Category Archives: Marine Vessels

Friday August 21 Census

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California sea lion: 232
Steller sea lion: 177
Harbour seal: 94

Cormorant: 103
Pigeon Guillemot: 42
Oyster catcher: 11
Turnstone: 27
Bald eagle: 2
Seagull (adult): 1200
Seagull (juvenile): ~400

<em>Wildlife notes</em>

The shorebirds were a bit harder to count this time around, as the edges of the rocks and their usual concentrated areas were busy with sea lions. I also spotted a few whales off to the southeast this morning, but couldn’t quite make out the species- either humpback or minke.

Although many of the chicks are almost as big as their parents and starting to stay aloft for nearly minutes at a time, they’re unlikely to take off for a week or two still. It’s been such a privilege to watch these tiny, bandy-legged fluffballs grow into their flight feathers and prepare to head out on their own.

 

<em>Facility notes</em>

-Cleaned panels

-Continued work on fence

 

<em>Weather</em>

Cloudy, calm. Westerlies around 15, picking up to 25 knots later in the evening. Temperatures from 11 to 12 degrees.

 

<em>Vessels</em>

Ecotourism: 18

Private: 2

 

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

Getting ready for the cold

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Ecological Notes:

  • Still no Elephant Seals
  • Snow Goose is still here

  • Daily visits from Eagles hunting Gulls
  • Smaller sea otter reported to me by an Eco-Tourism vessel

Visitors:

  • Greg and Richard from shorefront team
  • Service Tech
  • Students from Pearson College each weekend

Facility Work:

  • Another clean up of dead birds…… mostly Eagle predation, but a couple of “healthy looking” birds as well
  • Service Tech came out again for the hot water system in the main house
  • Some weeding accomplished in the hollow in front of the water tank
  • Ongoing fence repairs
  • Battery fluids maintained
  • Delsalinator run when ever the generator was running during the day
  • Students from Pearson College helped with the animal census and laying out the hose to fill the cistern with salt water

  • more firewood split to stock it up for the colder weather coming! Thank you Richard for the platform for the wood splitter, up off the floor and now able to keep face away from the mechanism while using

  • Set up, flushed, and then ran the water pump to start filling the cistern, will need more as the tide ran low

DND events:

  • a few blasts earlier in the week, disturbing the Sea Lions and birds

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Some Eco-Tourism and educational vessels
  • Some private vessels, including Kayakers, and a small dinghy

  • 1 Spill Response Vessel transiting 

  • All behaved responsibly 

Weather Events:

  • Thursday, November 27:
    • Sky: Overcast, with very brief sunny periods
    • Wind: NNE 25-30kts
    • Sea: 3-5 waves, hitting the pier heavily 
    • Temperature Low 8.1oC, High 9.6oC
  • Friday, November 28:
    • Sky: Clear in the morning,gradually becoming high overcast as the day progressed, tempest system report slight rain during the night
    • Wind: NE winds, 5kts in the morning, rising to 18kts by mid afternoon 
    • Sea:  remained light chop as when the wind rose, it was tide with wind
    • Temperature Low 8.1oC, High 10.4oC
  • Saturday, November 29:
    • Sky: High overcast
    • Wind: NE 10-15 kts
    • Sea:  light chop 
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 8.2oC
  • Sunday, November 30:
    • Sky: Clear all day
    • Wind: ENE 15kts, dropping to 5kts mid afternoon
    • Sea:  light chop 
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 8oC

 

 

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

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

California sea lion with transmitter/flipper tag

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Wildlife: California sea lion with transmitter and flipper tag at jetty.

Weather: Clear in the morning, fog occasional visitor in the afternoon.

Facility work: Checked various fluid levels, routine maintenance on Honda backup generator, diesel generator topped up, storage batteries topped up with distilled water, fence inspected and repaired, solar panels cleaned, sea temperature and salinity taken.

Visitors: Biology class from LBPC for overnight stay.

Vessels: Nine tour boats noted. Our closest neighbors are the variety of ships that pass to the south on their way to other parts of the world. Some carry thousands of people, others carry cargo that could cause huge change to this fragile ecosystem… life on the edge.

Elephant Seals and Northern Fur Seal

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Ecological Notes:

  • 2 Juvenile female Elephant Seals coming and going daily, Haven’t see the full adult female in a few days…… Last couple days she was here, she spent a lot of time bellowing from a high point on the rock, maybe she heard other animals in the distance(?)

  • The Northern Fur Seal was hauled out on the most north west rock in the reserve (reported to me by an Eco-Tourism vessel)… but is now on the rocks next to the crane shed (just east of the jetty)
  • Sunday, the Fur Seal spent most of the afternoon rolling and grooming in the water off the end of the jetty

  • Many of the Sea lions spent the afternoon rafting and thermo-regulating in the water

  • It seems each day I find new blooms

Visitors:

  • 2 technicians from Environment Canada  came twice, to service all relevant equipment and attempt to get the display unit in the Eco-Guardian residence up and running – returned a couple days later to reset the system

Facility Work:

  • reset the wind indicator/ reporting system up in the tower via phone instructions from EC
  • replaced the rest of the fencing on the jetty

  • Moved drums to prepare for diesel delivery
  • Weekly battery maintenance, including electrolyte top ups

DND events:

  • Several radio broadcasts simulating emergency situations….. the first couple were a little concerning, as they didn’t announce the simulations before hand!

