Category Archives: Marine Vessels

Calm Saturday

Posted on by

Light variable winds most of the day. Four brief periods of rain, clear skies in between. Very low West swell. Rainbows.

6 tour boats
2 dive boats

I spent some time today trying to learn to use the Nikon DSLR that lives out here at Race Rocks. The zoom on the big lens is awesome, but I still have a few technical issues to work out. My mission was to get a photo of a Pigeon Guillemot flying away from me with its red feet sticking out, but I wasn’t happy with any of my attempts. While wandering around looking for things to photograph I saw 10-15 Turnstones. They are spending most of their time in the middle of Great Race. There was 4 Western Sandpipers, 1 Sanderling, and 2 Dunlins all feeding in the muck-puddles on Great Race.The Elephant seal that has been next to the tank shed left this morning, but there are still two out on Middle Rocks. There are a few monster Steller Sea lions among the group out on South Rocks. There are now three Canada Goose nests, all with eggs in them.

Pigeon Guillemots

Posted on by

Overcast/cloudy. Light North to North-East wind. Low SE swell in the afternoon.
5 tour boats

This morning there was a Great Blue Heron on the bluffs on the NE side of Great Race, 5 eagles on the outer islands, and Guillemots!
I don’t know if all these birds have been in the reserve for a while, but with the high tide this morning there were probably 100 Pigeon Guillemots whistling their little high-pitched whistle all along the shore of Great Race. Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) are members of the auk family. They are small diving birds. Their most obvious attribute is their radioactive-red feet that stick out behind them when they fly. Interestingly, these feet only have 3 toes (most birds have 4). They also have large white wing patches with a black bar. They spend spring and summer onshore to breed. A pair mates for life. They build their nests on bluffs and lay 3 to 4 eggs.  The rest of the year they live in offshore waters. They are fairly inefficient flyers, and goofy walkers (kind of like a penguin) but they are amazing swimmers. They use their wings to propel themselves underwater. They typically forage for small fish and invertebrates at 10 to 30 m, but they have been documented at 45 m. A group of Guillemots is apparently called a “bazaar”.

 

-measured windows
-figured out jetty ladder hardware
-discouraged geese from nesting

Canada Geese

Posted on by

Clear skies. Light winds.

The most Canada geese that I have counted to date is 33. The Canada goose (Branta canadensis. Not “Canadian goose”, they do not have citizenship) is a regular visitor/resident out here at Race Rocks. The species has 11 sub-species, many of which experienced a dramatic decline at the beginning of the 20th century because of hunting pressure and habitat loss. However, in the last 25 years the species has experienced a strong recovery. There are many groups that have also ceased to do their seasonal migration. They have recovered to a point where they are now considered a pest in many places. The main reasons for their change in status and migrations has to do with the bird’s adaptability. It has thrived under decreased hunting pressure and changes in weather/climate. This has combined with an increase in protected grassy areas (eg lawns, golf courses, and parks) and agricultural practices that leave waste grain in the fields over the winter. The species is considered to be invasive in New Zealand, where it was intentionally introduced as a game species. The species was also introduced, and has also migrated, to the UK and several Scandinavian countries. The species’ adaptability means that the Canada Goose is now the most numerous waterfowl in North America.

Continue reading →

Update: past week

Posted on by

On Friday Erik brought out a new wood stove and two guys to install it in the main house. The diesel furnace has turned been off since then and we are plenty warm.  This is a great addition to the island and another positive step Pearson College has taken to reduce its dependance on fossil fuels, reduce the risks of diesel contamination in this sensitive environment and improve financial sustainability of operations.

A group of Pearson College students arrived on Saturday afternoon with Erik on Second Nature to spend their project week at Race Rocks.  They will be helping out with daily tasks, doing some maintenance projects and working on their own creative projects.

On Sunday I picked up Garry and brought him to the island to get a closer look at the pup and to give the students a short marine bio and history tour.

DND blasting occured on March 4th, 5th, and 6th (945, 1030, 1310 big blast, 1350)

Eco tour vessels visited the reserve Feb 27 (x2), 28th, March 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th (x2)
Private vessels entered the reserve March 7th, 8th and 9th

Past Week projects and maintenance:

-harvested, cut firewood
-clean and prep for students arrival
-coordinating for project week
-cleaned out oil traps in propane lines of main house
-worked on boat console
-recycling offload to campus
-picked up peat moss and maintenance supplies
-completed month end report and data entry
-2 full propane tanks to island
-assist with wood stove supplies and install

Inverter back online

Posted on by

For most of last week we had steady westerly winds reaching upwards of 40 NMPH. We got a break in the weather on Friday and Saturday some flurries began and the wind shifted back to North East and cold. It has been upwards of 20 NMPH NE today and the past two days. Today it is sunny for a change.

On Tuesday February 18 there were three heavy blasts that appeared to come from behind Christopher Point, not the usual blasting location.

