Swooping Swallows – September 17th

Posted on Saturday,September 17, 2022 by Jillian Brown

At first light Barn swallows swooped around out the front window but disappeared by afternoon. Bate balls of herring have become more and more prevalent in and around the reserve creating great gull frenzies and bring more whales in and around the reserve. Orca cruise by every few days and Humpbacks are spotted every day it seems. I’ve been busy working on painting restoration projects before the rainy season, scrapping, priming and painting metal doors around the reserve. Now that its cooled the thorny invasive plants have dried and I’ve began the process of pulling them. Fleas brought here upon the sea lions infest the thorns and its necessary to tuck pants into socks, wear big rubber boots and try to keep gloves tightly sealed in cuff of jacket. The sea lions at the Jetty have become more and more and push through the electric fence a few times a day. I have slowly been working my way around the fence stacking rocks upon the bases of the posts which has been helping with the damages and constant knocking over.

Weather:

- Sky: Overcast to partly sunny in afternoon
- Wind: West 3kts
- Sea: Calm
- Visibility: 10 nautical miles in morning, to 15 in afternoon

Weekly Census:

Steller/Northern sea lions: 508 (Most of which can be viewed on Middle Rock.)
Female Stellar/Norther sea lion: 2
California sea lion: 913
Female California Sea lion: 1
Harbour seals: 183
Black oystercatchers: 9
Cormorants: 44
Glaucous-winged gulls: 654
Juveniles Glaucous-winged gulls on Great Race Rock:39
California Gull: 57
Sanderling: 1
Sandpiper: 1
Black turnstones: 21
Fox Sparrow: 19
Barn Swallow: 6
Humpback Whale:2

Visitors:

16 Pearson College WCA students and 2 teachers visited on September 14th
Greg and Cedric
Dan from IT worked on our internet connections and upgrades on September 15th
Andrew runs the Pearson College Social Media and Visitor Corey toured September 1th

Facility Work:

Cleaned solar panels
Cleaned windows
Electric fence repairs has become 3 times a day.
Ran Generator for a few hours to top up batteries.
Water delivery
Scrapped and primed another metal door for painting
Pulled invasive species

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going by daily.
Spill boat drifted by through Middle channel
Many small recreation fishing vessels drift through observing wildlife.
Beautiful red sailboat came through middle channel

Mount Baker clearly visible at sunrise.

A stellar (Northern) sea lion and Glaucous winged gull at sunrise.

California Sea lions waking at sunrise.

6 Barn Swallows swooped around at first light.

Barn Swallow sitting on the electric fence at the down ramp to the jetty.

One of the few Juvenile Glaucous winged gull that remain.

A darker coloured stellar sea lion casually scratching his cheek.

Harbour seal with rising tide.

Roaring stellar sea lion.

Glaucous winged gull.

Sanderling hopping in amongst the sleeping sea lions.

Oyster catchers are hard to spot if not for their red beaks.

California sea lion drying off below the lighthouse.

California sea lions sleeping

Stellar sea lions, playing and showing dominance over their favourite lounging spots.

Stellar sea lions swarm Middle Rock.

Stellar sea lions swarming Middle Rock.

Gulls on a herring ball.

Harbour seals and Oyster catchers.

Glaucous winged gulls atop the Ecoguardian’s residents.

Fox Sparrow

California sea lion swimming by the jetty.

California sea lions sleeping under the crane deck.

Mouth scar on a California sea lion.

Humpback whale near west rocks.

Rafting California sea lion in the bull kelp.

Black turnstone.

Interesting scar pattern on the back of a California sea lion.

Sandpiper hard to spot in the old feathers and crisp grass.

Stellar sea lion jumping into the water.

Incredible orca bite scar on a California sea lion.

An evening tour boat passing through the reserve.

Another of the evening tour vessels passing through the reserve at sunset.

California sea lion at sunset.

A couple of the youngest juvenile glaucous winged gulls.

A California sea lion climbs the north shore rocks of Great Race.

California sea lions tucked in on the grass behind the boat shed.

Spill recovery vessel drifts through Middle channel

Mares tail clouds and california sea lions on the heli pad.

Hundreds of California sea lions and Stellar sea lions snuggle up in the evening.

Sunset lighthouse.

