Category Archives: Ecoguardians Log

Branded Sea lions

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Allen & ilka Olsen, Eco Guardians 6 –13 Oct 2023

Fri 13 Oct
Sun AM; cloud PM. Stiff NE wind/swells 12C
Last day; shift change at 1900 when winds calmed. Second Nature not available/smaller vessel used. Began day looking for more branded sealions; 13 in total sent to researchers.

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Observed much humpback activity in Juan de Fuca; 5
confirmed—do they circle back or are there many more? Five ecotours out with them. Before sunup again, streams of cormorants flying by as well as feeding. Sky and water filled with gulls. Three geese encouraged to leave as feeding on tender new grass around keeper’s house.
Filled batteries with water; ran generator. Generator diesel tank brought down and refilled from tank house. Cleared some concrete walkways. Repaired more fencing—endless task. No sealions in compound, whew.
Housekeeping: The usual cleaning for shift change plus wiped down stair railings/moldings & some of the cabinets; cleaned compost bucket. Emptied toilet. Swept downstairs entry.
We had a marvelous eight days! Signing off from this precious spot……ilka & Allen Olsen

Regular checking needed on Sea lion fence

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Thurs 12 October Allen & ilka Olsen, Eco Guardians 6 –13 Oct 2023
Fog 0700—Foghorn began sounding at 1000

Allen cleaned windows again in order to be able to observe. Next, checked fence line and righted supports, etc. No errant sealions, yet. Sent observation of branded sealions to US researchers. Noticed a single Varied thrush. Blubber Boy still sleeping in preferred spot; the other elephant sea outside fence seems to not have moved in 24 hrs—small
female? Only two ecotour vessels in am; numerous in pm. Jetty fence down so had to disturb sealions. Allen made repairs. Further observation of sealion behaviour: Steller’s roar; Ca bark—cacophony of vocalization day and night.
Massive mature males are tolerant, even tender, with youngster’s antics (possible offspring?). Youngsters playful in & out of water honing skills. All ages communal stacked side by side or draped & entangled; a few solitary.

Animal Census Oct 9

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Sun 9 October Allen & ilka Olsen, Eco Guardians 6 –13 Oct 2023

Mon 9 October
Cloud/sun; breezy
Mended much fencing including rewiring at jetty where numerous sealions had breached. Quite a challenge to get
down ramp to lift blocks up to jetty among bothered sealions. Topped up batteries. Washed windows of keeper’s
house. Much ecotour activity from both sides of border. Cruise ship in. Two trips up tower to count further. Sealions
endlessly fascinating—studying & researching to gain understanding.
5 Harbour seal
497 Gull — 314 on Great Race; 163 on isletss
4 Humpback — probably many more
3 Black turnstone
3 Canada goose
1 Oystercatcher

Animal Census Oct 8

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Sunday October  8 Allen & ilka Olsen, Eco Guardians 6 –13 Oct 2023
Warm, sunny, calm seas ~ 18C
Walked fence line; repaired as needed.
From tower:
1009 Sealion
3 Harbour seal

2606 Gull
3430 Cormorant
2 Surfbird
6 Savahna sparrow

Wed 11 Oct CENSUS DAY
Brisk NE wind; 1m swells; cloud/shower; sunny afternoon
Hundreds of cormorants stream by north-facing window before sunup to their daily rock perches.
Hundreds of gulls in feeding frenzy/many immature/~15 immature carcasses observed; 1 sick individual.
Began with walking fence line; a few lines down/another sealion breach/herded back across line.
Blubber Boy still asleep in compound; bestirred with yoga pose then went to derrick crane; not able to breach electri fence so returned to sleeping spot near keeper’s house.
Three trips up tower to again count animals. Allen cleaned solar panels/ residence; windows; filled gas tank.
Sealions intermingle though there are pockets of species-specific. Found 5 branded; will contact scientist:
All mature male California—XI, 303, 9116, 4X6, U92, green flipper tag
Ecotour vessels. Numerous humpback sightings/impossible to count.
1227 Sealion intermingled Steller/California All seem to be male though Cedric reported a single female
2 Elephant seal 3 in total for week
3 Harbour seal
670 Gull
712 Cormorant
15 Oystercatcher
4 Black turnstone
6 Surfbird
10 Canada goose
3 Harlequin duck 8 earlier in week
1 Varied thrush 12 Oct 0930

