Category Archives: Mammal Notes

Talkative Elephant Seal Pup

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles throughout the day
  • Wind: ranging from 10-20 knots
  • Sky: sunny with cloudy periods
  • Water: choppy with the wind, 1-3 foot swells

Boats/Visitors

  • Didn’t notice much boat traffic today, one diving boat
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • I counted 4 male elephant seals on and around the island today
  • large group of 30-40 cormorants on the south rocks in the early evening
  • same elephant seal pup has been hanging close to the house and has been very vocal for the past few days, calling out sporadically throughout the day and night.
  • Saw 4 adult bald eagles around today as well as two large juveniles.

Other

  • This will be my last week out at Race Rocks until February, when I return for another month stay. Laas will be back for the remainder of January so you can expect much better quality photography then I’ve supplied! (:

Rainbows & Battle Scars

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Weather

  • Visibility: clear, 15 miles throughout the day
  • Wind: 23-28 knots SW this morning, died down by noon
  • Sky: mostly sunny with some clouds
  • Water: rough this morning with 1 meter swells then calmed down throughout the day

Boats/Visitors

  • Lots of commercial vessels including a large logging barge
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • The male elephant seals continue to fight for dominance. Didn’t notice the smallest of the original 5 around today after he lost a fight yesterday against another adolescent. The winner of that fight got into it with one of the two large males and is still around but has some fresh wounds.
  • Still one elephant seal pup here that has taken a liking to sleeping on the doorstep of my house!

 

A tug pulls a huge logging barge by Race Rocks Island

Family photo!

Huge logging barge being towed by a tug passing by Race Rocks.

Fresh battle wounds after facing a much larger male than himself.

Sandpipers, Elephant Seals & Gale Force Winds

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Weather

  • Visibility: 5 miles this morning, clearing up during the day
  • Wind: windy throughout the day eventually reaching gale force by night, 30-41 knots
  • Sky: overcast and rainy all day
  • Water: calm in the morning then got rough with the wind picking up

Boats/Visitors

  • Didn’t notice much boat traffic today with the heavy winds and rain
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • The male elephant seals have become more territorial and the larger two are starting to push their weight around.
  • Noticed a small group of sandpipers picking at the wet grass alongside black turnstones this morning

The Battles Begin

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Weather

  • Visibility: 10-15 miles throughout the day
  • Wind: light breezes throughout the day, 4-11 knots
  • Sky: overcast this morning then cleared up a bit by late afternoon
  • Water: mostly calm, a bit choppy at times

Boats/Visitors

  • The usual commercial freighter and barge traffic
  • Garry and a friend came out for the annual christmas bird count

Ecological

  • Two of the younger male elephant seals got into a fight/chase with the larger of the two dominating until Bernard (the biggest of the 5 males currently on the island) stepped in and sent them both on the run. With the females heading this way soon it may prove to be a bloody new year with the males fighting for dominance.
  • Large group of oyster catchers, 18-20 strong, hanging around the south west end of the island.
  • Didn’t see any canada geese today for the first time in a while.
  • Garry’s friend pointed out some harlequin ducks in the water I hadn’t noticed.
  • One of the elephant seal pups looks like an older male may have attacked it. It’s head and back are covered with lacerations and gouges.

Lone Goose & Harbour Seals

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Weather

  • Visibility: clear, 15 miles throughout the day
  • Wind: light breeze all day, NE
  • Sky: overcast this morning with a bit of sun in the late afternoon
  • Water: mostly calm, a bit choppy at times

Boats/Visitors

  • Didn’t notice much boat traffic today, a few eco tours/whale watchers went by
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • Group of 12-14 harbour seals on the south east rocks
  • Five male elephant seals are still here
  • Had a lone canada goose waiting diligently in the same spot from 8am until it’s mate came back around 2 or 3pm.

Other

  • I’m hoping the weather holds for the annual bird count to happen tomorrow, though there is rain in the forecast.

Census & Five Male Elephant Seals

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles all day
  • Wind: Light breezes throughout the day NE mostly
  • Sky: mostly cloudy
  • Water: a bit rough, one to two foot swells

Boats/Visitors

  • Boat traffic was pretty minimum today again, saw one fishing boat go by
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • There are now a total of 5 male elephant seals on the island. Two are full grown and the other three are adolescents.
  • The two elephant seal pups are still around as well.

Census

  • California Sea Lions – 78
  • Stellar Sea Lions – 64
  • Harbour Seals – 2
  • Elephant Seals – 7
  • Gulls – 58
  • Cormorants – 16
  • Bald Eagles – 2
  • Black Turnstones – 6

A Third Male Elephant Seal & Merry Christmas!

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles throughout the day
  • Wind: light breeze throughout the day
  • Sky: overcast this morning then cleared up with lots of sun by afternoon
  • Water: mostly calm, a bit choppy at times

Boats/Visitors

  • Only noticed one or two small boats in the distance
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • A third male elephant seal showed up today but is much younger then the other two and only half the size. The three ended up in the same are as each other for the first time and Bernard asserted a bit of dominance, pushing the other two back from the centre of the island.
  • Another elephant seal pup showed up today too

Other

  • Will do another census tomorrow

Elephant Seal Duo

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Weather

  • Visibility: mostly clear in the day with fog and a bit of snow in the evening
  • Wind: Light gusts throughout the day
  • Sky: Cloudy with sunny periods
  • Water: a bit rough, 1 meter swells at times

Boats/Visitors

  • had the usual ‘4 ever wild’ whale watching boat go by
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • Still a decent amount of sea lions on and around the island.
  • The two big male elephant seals have been mostly keeping their distance from each other but today Bernard, the larger of the two, asserted a bit of dominance by moving closer inland towards Big George, the smaller of the two.

Other

  • DND blasting has taken a break for the past few weeks which has been nice.

Windy Day

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Weather

  • Visibility: very clear throughout the day, 15 Miles
  • Wind: heavy winds all day reaching upwards of 33 knots
  • Sky: sunny with no clouds
  • Water: rough, 3 foot swells

Boats/Visitors

  • Boat traffic was pretty minimum today with the rough water
  • No visitors today

Ecological

  • Not much has changed in terms of wildlife on the island in the last few days. Consistent number of gulls, sea lions, eagles, black turnstones, canada geese and cormorants with one or two large male elephant seals.

Mystery Raptor

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 6-10 NE throughout day
  • Sky: sunny with cloudy periods
  • Water: mostly calm

Boats/Visitors

  • had one whale watching boat cruise by
  • no visitors today

Ecological

  • saw a large brown raptor of some kind. I think it was a Red-tailed Hawk
  • lots of killdeer around
  • large elephant seal male is still on the island

Other

  • a lot of DND blasts today, very startling for the sea lions.