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Several Eco-tourism  vessels
  • A submarine travelled south of the reserve on the surface, un-escorted though.

  • Kayak group, I monitored while they were in and out of the various currents. The group leaders were very good, and responded well when ever anyone got caught in a bad current.

 Noted Infractions:

  • None. I’ve let vessels know the Sea lions around the jetty area seem to be extra touchy, and vessels all responded appropriately. There are lots of really small ones and females in the groupings.

Weather Events:

  • Wednesday, April 09:
    • Sky: High overcast with sunny periods
    • Wind: Variable calm – 5 kts
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 11oC
  • Thursday, April 10:
    • Sky: Low overcast, shifting to low fog to the south and west mid afternoon, scattered rain showers, followed by sunny breaks
    • Wind:E 5-10kts shifting to W 15-25kts mid day
    • Sea:  morning chop 1ft, flattening as the wind shifted to W, then rising to 3-4 ft swells and chop on top
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 12oC
  • Friday April 11:
    • Sky: Although cloudy on both shorelines, the area above Race Rocks and the strait was mostly clear and sunny all day
    • Wind: W 20-25 kts
    • Sea:  2-3 ft chop and swell
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 9.5oC
  • Saturday April 12:
    • Sky: Heavy clouds to the north and south, but mostly clear and sunny overhead
    • Wind: W 20-35kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature Low 7.5oC, High 10oC
  • Sunday April 13:
    • Sky: light haze,  but overall sunny
    • Wind: W 5kts shifting to E by mid morning
    • Sea:  flat calm plus current
    • Temperature Low 7oC, High 11oC

 

 

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

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

More signs of spring and a surprise visit!

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Ecological Notes:

  • 3 female Elephant Seals, 1 adult and 2 juveniles, still coming and going, no full haul out
  • A surprise visit from a Northern Fur Seal!

  • In addition to the more regular Black Turnstones, noted some Ruddy Turnstones today

  • The Pigeon Guillemots are showing up in larger numbers, with many frequenting the rock pile where they like to nest
  • Not that long ago, we would say ” this is an all male haul out area” ….. sources tell me this is in fact, Male, females, and yearling pups(haven’t seen nursing yet today, although I’ve photographed a few here doing that too)

  • The Black Oyster Catchers are mostly paired up as well

  • It appears that 2 of the 3 pairs of Canada Geese have given up on egg laying for the season (the gulls have been raiding the nests), but the one pair by the crane shed still has 2 eggs they are taking care of.

Facility Work:

  • swapped out an electrical switch to restore light to the room I prefer to sleep in

  • Checked and topped up the battery electrolyte levels
  • Moved and stacked some of the split firewood
  • Done before I got here, but a straight forward “why didn’t I think of that” solution to the storm rattled doors on the water tank shed

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Some Eco-Tourism vessels visiting the reserve.
  • 1 private vessel noted

 Noted Infractions:

  • Private vessel approached the haul out area by the crane a bit too close and straight on, startling all the animals off into the water, including the rare (to this area) Northern Fur Seal

Weather Events:

  • Sunday April 06:
    • Sky:Overcast, low clouds on the Olympic Peninsula, rain showers started in the morning, more squalls as the wind rose later in the day
    • Wind: N 5-10 kts, shifting and rising to W 25 kts by early evening
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 8oC, High 13oC
  • Monday April 07:
    • Sky: Overcast with sunny breaks, low cloud over the Olympic Peninsula, light rain in the afternoon
    • Wind:mostly N 5-10 kts, switching to west and rising to 25 kts in the afternoon before dropping back down during the evening
    • Sea:  light chop
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 10oC
  • Tuesday April 08:
    • Sky: Overcast with sunny breaks, heavy cloud to the south, occasional showers
    • Wind: N 5-15kts, rising to 25kts, gusting to 25kts, from the West late afternoon
    • Sea:  2 ft swells from the north during the day, switching to 2-3 ft chop late afternoon
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 11oC

Mixed Weather

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Ecological Notes:

  • Female Elephant Seal has left the ramp area…… back to sea for now it appears.
  • Sunday night high winds brought down the pier fencing, and the Sea lions sure took advantage of that fast!

  • Very young, tagged,  Elephant Seal visited the ramp area briefly. I saw him coming up fast, so I left the area. When I returned a couple hours later, there were sea lions on the ramp and the Elephant Seal was gone. This was at the same  time the adult female left.
  • A known California Sea Lion, that was freed of an entanglement last year is around the north side. Although the wound still looks rough, the last Ecoguardian (Kendra) assured me this is a good improvement.
  • In addition to the expected numbers, there have been a couple very large flocks of both Black Oyster Catchers, and Black Turnstones. Groups were seen briefly, before flying off.
  • Nearly double the normal number of Canada Geese here still. 

  • There are still many Humpback Whales viewable from the park, and Transient Orca have passed by nearly every other day.

