Category Archives: Mammal Notes

Whale Palooza!

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I don’t think I could’ve looked in any direction today and NOT seen a whale, and thats saying a lot considering I have a 360 degree view of the ocean on this island.

As soon as the sun came up there were humpbacks on the horizon, some just passing by, others lunge feeding.

Around mid day multiple families of transient killer whales passed by the reserve, stopping just outside to hunt a sea lion. These families included 2 whales I have always wanted to see – T019B Galiano and T019C Spouter! They were breaching and tail slapping, putting on a great show for myself and the visiting Pearson students.

The day continued with more and more whales and no matter how many I see, it will never get old.

Facility Work:

  • Repair electric fence
  • Topped up diesel in the generator
  • Ran EQ charge on batteries 

Visitors:

  • 14 Pearson students + 1 teacher 
  • 4 contractors

Vessels:

  • Private: 2
  • Ecotourism: 14

Home Sweet Home!

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Well, it’s been a few months…but I’m back!

I arrived early this afternoon, ready to tuck into another month of living it up on the rocks. The autumn shift from 25ish sea lions to over 1000 is overwhelming, as is the smell. That being said, I love it and I honestly wish there was 1000 more (ask me if I feel the same way at the end of the month).

Sea lions galore!

Another animal that has increased in number since I left is the humpbacks. I cannot look out to the horizon and not at least 10 of them, it is breathtaking.

As I reacclimatized and walked around the island I watched as large California sea lion barrelled his way through the electric fence, stripping the wood right off the post. He then became stuck on the inside of the fence looking very confused about his situation before he tumbled back over. Thus began my first task of this trip and what I anticipate to be a task I re do multiple times a day – repairing the fence.

In other animals news, I came across 2 entangled sea lions. They are both already known to DFO and the Marine Mammal Rescue teams. I believe the Cali is actually scarring from an old entanglement whereas the Steller is still very much active. I’ll be updating the teams to let them know he is still hanging around the area.

Steller sea lion with an active entanglement

California sea lion with entanglement scarring

I also came across a gull looking a little worse for wear with a fishing lure stuck in his beak. It was still very active so not an easy one to try and help. Poor guy!

Ouch!

Well, thats about it for me today, plenty more tomorrow I’m sure!

Elephant Seal Frustrations

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Tuesday September 24, 2024

This morning we woke up to fog lapping at the shores of the island. Its honestly very magical to be fully socked in on a rock that you know is completely surrounded by water. But also, this really throws the problem of a malfunctioning foghorn into sharp relief.

We were obviously not alone in this thought, as we read an 8am email from the Coast Guard team who will be out here tomorrow to take another stab at repairing it.

We spent the morning cleaning the solar panels, making the daily fence repairs, and doing some general tidying for the week.

We also tried to capture some more identification photos of the Elephant Seal who has been around. Last week we reported her with my best guess of her tag number based off a couple glimpses from when her tail was at just the right angle.

The group we reported her to responded right away with a bunch of interesting information about her life. She was born in Ano Nuevo California in 2013. She has been spotted there many, many times since then, during the winter months, and has even had two babies of her own!

But they have no sightings of her in other locations up until now! So that is super exciting!

From a Race Rocks perspective, she also seems to be a Newcomer. Elephant seals have full reign of the island, and the guys who visit here often know that, and take advantage of it….. as recorded in many previous blogs,

This gal, however, is hanging down on the rocks on the South side of the island amongst all of her Sea Lion relatives.

In addition, speaking with some of the previous Eco-Guardians, there is usually another seal (Beverly) who is the first to arrive. She has a pink tag.. so we know this is not her. Maybe there is new newcomer on the block….?

The previous eco-guardians also shared this neat image, that shows the tag color correspondence with animal birthplace!

What a cool and simple way to track such amazing animals!

Anyways, I will continue on trying to get a clear tag picture.

Whale Watching Vessels: 10

Private Vessels: 0

Weather: Foggy and Overcast Day, Winds SW picking up to 15 knts in the Evening

Census on a Cloudy Day

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Sunday September, 22

Census Day!

This morning, Scott and I headed up to the top of the tower for our weekly animal count.

We added the elephant seal to this week’s survey because she is still sticking around!

Yesterday we beefed up the fence on the West side of the island between the helipad and the generator shed. Since this one isn’t anchored into the bedrock, it has been taking quite a beating from the westerly winds.

Greg also dropped by yesterday and gave us some groceries for the week. The water cistern is quite low, so we have ceased using the desalinator, and are trying to be more conservative than normal with the water. Fingers crossed, Greg will be able to boat over some more water this week!

Today, we checked and topped up the batteries, and tidied up the basement in the main house. I can’t believe we only have a week left on the island!

Whale Watching Vessels: 15

Private Vessels: 4

Weather: Cloudy and Overcast Day, Winds SW picking up to 15 knts in the Afternoon

Animal Census:

Birds:

  • Gulls: 1155
  • Cormorants: 228
  • Oystercatchers: 3
  • Canada Goose: 6
  • Turnstones: 17 ** They are hard to see amongst all the sea lions

Mammals:

  • Stellar Sea Lion: 397
  • California Sea Lion: 780
  • Harbour Seal: 85
  • Elephant Seal female: 1

Elephant Seal!

