Category Archives: Island Visitors

Canada Geese

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Saturday, February 02, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max.7.1C  Min. 4.8C Reset 6.5C
MARINE LIFE:The bull Northern Elephant Seal still spending part of the day, usually early morning floating along the south shoreline then hauling out on the rocks below the tower.We hear him vocalizing as he spends part of the night on the north side of Gr. Race.5 Canada Geese flew onto Gr. Race late morning, we heard them some distance away as they ‘honked’ in from the Northwest.The last 7 years we have had geese visit this time of the year. Sometimes they stay a couple of days,last year two pair stayed off and on for three weeks.14 mature Bald Eagles – 2 immature today.
HUMAN INTERACTION: At 1:30 Noticed a small open boat with three persons aboard jigging in the area between West Race and Gr. Race.Launched the Whaler to take out an information pamphlet and although the fishers were familiar with the Race Rocks Web site, did not know about the ‘no take’ guidelines. 2 Kayaks ( 2 persons ) in the reserve today.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:58 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy Vis. 15 Miles  Wind North East 8 Knots  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:17 AM

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

3 day summary

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Wednesday, January 23, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 7.7C Min. 4.9C  Reset 7.7C  Rain 3.4 mm
MARINE LIFE: 7 (5 mature) Bald Eagles.Group of 22-24 Black Oyster Catchers were around most of the day and at times paired off and spent 45-60 minutes along the shore near traditional nesting areas.Saw 5 Harlequin Ducks, all male, in the east bay area.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 2nd Nature in with several guests and 1 tour boat.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:05 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast  Vis. 15 Miles Wind East 9 Knots  Sea 1 Foot Chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 10:14 AM
Tuesday, January 22, 2002
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast Vis. 15 Miles Wind West 23 Knots Sea 3 Foot Moderate – Low South West Swell
MARINE LIFE: 9 Bald Eagles (5 mature) today. 24 Black Oyster Catchers spent most of the day along the south shore of Gr. Race and at times paired off and spent 1/2 hour or so in nesting areas.Saw 4 male and 2 female Harlequin Ducks in the East bay area early afternoon.
HUMAN INTERACTION:2nd Nature in with Angus,Garry,Chris and Guests approx.2:30pm
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:33 AM
Monday, January 21, 2002
Good Evevening
TEMPERATUER: Max. 6.C  Min. 2.2C  Reset 3.7C  Rain 2.0 mm
MARINE LIFE:6 (4 mature) Bald Eagles today. Very stormy all morning with a series of squalls coming in from the west,by 2 pm the wind decreased to 12 knts and we enjoyed some sunshine.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:09 PM

22-24 Black Oyster Catchers arrive

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Monday, January 07, 2002 Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 13.3C  Min. 8.3C Reset 10.0C Rain 36.2 mm

MARINE LIFE: The bull Elephant Seal is still hauling out on the rocks below the engine room and for a few hours, usually in the morning,floats leisurely along the shore, upright with his head and snout just above the surface. With the fairly light winds we are able to hear his distinctive ‘bellow’ mostly at night. Only one immature Bald Eagle visited today. The fog was very thick and right down to the water surface not the best hunting conditions. 22-24 Black Oyster Catchers arrived on Gr. Race about 11:00am, broke off into pairs and spent 1/2 hour or so in previous years nesting areas.Although they are the first of the birds to nest, January seems too early for serious courting and nest building even with the very mild temperatures!
HUMAN INTERACTION: 2nd Nature arrived approx. 13:45 -a tricky landing at the dock with an ebbing tide and 1-2 metre swells.The supplies ( 8 pails of oil for generator oil change) and 4 passengers were quickly off-loaded and Angus waited off shore until the visitors were ready to be picked up,only an experienced boat driver can manage a landing under these conditions!.2nd Nature returned to campus 14:30.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:32 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Obscured  Vis. 1/8 Mile Light Rain and Fog  Wind South 5 Knots  Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:23 AM

Rare Iceland Gull recorded in Christmas Bird Count, 2001

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See the Index of the Christmas Bird Count. Thanks to Angus Matthews and the Pearson College boat, Andrew Harcombe, Ron Satterfield and I were able to get to Race Rocks this morning to count birds. Forty-knot northerlies prevented us from getting out there yesterday for the Sooke Christmas Bird Count. We had 9 ROSA and 6 SURF this morning but the highlight bird was an adult Iceland gull among a group of 1,200 gulls (mostly GWGU and THGU) at the west side of the main island. Here are the totals observed from Pearson College’s boat dock to Race Rocks and the Rocky Point headlands. The vast majority of these birds were at Race Rocks and vicinity.  —Alan McLeod 

Pacific loon 14 common loon 1 horned grebe 1 double-crested cormorant 80 Brandt’s cormorant 60 pelagic cormorant 12 harlequin duck 2 surf scoter 30 bufflehead 60 hooded merganser 3 bald eagle 4 ad, 2 im black oystercatcher 16 black turnstone 6 surfbird 6 rock sandpiper 9 mew gull 15 herring gull 8 Thayer’s gull 530 Iceland gull 1 western gull 1 glaucous-winged gull 720 common murre 40 pigeon guillemot 8 marbled murrelet 6 belted kingfisher 1 common flicker 1 Eurasian starling 8

icegull2-1

The rare Iceland gull Larus glaucoides (centre)

See the Index of the Christmas Bird Count.