Animal Census Sat Oct 7

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Sat 7 October  Allen & ilka Olsen, Eco Guardians 6 –13 Oct 2023
Warm, sunny, calm seas ~19
Another full day of ecotours beginning at 0715 plus recreational boaters, cruise ships, freighters. Sealions observed at
jetty in feeding frenzy at max flood—fabulous action. Tower count and on walkabout:
1 Harbour seal
Hundreds of sealions, gulls to be counted —to be counted for census.
7 Humpback whale
660 Cormorant — mostly Brant; some Double crested
4 Oystercatcher
8 Savahna sparrow
1 Black turnstone
3 Canda goose
Warm, sunny, calm seas ~19
Another full day of ecotours beginning at 0715 plus recreational boaters, cruise ships, freighters. Sealions observed at
jetty in feeding frenzy at max flood—fabulous action. Tower count and on walkabout:
1 Harbour seal
Hundreds of sealions, gulls to be counted —to be counted for census.
7 Humpback whale
660 Cormorant — mostly Brant; some Double crested
4 Oystercatcher
8 Savanah sparrow
1 Black turnstone
3 Canda goose

Animal Census Oct 6

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Fri 6 October  by Allen and ilka Olsen, Eco Guardians 6 –13 Oct 2023
Warm, sunny, calm seas. ~18C
Thank you to Greg and Cedric for this second opportunity to serve as eco guardians. Arrived at jetty to numerous
sealions not wanting to leave; much trepidation until Cedric showed us how to deal with them before he reviewed procedures and duties. Water tank filled from tank on Second Nature. Much ecotour activity due to sunny, warm Thanksgiving weather; cruise ships. Much whale spouting from humpbacks.

California sealion

Count from tower:
270 Cormorants — mostly Brant
11 Black Turnstone
1 Surfbird
8 Harlequin duck
520 sealions (counted by Mark, outgoing guardian, on Great Race + islets)

It’s Sea Lion Season!!

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Hey, look who’s back!  I’ve been on Race Rocks since Saturday for a quick relief stint and will be heading back to the “Big Island” on Tuesday.  This is my first trip to Race in September, and it’s very different from trips earlier in the season.

We are just about at the peak of songbird migration on Vancouver Island, so I was optimistic that I might see or hear more birds going over.  The few birds on the ground have almost all been Savannah Sparrows. There was one raven here on Sunday, but other than that, no passerines seen or heard–yet.

Savannah Sparrow

Seabird activity has been off the charts outside of the marine protected area with reports of many jaegers, shearwaters, and of course, gulls of several species. Within the Race Rocks limits, it has been variable. Upon arrival on Saturday, I estimated more than 8,000 gulls in view, most of them California Gulls.  There have been good numbers of Heermann’s Gulls, especially youngsters. The number of Glaucous-winged Gulls–the ones that breed on Race Rocks–are lower now that most of the young have dispersed. Despite scouring the flocks, I was unable to detect any less common gulls or the terns that have been spotted nearby. However, eight Brown Pelicans were nearby. They must have blown out with the wind on Saturday night! Since the grand welcoming, the gulls have spread out more throughout the area, often following the Humpback Whales and Orca that are keeping the growing number of ecotourism boats in business.

Welcoming party

Brown Pelican in the kelp

Pigeon Guillemots, one of the most abundant species earlier in the year, have moved offshore.  They will spend the winter in their pale gray and white plumage, a startling contrast to the sharp black and white with bright red feet that we see here in the summer. The shorebirds that rested here each evening in July and August are largely gone, with just a few Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, and Black Oystercatchers onsite along with a few other stragglers. There was one species I missed in August that put in an appearance.  Two Wandering Tattlers were here on Sunday and one posed for photos on Monday.

Wandering Tattler

The population that has exploded since I was last here are the sea lions. California and Steller’s stacked like cordwood all around the outskirts of Great Race and the surrounding islands. It is quite clear that they would be at the door if it weren’t for a perimeter fence that (mostly) keeps them to the outer portion of the island. The work of a September ecoguardian is largely to keep the buildings and equipment zone sea lion free!

Sea lions aplenty!

The days are getting shorter, and it feels like the winds are getting stronger. Winter is coming!