Visitors:

  • Work crew still working on the windows on the Student and Science centre, as well as finishing the inside of the last window on the main house.
  • A small group of donors, and a couple college staff visited for a tour of the facility.

Facility Work:

  • Ongoing repairs and upgrades to the electrical fencing. Awaiting new connectors to replace a couple sections and add a new section.
  • Fuel transfers and an extra check on battery electrolyte levels.
  • Although not overly high, wind direction has blown some doors off, including the boat shed …. minor items, but they add up!

  • Taking advantage of the rain periods to clean the sidewalks (mostly goose poop), as well as cleaning the salt off the windows.

  • Cleaned the windows on the tower, inside and out.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Still a few Ecotourism vessels
  • 2 Jet skis have visited the reserve a couple days in a row.

 Noted Infractions:

  • The first time the jet skis were scene, they were doing doughnuts and high speed passes in the main channel, disturbing birds and sea lions. My camera was charging, but i signalled to them with the blowhorn siren and waved them off.

  • The next day, they stayed out of the reserve, playing in one of the standing current waves a little further out. They did a wide sweep around the area on their way back (hopefully realizing they were being watched).

Weather Events:

  • Monday, November 11:
    • Sky: overcast with frequent sunny breaks
    • Wind: Morning Westerly winds to 25kts, veering to west at 5-10 kts in the afternoon
    • Sea: 1 meter swell, calming to slight chop by afternoon
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 18oC
  • Tuesday, November 12:
    • Sky: Overcast, with sunny breaks
    • Wind: mixed N-NE 5-10 kts
    • Sea:  slight chop, but a swell wrapping around into the pier area by afternoon
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 112oC
  • Wednesday, November 13:
    • Sky: Overcast with light rain later in the day
    • Wind: Variable direction Northerly winds, 5-10 kts, shifting to WSW later in the afternoon
    • Sea:  light chop, some tidal swell in the reserve
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 13oC

 

 

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

 

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

 

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Census Day!

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Sunday September 8th

Today we spent a lot of time on the fence again. We painstakingly went through each section to ensure that charge was being held the whole way through. This was a very tedious process and we still don’t have the voltage up to where we want it to be…. but there have been no pinniped breaches yet, so fingers crossed!

Today, Scott and I climbed the lighthouse tower to complete our first wildlife census. As a marine ecologist, I have a lot of experience counting fish underwater. However, counting over 600 Sea lions that all look like overlapping brown logs or trying to count birds that keep on flying away or are hidden between all the sea lions was way harder. With that said, being a top the tower made everything much easier to see and to conceptualize on a greater scale.

While we were up there we also got to enjoy a couple of humpback whales engaging in tail slapping or “lobtailing” behaviour for well over 30 minutes. It is thought that the sound and force generated by the slaps frighten the bait fish into tighter schools making them easier to hunt. Based off gull activity, there were definitely a lot of bait balls around, so hopefully we will get to see more of this behaviour in the coming days!

  • Water Sample
  • Ran Generator
  • Washed Solar Panels
  • Patched and checked new electric fence
  • Island animal census

Whale Watching Vessels: 25

Private Vessels: 7

Census Results:

Birds:

  • Turnstones: 15
  • Killdeer: 1
  • Gulls: 528
  • Cormorants: 70
  • Oystercatchers: 2
  • Canada Goose: 6

Mammals:

  • Stellar Sea Lions: 115
  • California Sea Lions: 497
  • Sea Lions (Too Far for confident ID): 205
  • Harbour Seals: 63

Weather: Slightly Hazy/Overcast. Wind NW Building all day to ~ 15knts

Fortifying Fence

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Saturday September 7 – Day 3

Our first day alone on station. We spent the morning refurbishing the fence that runs along the SW west portion of the island in front of the lighthouse down to the main residence.

It was super satisfying to have a unified barrier… until about four hours later… when some sections were promptly breached by our pinniped neighbours for the flat, comfy nesting spots they are protecting. The battle continues… Later in the evening we had to rescue our water sample bucket as an unnamed thrower let go of the rope.

  • Water Sample
  • Ran Generator
  • Washed Solar Panels
  • Repaired electric fence with anchored stanchions

Whale Watching Vessels: 20

Private Vessels: 6

Weather: Calm and Glassy, <5knts, Slightly Hazy/Overcast Wind picked up in the evening

Busy day

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Friday September 6 – Day 2

Today was another day of Visitors. Early in the morning, Greg dropped off a couple contractors to work on the windows in the Student Housing. We did our first clean of the solar panels. SO MUCH SEAGULL POOP.

Greg came back with all the materials to fortify the fencing that is supposed to keep the Sea Lions away from the Lighthouse infrastructure. I can confidently tell you that this fortification is needed.

At least 6 Humpback Whales feeding all day off the South and South West sides of the island. Greg swears he saw a full breach.. though we didn’t, and there are no photos soooooo……

  • Water Sample
  • Washed Solar Panels
  • Intro to rock drilling

Whale Watching Vessels: 15

Private Vessels: 3

Weather: Hot and Sunny, Calm and Glassy, <5knts

** So sunny we didn’t have to run the Generator all day