but frequent fish balls, mostly outside the reserve.
HUMAN INTERACTION:2nd Nature in with Garry and guests and also Angus with guests and the mail!
posted by Carol or Mike S at 9:03 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy  Vis. 15 Miles  Wind South 9 Knots  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:18 AM