More photos from the last few days:

A Quick Week on the Rocks

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A week goes by quickly out here!  First, an update:

The branded Steller’s sea lion I reported in my last post has a history that includes a previous trip to Race Rocks. 746R was branded at Rogue Reef (Southern Oregon) on July 12, 2009.  He has been all over Carroll Isl WA, Graves Rock SE AK, Castle Rock CA, Barkley Sound BC, Race Rocks in 2016, Sucia Island WA, Ewing Isl WA and Cape Arago OR as recently as July 7 this year. This and other marked sea lions are being studied by Susan Riemer of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. If you see marked sea lions, she really appreciates hearing about your sightings.

The last few days have had all of the weather possibilities for this time of year except hot. Foggy much of the time, windy most of the rest, and sometimes foggy and windy just to change things up. No rain, but humidity in the high 90s.  I’m always struck by how different the temperatures can be just a couple of kilometres away. The wind yesterday actually broke the electric fencing tape on the jetty, which I fixed this morning.

Despite the wind, it’s been a good week for shorebirds.  Another new one for me here (but not for Race Rocks) was a Sanderling. Normally seen chasing and being chased by incoming waves on a sandy beach, they do spend some time in more rocky environments.

The thick stubby bill and “spangled” back pattern are characteristics of Sanderling

The red colouring on the neck had me hoping it might be a MEGA rarity, but it was not.

The predominant gull at Race Rocks this time of year is the Glaucous-winged Gull. They are the regular breeders in this area.  But gulls don’t necessarily stick to their own kind. When they hybridize with Western Gulls, the offspring are known as Olympic gulls.  When they hybridize with Herring Gulls, the offspring are known as Cook Inlet Gulls. There is a gull that I’ve been watching that I think may be one of the latter.

Note the white “window” in the outer primary feather

The orbital ring is orange-yellow like both the Western and Herring gulls. The iris is darker than a Herring gull and lighter than most Glaucous-winged Gulls.

I’ll be passing these and other photos on to someone more “gullible” than I am!

The Second Nature from Pearson College has been making the rounds with alumni and friends of the school. Some of them had to look hard to find us through the fog!

Thanks to Greg Dickinson and Pearson College for providing this opportunity to me again.

Visitors:

  • No visitors ashore, but several from Pearson College on boat tours around the rocks
  • Ecotourism traffic has been picking up, despite the fog.

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels daily
  • Cleaned outbuilding windows inside and out
  • Swabbed the decks at the Ecoguardian residence
  • Fixed a shock-inducing break of the electric fence on the jetty
  • Visually checked the entire run of the fence and reconnected tape blown out by high winds

More photos:

 

Aug 2 – Census surprises

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One of the reasons for doing a weekly census is to put down in writing the numbers of mammals and birds that are actually in the reserve. This gives us the opportunity to compare the results, not simply rely on memory. And that’s a good thing!  My impression on my return to Race Rocks is that there were a lot fewer gulls here than last year.  A check of a census at a similar date in 2022 shows that not to be true. The numbers are actually very similar, but down about 15% from the same period in 2021. Census records the high counts of each species observed during the day. The marine mammals, for instance are best counted at low tide when most are hauled out. The adult gulls are at their highest numbers first thing in the morning and shorebirds gather on the east beach in late afternoon. Gull chicks can be counted anytime, but are usually undercounted because of their great hiding skills. In between, the census person watches for any other birds and animals that might show themselves.

Gull chick hidden in the marigolds.

Today’s census had several surprises apart from the number of gulls. While on the jetty, I thought I caught the flash of a bird in the corner of my eye.  It was more than one. At least 3 swallows were feeding on insects in the small bay beside the jetty. I managed to get some bad photos, but good enough to identify two different Barn Swallows and one Violet-green Swallow. Later in the day, a Lesser Yellowlegs was resting with the other shorebirds, and a Parasitic Jaeger (also identified by bad photos) headed west not far off Great Race. An adult and juvenile Glaucous-winged Gull were out for a little swim.  It always amazes me to see these youngsters in the water!

Lesser Yellowlegs, possibly the first documented for Race Rocks.  First on eBird for the Race Rocks hotspot.

Out for a swim

Among the sea lions today, I found one entangled with a fishing lure. This poor animal has been her for several weeks. Another had been branded for a research study. I’ll report this number to get its history.

tagged 746R

Sea lion entangled with sports fishing tackle.

More photos below!