September 9th – Southern Smoke

Posted on Friday,September 9, 2022 by Jillian Brown

With more and more sea lions arriving the electric fence repairs are becoming more frequent and more damaging. Each morning on average at least 2 sections are broken. Often many blocks/ posts are knocked over and simply need to be stood back up and repositioned. Topped up the batteries with our diesel generator this morning while wandering the reserve to observe and do our weekly animal census. Late morning I finished off my battery door and metal box repurposing project with a final coat of marine enamel paint.

In the afternoon Greg and Cedric stopped in with a full load of diesel fuel and our friend to visit for the weekend.

Weather:

- Sky: Clear with smoke from Manning Park fire
- Wind: SE 10 kts
- Sea: Slight ripple
- Visibility: 15 nautical miles in morning, dropped to 10 due to smoke

Weekly Census (observed on Sept. 3rd):

Male Elephant Seal: 1
Sea otter: 1
Steller/Northern sea lions: 349
Female Stellar/Norther sea lion: 1
California sea lion: 896
Female California Sea lion: 2
Harbour seals: 280
Black oystercatchers: 4
Cormorants: 36
Glaucous-winged gulls: 1150
Juveniles Glaucous-winged gulls on Great Race Rock:49
California Gull: 48
Harlequin Duck: 1
Sanderling: 1
Sandpiper: 1
Surfbirds: 2
Black turnstones: 20
Fox Sparrow: 11

Visitors:

Greg and Cedric dropped off a friend for the weekend while delivering diesel fuel.

Facility Work:

Cleaned solar panels
Electric fence repairs has become 3 times a day.
Ran Generator for a few hours to top up batteries.
Fuel Delivery and transfer
Finished door and metal box repurposing project.

Vessel Traffic:

Canadian and American ecotour boats regularly come through the reserve.
A recreation fishing boat toured through the north viewing the wildlife.
Spill response boats, 1 to the north of north rocks, 1 through main channel.

Smoke rolling in from the south east, Mount Baker can only just be scene.

Morning smoke creates unique sunrise colours, as our flag flies at half mast in honour of Queen Elizabeth II

Sleeping California Sea Lion on the northern rocks of Great Race rock.

Camouflaged Black Turnstone in the low tide muscles.

Female Stellar sea lion on South shore of Great Race Rock.

Sanderling wandering among the sleeping california sea lions.

Fox Sparrow hops along a path as more flit by.

California sea lions sleeping under the deck by the crane.

Glaucous winged gulls at sunset.

California sea lions and a glaucous winged gull at sunset.

September 3rd Animal Census

Posted on Saturday,September 3, 2022 by Jillian Brown

Since arriving each day more and more sea lions arrive and less birds return. Observing whales of varying types and numbers is a daily occurance, lately to the north for Orca and to the south/ south west for the Humpback and A lone Blue whale swam by from north to south along the west shore.

Weather:

- Sky: Clear with Fog to the South/South East
- Wind: SW 16 kts
- Sea: Slight ripple
- Visibility: 5 nautical miles to North, less than 1 to South

Weekly Census (observed on Sept. 3rd):

Male Elephant Seal: 1
Steller/Northern sea lions: 278
Female Stellar/Norther sea lion: 1
California sea lion: 499
Harbour seals: 99
Humpback Whale: 1
Blue Whale: 1
Orca: 2
Bald eagles: 1
Black oystercatchers: 5
Cormorants: 39
Glaucous-winged gulls: 646
Juveniles Glaucous-winged gulls:151
California Gull: 218
Harlequin Duck: 1
Sanderling: 1
Sandpiper: 1
Surfbirds: 5
Black turnstones: 22

Visitors:

No visitors

Facility Work:

Cleaned windows
Electric fence repairs
Ryan tinkered in the workshop

Vessel Traffic:

Canadian and American ecotour boats regularly come through the reserve as well can be scene just outside of the reserve observing the different whales that have been in the area.

Juvenile Glaucous winged gull.

Black Turnstones can often be spotted on the east banks of Great Race.

The lone female Steller/ Northern sea lion lounging on the southern bank of Great Race.

Harbour Seal basking at low tide.

Stellar/ Northern sea lions snuggled up.

A couple Harbour Seals take advantage of low tide as a curious California sea lion swims past.

California Sea lions playing in the south channel.

California Sea lions playing in the south channel.