On Friday Feb 21st Erik brought a group out to Race Rocks that include Ric the electrician and his apprentice. The inverter which had been repaired in Vancouver had shipped overnight and arrived on campus just in time to make it out here. We were able to re-install and test run the inverter, replace a broken solar pane- using adapter cables-on the roof of the engine room  and repair a failed light circuit in the assist house. Jonathan also came out and replaced the switch in the assist house and did some troubleshooting of the internet system. He also brought out a replacement conduit access box for Camera 5.  Five other guests from the college also came to visit for a total of 9 visitors including Erik. Erik returned in the afternoon with a group of student divers from the college; they dove near the jetty and brought the electrician and company back to campus. I picked up 3 guests form Pedder Bay and brought them for an overnight visit.

On Saturday, in the morning I counted over 200 Pigeon Guillemots along the shore of race rocks.  I have seen and heard them a few times this year but this was by far the most i have seen. There were at least 3 eco tour vessels in the reserve, there have not been many lately.  I went off island for a few hours in the afternoon.

-fixing running light wiring in boat
-finished building and painting box for GPS console on boat
-coordinating with DFO for tagging elephant seal
-measurements for adapter cables for replacement solar panel
-coordinating with electrician, assisting with gear, installation, etc
-communications about wood stove
-moving back into main house/clean up
-cleaning up jetty more frequently due to NE wind

NE wind, temperature below zero

Posted on by

There has been a fairly steady 20-35 NMPH NE wind blowing since Sunday which has meant pretty constant white caps and waves breaking along the jetty, the sky has been mostly clear. This has made any transport to/from island difficult. On Monday Erik brought out an electrician and apprentice to remove the failed inverter. He wasn’t able to stay tied up very long on the jetty. We got the inverter off and it is now in Vancouver for servicing.

On Tuesday one eco tour vessel passed through the reserve. There was also a government barge and tug boat that seemed to have some trouble while going through Race passage. With a strong tail wind and current the barge seemed to pick up speed and get ahead of the main tug. Between here and Church Rock, I watched them maneuvering in what appeared to be efforts to regain control. Eventually they got it under tow again and reversed direction, with main tug pushing the barge from behind going backwards, and they tucked in behind Christopher point for protection. Several hours later they pulled out and returned in the direction from where they came, apparently having abandoned their original destination. Navy exercises most days this week with large vessels and several zodiacs trailing.

Bertha and Chunk continue mating, pup continues putting on fat. Bertha seems ready to leave any day now, she is visibly thinner, paler in colour and seems more passive and lethargic. The female eseal that had been in S bay has left, I assume to get out of the cold wind which has been below zero plus wind chill while sea temp is currently around 7 degrees C. The younger male e-seal is visible out on Middle Rocks today and has been there the past few days.

A coast guard helicopter arrived today for maintenance on the light and fog horn. They landed next to tower as usual which was pretty close to elephant seals, Chunk took off around the other side of the house but returned soon after to mate. While clearly bothered by the sound, wind/debris and proximity of the helicopter the mother and pup didnt or couldnt really move away.

-Checking heating coils on exposed water lines
-cut, chopped, stacked fire wood
-cleaned panels
-running some heat in main house in the evenings to keep it warm
-worked on wiring/lights in whaler
-communications for wood stove/inverter/solar
-entered data and submitted DFO boat count and Seawater samples
-made parts list for plumbing in main house
-month end report fuel inventory

Ship Traffic in the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Posted on by

If you go to the website for tracking  marine vessels  (http://vtslite.siitech.com/VTSLite/AView.aspx ) you can see the vessels currently in the waters around Race Rocks. Today I checked and at one time noted the four vessels indicated on the chart below.

mapandships Today the wind is blowing from the north-east  at 5o Km ph.
I took a picture from Camera1 of the tanker Pacific Endeavor just south of Race Rocks :

figure-3-overall-risks-oil- spills

With the projected increase in traffic of tankers in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the risk of an oil spill doubles.See this recent government report on Risk Analysis. 

week in review

Posted on by

I have missed a few days of logs; I was off the island Jan 22-26th. The day after I returned a inverter quit and we lost power to the main house, the internet connection was also interrupted a few days… we are now mostly moved in to the other house and are running ok with only 2 inverters on the island. Planning on having the bad inverter removed on Monday and shipped to Vancouver for servicing. We can still get power there by flipping transfer switch load 1 to “generator” while the generator is running

The weather has been very nice the last two days, sunny and relatively light wind. This house has more south facing exposure and is a bit smaller, it really warms up on a sunny day. We had quite a bit of rain earlier in the week and several days of patchy fog last weekend and early this week. Wind only got up to around 30 knots one evening mid-week.

The pup has really put on weight and is quite the squawker, often right outside the bedroom window… in the middle of the night. Chunk and Bertha are mating. He is quite persistent and she seems quite resistant but she wont leave her pup alone yet. This morning there was blood around her bad eye and it was swollen.