Census, 2 August 2023

Birds

  • Harlequin Duck                              1
  • Black Oystercatcher                       23
  • Ruddy Turnstone                            1
  • Black Turnstone                              93
  • Surfbird                                           24
  • Western Sandpiper                         2
  • Short-billed Dowitcher                     2
  • Lesser Yellowlegs                           1
  • Parasitic Jaeger                              1
  • Pigeon Guillemot                            83
  • Heermann’s Gull                             2
  • Western Gull                                   1
  • California Gull                                 120
  • Glaucous winged Gulls                 332 adults, 237 juvenile
  • “Olympic” Gull                                3 adults 3 juvenile
  • Brandt’s Cormorant                        7
  • Pelagic Cormorant                         2
  • Violet-green Swallow                     1
  • Barn Swallow                                 2
  • Brown-headed Cowbird                 2

Mammals

  • Harbour seal                                195
  • Northern (Steller’s) sea lion         79
  • California sea lion                        7
  • Sea otter                                      1

Visitors:

  • No visitors
  • Ecotourism traffic has been slow.  Several boats a day, but rarely more than one in the area at a time

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels
  • Replaced batteries in smoke, CO alarm in Student House

More photos:

** All wildlife photos taken at safe distances with high-powered zoom, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

What a difference a couple of months makes!

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Just two months ago, my arrival was met with uncountable numbers of flies and hundreds of Glaucous-winged Gulls building and tending to their nests, many with eggs. While there are still a few nests, most of the gulls are now divided into territories with adults and associated young.   It seems to me that there are fewer pairs here now than there were in June, and considerably fewer than there were a year ago at this time.  The census on Wednesday should tell an interesting story.

Overall, my impression is fewer gulls, fewer guillemots, fewer mammals (no elephant seals) and many, many fewer flies than the last two Augusts.  Fewer gulls means bigger territories, less bickering and fewer mortalities.  I have been here two full days and have only seen one dead young gull.  This contrasts sharply from the last two summers when there were many remains in the colony — a perfectly normal state of affairs. Perhaps lower productivity has meant an increase in chick survival this year.

Young Glaucous-winged Gulls enjoying some sunshine

The Western Gull I mentioned in an earlier post has produced three young. The adult pair consists of the Western and an “Olympic” gull. Olympic Gulls are a blend of Western and Glaucous-winged Gulls.  I believe the Western of this pair is the female, but since both parents provide egg incubation and chick care, I am not certain.

Western Gull keeping an eye on the three chicks.

One of the Western Gull’s chicks. This one will be an “Olympic” Gull due to its mixed heritage.

The Barn Swallows that arrived on Race Rocks this spring definitely built a nest.  With them gone now, I crept into the space where they had been going and located it.  It’s a wonderful nest, but there are considerably fewer droppings beneath it than I expected.  I think that it may have failed.  It should be left in place, though, as swallows usually return to their nests and get a head start in subsequent years. A single nest can take 600 mouthfuls of mud to create.  That’s a lot of work for small birds.

This nice nest looks a little too pristine to have been used.

Passerine numbers are small as usual.  The only songbird species I have seen so far this week is Brown-headed Cowbird, with up to five gathering in a small flock. The fact that they find each other still amazes me.  How do they know they are cowbirds?  As a brood parasite, all Brown-headed Cowbirds are raised by other species.

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Perhaps the biggest news of the week happened before I arrived.  Derek Sterling, a Race Rocks ecoguardian spending his summer guiding on Eagle Wing boats which frequently come out to Race Rocks called last weekend with the news that there was a mother sea otter with a pup just off the islands. This is fantastic, possibly a first for the area in more than 100 years! I haven’t managed to see them, but Ollie is perched in his usual spot in the kelp.

The shorebird beach in the East Bay is active in the late afternoons, with many Black Turnstones and Surfbirds, the resident Oystercatchers and a few special guests.  Since my arrival, I have seen up to four Short-billed Dowitchers, one Ruddy Turnstone, one Western Sandpiper, and one non-shorebird, a Harlequin Duck, hunkered down out of the wind there.

Four species of shorebirds: Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Western Sandpiper, and Short-billed Dowitcher

Western Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Short-billed Dowitcher

Harlequin Duck

And speaking of the wind—could someone please turn it down? Although the mornings have started out with moderate winds, by early afternoon they have increased to the level of unpleasantness, and by evenings, I feel like I am getting a taste of what winter must be like out here!

I’m here earlier in August than I have been the last couple of years, so things are understandably a little different.  Wednesday’s census should tell a more complete story.

Maintenance:

Daily maintenance includes washing all the solar panels and the windows that have taken the brunt of gulls flying by. With the winds this week, this is a considerable task!

Weather – Current:

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

 

Weather – Past:

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