Category Archives: Overflights

July 22 and 23 – End of Shift

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Weather for July 22:
Wind: W 11 to 34 knots
Visibility: <1-15 NM
Sky: Foggy in morning, Partly Cloudy after 09:00
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 2′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-18 C

Weather for July 23:
Wind: W 12 to 32 knots
Visibility: <1-15 NM
Sky: Fog patches in the morning, Partly Cloudy after noon
Sea: up to 1′ chop in morning, up to 3′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-16 C

Maintenance:
I did the routine tasks of cleaning the solar panels and house windows, topping up the water in the 24 deep cycle batteries, fixing the electric fence, sampling the salinity and temperature of the seawater, and running the desalinator with solar power to produce freshwater.

End of Shift:
I have enjoyed reacquainting myself with Race Rocks over the past two and a half weeks. The solar power was a sufficient source of energy each day to charge the batteries, power the island, and produce freshwater from the desalinator. I got out in the station boat, which is always a highlight to see the island from the perspective of a sea lion. Most importantly, for the second summer in a row I learned to live harmoniously with the very territorial nesting gulls.

This is my sixth shift I have done as Ecoguardian over the past nine years, for a total of almost nine months. My shifts have ranged from two weeks to four months. I have visited here in ten months of the year, with the exception of June and September.

Tomorrow I am heading home to Vancouver to get ready for two weeks in the Northwest Territories, where I will be canoeing in Nahanni National Park Reserve.

I look forward to returning to Race Rocks sometime soon to explore the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of this amazing place.

Photo highlights from the past two days:

Seal Studies and Helicopters

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We received a response from the scientists who had tagged the elephant seal mentioned and pictured in this previous post. They were able to share some interesting information about GE103, whom we nicknamed Eric. GE103 was part of a mother and pup interaction study, as well as the subject of a blubber biopsy study.

 

“Eric”, GE103

Juliette Linossier, a researcher working under a Fyssen grant at UC Santa Cruz/Año Nuevo Reserve, was able to tell us more about the early life of this animal and others. She told us that shortly after the birth of another elephant seal (GE338), there was a huge storm at Año Nuevo and GE338 was separated from it’s mother. The pup was stuck on the beach, and his mother in an protected elevated area. They called to each other for a long while, but were never able to return to each other. GE338 did survive but was nursed by another female in the colony.

The now ’empty nest’ mother of GE338 became attached to GE103! She nursed him, and stayed close to him and his mother, G9474. Thus, GE103 (or as we call him, Eric) was able to take advantage of more than one milk source as a pup; the two mothers even fought over him from time to time.

According to her bio, Juliette wants to investigate the link between allonursing and maternal cognitive abilities using new approaches. Using time-lapse photography, chemical profiles and other techniques she plans to look at variables such as maternal age, pup similarity, genetic connection, spacial proximity and more to further understand what drives allonursing in these interesting creatures. Thanks for sharing, Juliette!

GE103’s blubber biopsies were taken for the purpose of furthering the understanding of pollutants bioaccumulating in marine mammals. Read more about this subject here.

Many thanks to Patrick Robinson, director of Año Nuevo Reserve and lecturer at UC Santa Cruz, for helping us learn more about this work.

We left Race Rocks last Monday (October 30th), and hours before leaving we were surprised by the landing of a Bell 412EPI Coast Guard helicopter. They came to Race Rocks in order to replace the solar battery bank beside the foghorn (near the base of the lighthouse). We were able to get great video of them landing as well as taking off!

Unfortunately, as one can see at the left of the video the landing scared many sea lions off of the rock in a rush. Without knowing that they were coming we had no chance to gently move any vulnerable animals away from the helicopter pad. We were able to speak with someone at the college about this, and the Coast Guard will hopefully be able to better work with Race Rocks in the future to ensure the safety and comfort of the animals.

The pilot was kind enough to take a moment to show us around and allow us to take some pictures. He explained that a smaller helicopter could have been landed near the house, but the 412EPI’s cargo capacity (over 6000lbs) was needed to transport the batteries. The helicopter is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 turboshaft engine that makes over 2000hp (about 1500kW), and it’s made in Canada!

We enjoyed our time at Race Rocks (a big thanks to everyone who supported us during our term), and hope to return and continue this work protecting and observing the fragile ecosystems and the animals within. Until next time!