There has been ongoing blasting at Rocky Point this week, every day up to the weekend. One time several blasts were in short succession, sometimes there were flares too. The photo below was taken after one very heavy blast, the sealions all had their heads up right after and seemed alarmed.

heads up sealions-7339
Traffic in reserve:
Sunday Jan 26: I returned in the afternoon on the station whaler.
Monday Jan 27: 1 private, 1 ecotour, helicopter overhead, several navy ships doing exercises nearby in the straight.
Saturday Feb 1: 1 diveboat, 3 ecotour.

Work:
-troubleshooting inverter
-troubleshooting internet
-moving supplies over to other house, switching fridges, etc
-communicating with inverter repair person in vancovuer
-communicating with electrician for inverter removal
-removed 25 ft of 2″ clogged drain pipe from main house, cleaned pipes with rain water
-got crate for 2′ long inverter
-started month end inventory/report
-cut, chopped, stacked fire wood
-cleaned panels as needed
-picked up pipe and hardware for replacing sink drain pipe
-topping up batteries
-picked up parts for repairs on station whaler

e-seals, blasting

Posted on by

Sky cleared up yesterday, mostly cloudy today. NE wind less than 15 NMPH becoming W this afternoon.

Counted 16 bald eagles in reserve today, they have started feeding on the deceased sea lion.

Chunk has started spending more time off the main island, he was away all day today and back this evening.  I was able to get a better view of Middle Rock yesterday. In the picture below you can see Chunk on the left and a good sized female on the right with a young male behind her.

middle rock 2 male-7306

Middle rock: Chunk, younger male and female ( i think the one that had a pup out there earlier this month)

The number of moulting female elephant seals on the main island has increased to a total of 4: 3 in south bay (including one with green tag) and 1 in South East beach (pink tag). They all look pretty rough, as usual.

3 moulting females in South bay

3 moulting females in South bay

DND blasting: 1 blast yesterday, 3 blasts today. Looked like some small military vessels doing exercises near the reserve midday today and yesterday.

1 eco tour vessel, 1 charter rental from Pedder Bay (I called the marina as they were in the reserve and it was chartered by Shaw to get footage of race rocks).

-following up on wood stove
-cut, chopped, stacked wood
-topped up fresh water
-did some training/refreshing with relief guardian
-checked on battery water levels

kayak disturbance, tagged e-seals, pup, etc

Posted on by

Wind has varied between W and NE less than 20 NMPH over the past few days.  We have had some patches of fog during the week and partly clear skies today and yesterday.

On the 15th a group of 20 kayakers passed through the reserve on the East side heading West.  They passed on both sides of East rock and caused one of the largest sea lion disturbances I have seen here, several hundred sealions scrambled into the water.  I was able to talk to one of the kayakers as they passed by the south side and told him that they are not allowed to cause this kind of disturbance to marine mammals at race rocks. Though I love kayaking and prefer kayaks to motorized vessels, kayakers need to realize that because they are so nice and silent they can also easily surprise wildlife.  Once startled sealions stampede and can easily trample younger sealions or injure themselves rushing over the jagged rocks.

1 dive boat in the reserve today, 1 eco tour in the afternoon, 1 sports fishing boat in the morning which traveled too close to sealions on the East rocks. I called Pedder Bay Marina and gave them the ID number and a description and asked them to talk to the operator about regulations at Race Rocks (thanks Pedder Bay Marina!).

The elephant seal pup seems to be in good shape and is drinking milk regularly. Chunk seems fairly well behaved, a few times a day he we will arise from his slumber and chase after Bertha. Sometimes it seems he is trying to separate her from the pup and restrain her. I have seen him with his mouth around the pup’s head as well as with the pup partly underneath him though on all occasions I have observed he has clearly not harmed the pup when he easily could have. Chunk went off the island last night, I assume to middle rock and was back in the morning. There are two elephant seals on middle rock, both fairly large, one possibly a young male. I have been hearing what sounds like a male’s call coming from middle rock today. There were also two smaller scruffy, moulting female elephant seals in the shoreline of the main island today one tagged green 7502 the other tagged pink N93_ the last number is not visible. That brings the current e-seal population to 7.

Past week maintenance:
-cleaned solar panels daily
-flushed media filter on desal
-changed pre-filters on desal
-troubleshooting cam 5 with help from Jonathan, replaced POE unit. took measurements to replace leaky cable housing at base of cam stand
-ran desal x2
-ran fire pump
-replaced leaky hydraulic line on crane, pressure tested line
-cut, chopped, stacked fire wood
-replaced fire extinguishers which had been sent in for annual servicing
-brought temporary fire extinguishers off island for servicing
-troubleshooting of failed internet system with help from Jonathan
-swapped out 1 propane tank on main house

Visitors this week:
-on the 15th Erik came with a guest to drop off supplies
-on the 16th Erik brought Jonathan out to replace switch in the tower as well as the Marine sciences class for a field trip (12 students and Ann)