Christmas Bird Count

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Monday, December 24, 2001
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max 8.0C — Min 4.9C — Reset 6.7C — Rain 0.0
Merry Christmas To One And All!!!
MARINE LIFE: Yesterday Angus Matthews took Alan MacLeod, Andrew Harcombe, and Ron Satterfield out in the Pearson College boat, 2nd Nature for the annual Sooke Christmas bird count. The trip was postponed from the 22nd because of the 40 knt. north winds. Following is a list of the birds seen between the Pearson College dock and Race Rocks- most of the sightings were in the area around Race Rocks. The highlight was the lone Iceland Gull, a very rare bird in this area! The first sighting of this bird for the trio of bird counters!
Pacific Loon 14
Common Loon 1
Horned Greb 1
Double Crested Cormorant 80
Brandt’s Cormorant 60
Pelagic Cormorant 12
Harlequin Duck 2
Surf Scoter 30
Bufflehead 60
Hooded Merganser 5
Bald Eagle 4 adult,2 immature
Black Oyster Catcher 16
Black Turnstone 6
Surfbird 6
Rock Sandpiper 9
Mew Gull 15
Herring Gull 8
Thayers Gull 530
Western Gull 1
Glaucous Winged Gull 720
Common Murre 40
Pigeon Guillemot 8
Marbled Murrelet 6
Belted Kingfisher 1
Eurasian Starling 8
Common Flicker 1
You may check out the file on the Christmas Count with pictures at:https://www.racerocks.ca/2001/12/24/9651/
Thank you Angus, Alan, Ron and Andrew, maybe it wasn’t blowing 40knots from the north but it was still a cold bumpy trip with 20 knots from the north east!
HUMAN INTERACTION:11:30 am 1 Whale Watcher Boat
12:15 1 Rib with 2 divers (burrrr)
14:30 Discovery Launch (2 passengers)
Thank You Jane and Chris for holding the ‘fort’ so we could visit with family and restock the pantry.posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:11 PM

Rafting sea lions

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Saturday, November 17, 2001
Good evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 9.0ºC — Min 4.7ºC — Reset 7.5ºC — Rain 0.2 mm
MARINE LIFE:Today half the Sea Lion population spent most of the afternoon ‘rafting’ about in the kelp bed on the East side of Gr. Race.What at first glance looks like driftwood and tangles of kelp floating by are actually groups of from three to eight or nine Sea Lions floating just below the surface with their flippers sticking up like little sails.This behavior is evidently associated with heat transfer from their hairless flippers.
HUMAN INTERACTION:1 Dive charter boat with 6 divers -West Race -10:00–14:30
3 Tour boats approx. 39 passengers
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:11 PM
Good morning
WEATHER: Sky clear — Vis. 15 miles — Wind north east 7 knots — Sea rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:28 AM

Project week for PC students

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Monday, November 05, 2001
 Good Evening,
PC STUDENTS: Project week students –Well we are just finishing our second day here at Racerocks. Today Sarah and I seeded some grass in the fissures of the newly restored rock. Along with Salla we ventured to the top of the lighthouse. The view is spectacular! The high light of our day was a poignant video captured by Kiprop of a sea lion sneezing. We vacuumed the tank, and we all learned to syphon, valuable skill. It was a fantastic day out today, which culminated in a great pizza.
We will attept to rise for 7:30am in order to do the morning recordings. We have decided today to make a video, entitled “How to survive on racerocks, for dummies.” We will start production tomorrow.
Goodnight!
posted by HANNAH McKinnon at 7:21 PM
 PC STUDENTS: Project Week students-On Sunday, five students from Lester Pearson College, Salla from Finland, Sarah from Saskatchewan, Hannah from Manitoba, Muyad from Palestine and Kiprop from Kenya moved out to stay at Race Rocks in the Marine Science Centre for the week. They have a number of projects they are doing while there so they will be commenting on what is happening on this log over the next few days.
posted by Garry Fletcher at 1:50 PM
 Good morning
WEATHER:Sky cloudy — Vis 15 miles — Light rain shower — Wind north west 6 knots — Sea rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:19 AM

Elephant seal fighting with a Northern sea lion

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When I was at the MPA today at 14:40 I observed one of the elephant seals fighting with a Northern sea lion for a position on the centre rocks. I had not seen a cross species conflict like that before. They were very aggressive, it was unclear who had the upper flipper and the outcome was inconclusive. I took two visitors from CBC Radio Canada french service out.
posted by Angus Matthews at 9:50 PM

Dr. Joe MacInnis Dives with Pearson College Students at Race Rocks

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In September 2001, Dr. Joe MacInnnis visited Lester Pearson College. Joe, a member of the Board of Pearson College,  gave a presentation on his ventures of diving on the wreck of the Bredalbane in the Arctic. In the afternoon he went with some of the Diving service students to Race Rocks for a dive.

joe macinnis and dive group

Dr. Joe MacInnis Diving at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve with Pearson College Diving students.

joemtank

Dr. Joe MacInnis prepares for a dive at Race Rocks. photos by Garry Fletcher