First Oystercatcher chicks, an orca and a harlequin duck

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 20-25 knts W
  • Sky: Clear
  • Water: small white caps

Boats/Visitors/Sightings

  • Quite a few ecotour boats today, with a couple of private boats as well
  • A weirdly shaped plane flew over this morning

Birds

  • I spotted two Oystercatcher chicks near the crane as I was standing on the jetty. I grabbed a photo from far but they were gone by the time I got close. I have walked around the entire shore and haven’t seen any other chicks yet – looks like we had some literal early birds.
  • Saw a harlequin duck near the east shore of the island. Photographed below.

Marine mammals

  • Caught a lone orca swimming past Pedder Bay, but by the time I went to get a photograph it was gone.

A permanent show for delighted tourists

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Weather

Tuesday the 20th  was a very windy day with a West wind already at 24knots early in the morning. A gale warning was in effect and for sure it was strong  around the rocks and that for the whole day to late in the evening:38knots at 11:00AM,41 at 11:45,42 at 1:50PM,43 at 15:00 . Even around 10:00PM we were still around 35knots .Very tiring day for the light keepers!. The following day was not so bad the wind coming from West like the day before stayed around 25knots for the whole day.The rest of the week was beautiful ,sunny and almost hot on Race Rocks.Winds coming from North or North East but light very light 5knots,6knots at the most

Ecological

We have 8 elephants seals right now :2 big and older one (Chunk one of them ) and 4 beautiful and playful younger males ,a female and  a very young one . they spend the whole afternoon in water or in the railway for the pleasure of the ecotourist- boats .so many of them …impossible to count..Really that never stopped even coming from the states!. With the solstice and the very low tides it was very interesting to observe the pools and their inhabitants in the inter tidal zones …beautiful and colorful colonies of Sea urchins ,huge mussels,molluscs and many different species  we don’t see so often  ,huge and different sea weeds and kelp… Race Rocks is still a rich world.

Vessels

27 boats to 50 fishing boats have been seen in the morning of the week – end,!mainly on East –  Sooke Point. We saw a submarine going outside,a few planes above or closed and the usual traffic in the strait. The van Isle International race boats were very beautiful to look at with their spinnakers in a steady 20 knots wind. We noticed some pretty big fishing boats leaving towards the ocean.I already spoke about the high traffic of whale watchers vessels

Maintenance

The desalinator has been on a few times but not the generator . It has not been in use for 20 days :a record! the solar panels need attention because of so many busy gulls around. The door of the desalinator shed has been repaired.and I cleaned the railway with the high pressure water to get the boat easily in the water . It was getting pretty hard lately. The level of the liquid /fuel has been checked and sent

Spring big tides and a 10 days old baby girl visit

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Weather

On Thursday  June 15th : Wind:gale warning for the afternoon to 30/35 knots North East wind . Calm sea early at 5:30 and later in the morning rain and fog visibility drop from 10 miles to 2.The temperature was around 11dgrees with 82% of humidity.On the 16th Friday early the wind was 24knots and again same pattern a gale warning for the afternoon . clear sky 15 miles visibility and 11.9 Air  temperature. The rest of the week we had a calm sea with light winds

Ecological

We have between 6 and 9 elephant seals on the rock mainly younger one with always Chunk the old timer. A very young one surprised me : 5 months at the most. The rock is becoming pretty dirty …poo and flies everywhere . It’s getting yellow and white with the birds even the roofs have changed; not so clean anymore…We have less nesting gulls this year. A few oyster catchers couples like usual at this time and on the same spots. The tides are strong those days.by example:on the 15th low tide at 13:30: 2 feet and high tide at 22:30: 8 feet.Slag are long too

Vessels

I had to phone 2 times this past week to Pedder Bay marina because 2 of their renting boats were very closed and worst fishing ; Asian people each time . So for the fist boat they left as soon as contacted but for the second i had to use horn and shouting to get the same result.Many eco-tourism vessels. Big coast guard boat seen on Friday

Maintenance

The generator has not been used for 10 days…Very efficient solar panels. work like usual in and  around the house

Visitors

Christine arrived on the 19th for a few days on the rock and the same evening we had a nice visit of Kyle and Sabrina with Sabrina’s parents and the little 10 days old baby girl Tyler.

Other

1 Helicopter and 1 plane above

 

 

Switch over done on the 2nd of June ,2017

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On Sunday 2nd of June between two gusts of wind Guy switches over Laas. Thank you for the good job and for  leaving the house so tidy.