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Friday September 20th

Last night while we were fixing the fence on the South Side of the Island that had been knocked over….Again.. we spotted a seal looking a little different than everyone else

Looking a little closer, we realized it was an elephant seal! Looks like a small female, and she is tagged, though we couldn’t get a good photo of it. We reported it to the biologists from California who implement that specific tagging study.

Also saw a couple more branded Sea Lions who we also reported, as well as a dead sea lion we spotted along the south side of the island at low tide.

Scott has worked his way through the pile of wood piled down near the Jetty, so the next Eco-Guardians will def be warm for a while.

Whale Watching Vessels: 10

Private Vessels: 0

Weather: Mix of Sun and Cloud. Pretty Calm day, wind pretty consistent around 5knts W.

And like everyday this month lots of humpbacks feeding all day!

Fog Horn not repaired..

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Friday September 13

So… the fog horn went all night… when it was not foggy….

We let Coast Guard know and they told us  how to disable it. So they will be back here in the next couple weeks to try again to get it fixed.

Today, did some organisation/cleaning of the main house.

We also saw the injured sea lion James and Christine noted in August, when we were doing our water sample. He isn’t putting weight on it at all.. but the wound itself looks a little better. Reported to DFO.

  • Ran Generator
  • Ran Desalinator
  • Chopped Wood
  • Water Sample

Whale Watching Vessels: 10

Private Vessels: 2

Weather: Clear Day (Visibility about 12 NM), Winds SW ~5Knts all day, Overcast, Rain in the afternoon

 

 

 

Whales!

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Wildlife notes:

About six killer whales cruised the eastern shoreline passing through the channel between Great Race and the South Islands. It was first time I had seen the whales so close to shore and was very surprised by the behaviour of the sea lions. They did not make a mad rush to get out of the water. Instead, they dove in, grouped up, and seemed to guard the shore and pursue the whales. They followed them through the channel around the west end of the South Islands and along the southern shores of the South Islands until the whales left the area. The ones left on shore continued to sleep or just casually gazed out. It was incredible and not at all what I expected.  Maybe they are like the gulls, drawn to a spectacle, and were just out there to watch the drama of something being attacked and killed.

Going around the west side of South Islands

In pursuit on the south side of South Islands

Whales leaving the area, heading east.

Facility work:

  • Cleaned solar panels
  • Cleaned windows Keeper’s House and Student House
  • Operation walkway – work in progress

Vessels:

  • 25 Ecotourism, 4 private

Weather:

Fog <1/4 mile visibility in the morning, dissipating by 11:00 then scattered clouds.  Winds variable, light to moderate most of the day.  Fresh NW fresh in the early evening. Daytime temperatures: low 14, high 18.

Sea lions are returning

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Greg and Cedric came to work on the desalinator. They made progress and we are closer to being able to produce fresh water on site again. Work began on filling the cistern with sea water.

Water pump at the end of the jetty. Pumping sea water up to the concrete cistern on west side of the Keeper’s house. The smoke in the background is from the Sooke fire.

Wildlife notes:

The number of Stellar sealions in the area is increasing. About 18 of them hauled out on Middle Rocks this morning. Their roars sound so much more lion like than the yelping of the California sealions. The injured CA sealion was also around today. It is hard to say how much his wound has healed since the photo posted on July 5.

Stellar sea lions on Middle Rock.

Injured California sea lion.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • cleaning Energy Building roof
  • repairs on the desalinator and filling the cistern

Vessels:

15 ecotourism

Weather:

Sunny day. Moderate to fresh, westerly breeze most of the day, with a strong breeze in the evening. Daytime temperatures: minimum 12, maximum 14 degrees.

Molting female elephant seal

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Wildlife notes:

I felt a bit odd doing it but I photographed the molting elephant seal’s private parts. It is a She, so there may be some variation in the stated molting dates (1, 2) based on sex and maturity, at least at this northern location.

Her bottom end

His bottom end

An opening only he has

A few least sandpipers and a ruddy turnstone were foraging in the vegetation away from the shore. The sandpipers are such small birds. I was surprised to see them darting around in the gale force winds. The high winds didn’t put a damper on the gulls either.  I watched a small seagull chick jump off a rock to escape with its life as a fight ensued above him.

Least sandpiper

Ruddy turnstone

A seagull chick escaping with its life.

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • topped up battery fluids
  • cleaned Keeper’s house windows

Vessels:

2 ecotourism, 1 private

Weather:

Overcast and fog in the morning. Periods of fog throughout the day.  Strong breeze in the morning, gale force in the afternoon, building to 38 knots with gusts of 43 at 19:00. Daytime temperatures: minimum 12, maximum 15 degrees.

Windy Day

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It was a windy day – blew the door off the Derrick Shed and the hair off the elephant seal’s head. The electric fence suffered from the winds over the past few days and needed replacement strands in two sections.

Wildlife notes:

The pigeon guillemots were around in the morning and mostly left again by 7pm. I found what I assume to be a pigeon guillemot nest in the rocks at the west end of the helipad.  Judging by the egg orientation, the little bone and other items which get moved around, it seems to be an active nest. Two least sandpipers were spotted on the northeast shore.

Least sandpiper

Facility work:

  • cleaned solar panels
  • replaced 2 sections of electric fence
  • thistles – new record, an 11″ root.
  • topped up battery fluid

Vessels:

10 Ecotourism boats, 1 private

Weather:

WNW 13 and clouds in the morning, clearing early afternoon with winds building to WNW 33 by late afternoon.