Weather

Saturday 3rd : light wind 17knots ,sky :overcast;visibility: over 15miles,calm sea.On Sunday: more wind 24Knots  to 31 knots from West,sea state: white crests,visibility :15miles, sky: partly cloudy, air temperature:9.5 degrees at 5:30AM. Monday: calm again:9knots from West clear and calm.

Ecological

Around on Sunday it was interesting to watch 2 heavy fishing boats coming back from sea full9 elephants seals on the rocks . Seagulls on their nests; a few are aggressive as usual at this time of the year. it takes 23 to 24 days of incubation and around 40 days to see the babies taking off for the 1st time.Many eagles in the morning trying to get some eggs.

Vessels

Saturday has been a busy day for the watchers and also for the small fishing boats closed to the coast.  The cruise ships are back and can be seen as usual in the evening leaving Victoria.In Sunday it was nice to watch 2 big , heavy and full of fish boats coming back from high seas. Some big containers

Plane

One above the tower towards Victoria

Facility work

Generator and desalinator on / 200 liters of gasoil transfered in the yellow tank / cleaning of the boat shed and on the jetty

 

 

 

 

Helicopter Generator Swap

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots North
  • Sky: mostly overcast, some rain in the evening.
  • Water: calm

Ecological

  • There were eight elephant seals on Great Race today.
  • That is the most I have seen out here during this current shift.
  • Three of the younger males enjoyed a spirited bout or two.
  • The rest of them snoozed off in pairs or alone.
  • The birds and sea lions were definitely disrupted by the helicopter.

Maintenance

  • Kyle and four men from the Coast Guard removed the old Generator B.
  • A Coast Guard helicopter then dropped off a new generator, and took away the old one.
  • They then placed the new generator in its spot.
  • I helped out with various auxiliary tasks, but mostly just took photographs.
  • Tidied up loose tools after everyone had departed.

Boats

  • Second Nature.
  • A few eco-tours.

Visitors

  • Kyle, the four Coast Guard men, and Ian and Stephen.
  • They all departed in the early afternoon.

Other

  • Coast Guard helicopter overflight.

 

Bald Eagles and Stuff

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 10-20 knots NE
  • Sky: overcast
  • Water: 1′ chop
  • At about 18:00 it began to rain for a bit.

Ecological

  • The female elephant seal and the weaner spent the day sleeping on the ramp beside the jetty.
  • Some eagle activity that kept the geese and seagulls wary.

Maintenance

  • Some goose work.
  • Nearly finished topping up the batteries.

Boats

  • One eco-tour came by in the morning.

Other

  • Heard a couple of planes pass over the reserve.
  • One in the morning, and one in the afternoon.

A Life Of Sundays

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots NE, later N
  • Sky: overcast, sprinklings of rain
  • Water: calm in the morning, later 3′ chop on the eastern half of the reserve, calm on the western half.
  • It’s hard to get a photo that accurately conveys how big the waves were!

Ecological

  • Two elephant seals on Great Race.
  • I spied a couple of crows, perhaps up to mischief.

Other

  • One float plane passed over the reserve.

 

Whale Sighting!

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 10-15 knots West, later 5 knots South, then 5-10 West
  • Sky: clear and sunny!
  • Water: rippled

Ecological

  • Census day!
  • Shortly before 15:30 as I was counting shorebirds, I heard a loud noise to my right. Glancing over, I was thrilled to see a whale surfacing in the South Channel. I managed to get some photos as it resurfaced farther south-west.
  1. California Sea Lions: 79
  2. Harbour Seals: 69
  3. Steller (Northern) Sea Lions: 33
  4. Elephant Seals: 3, all on Great Race, 2 young males, 1 weaner
  5. Whale: 1 (I think it was an Orca)
  6. Seagulls unspecified: 269
  7. Pigeon Guillemots: 45
  8. Cormorants unspecified: 30
  9. Double Crested Cormorants: 9
  10. Surfbirds: 37
  11. Harlequin Ducks: 27 (15 males and 12 females)
  12. Canada Geese: 24
  13. Black Turnstones: 20
  14. Bald Eagles: 20 (4 adults, 16 immature)
  15. Black Oystercatchers: 6
  16. Rock Sandpipers: 4
  17. Crows: 3

Boats

  • A few eco-tours passed by today.
  • Second Nature came out with food supplies for me.
  • A large navy sailboat passed by north of the reserve.

Visitors

  • Kyle and Jeff came out in Second Nature.

Other

  • One helicopter flew just south of the reserve in the morning.