August 2022 Seawater Data

Posted on Wednesday,August 31, 2022 by Derek Sterling

	DAILY SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY OBSERVATIONS
	Institute of Ocean Sciences, North Saanich, B.C., V8L 4B2
	Please email monthly to Peter.Chandler@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Station	RACE ROCKS
Observer	Nick/Ann		August
YSI ID:	27		Year: 2022
		YSI	YSI
		Temp	Sal
Day	Time	ºC	ppt
1	17:03	10.7	31.6
2	17:35	10.8	31.7
3	18:14	11.5	31.3
4	19:01	11.4	31.2
5	8:06	10.8	31.5
6	9:03	11.2	30.9
7	10:05	11.3	30.8
8	11:08	12.0	30.5
9	12:10	11.8	30.3
10	13:12	11.0	31.2
11	14:22	10.6	31.6
12	15:22	10.1	32.2
13	16:20	10.4	32.2
14	16:53	10.6	32.1
15	17:33	10.5	32.3
16	18:12	10.5	32.2
17	18:51	11.0	32.1
18	7:25	10.2	32.2
19	8:22	10.6	32.0
20	9:48	11.0	31.9
21	11:25	11.3	31.7
22	12:24	11.4	31.4
23	13:12	11.4	31.5	H=230-5=225	Metal thermometer=12.2	Glass thermometer=12.3
24	13:56	11.4	31.4
25	14:34	11.2	31.6
26	15:07	11.2	31.7
27	16:25	10.9	32.0
28	17:00	11.0	32.0
29	16:20	11.3	32.0
30	16:35	11.2	32.0
31	17:02	11.3	31.9

August 24 and 25

Aside

On Wednesday, a Coast Guard Helicopter arrived with a repair crew to deal with the foghorn. While the Glaucous-winged Gulls around the helipad were disrupted temporarily, and many California Gulls on the Middle Islands took to the air, most were back in their places within a few minutes. The marine mammals from harbour seals to elephant seals were relatively unaffected, with the exception of several Steller’s sea lions which briefly moved from the jetty area. They returned within 10 minutes of the helicopter’s departure. Although the foghorn was given a clean bill of health in the good weather, it failed again on Thursday when the fog lasted several hours. The Coast Guard was notified.

Several branded sea lions are being seen.

A Common Raven (not common on Race Rocks) flew over the island around noon.

Census numbers show changes in the birds that have been breeding here. Most of the PIGU have moved on now that young have fledged. Likewise, GWGU numbers are dropping as young gulls take to the air.

Harbour seals and shorebirds have been adjusting to increasing presence of sea lions, with the former loafing more on the outer islets, and the shorebirds bunching up more against the rocks on the east of the island rather than on the beach.

This will be my last post as relief ecoguardian this year. It’s been a pleasure to be here again amongst the wildlife. I hope my personal project–renewal of the compost–will be appreciated by the ecoguardians who follow. For a more personal and detailed look at life as a relief ecoguardian, please check out my blog at http://nightingaleadventures.blogspot.ca

Ecological Notes:

The young elephant seals appear to have moved on. The alpha male continues and has started his molt, moving between the Science Building for resting and the jetty for relief.
Passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird and Common Raven.
Branded Steller’s sea lions (882R, 998E, 431Y, and 486Y) and 1 branded California sea lion (V29) were seen during census on Wednesday. 882R and a new California sea lion (U958) were seen on Thursday. The latter also visited Race Rocks in 2020.
Bird action on the water over the last two days, with many birds feeding on the tide lines.
2 California sea lions breached the fences on Thursday Both were escorted back to the other side of the fences.
See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Census (Wednesday, August 24):

Mammals

Elephant seal: 1 (1 adult male)
Steller sea lion: 210 (including branded (882R, 998E, 431Y, and 486Y)
California sea lion: 343 (including branded V27)
Harbour seal: 237
Sea Otter: 1
Harbour porpoise: 14 (to the west of the reserve)

Birds

Black oystercatcher: 5 (4 adults 1 chick )
Killdeer 1
Black Turnstone: 85
Surfbird: 10
Common Murre: 300, plus another 550 beyond the reserve
Pigeon Guillemot: 28
Rhinoceros Auklet: 8
Heermann’s Gull: 2
California Gulls: 800, plus another 500 beyond the reserve
Glaucous-winged Gulls: 343 adults 141 chicks
Pelagic Cormorant: 1
Brandt’s Cormorant: 11
Common Raven: 1
Brown-headed Cowbird: 1

Weather:

Yesterday (Wednesday, August 24):
- Sky: Brief period of fog in the morning, then clear
- Wind: Variable calm-25 kts
- Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
- Temperature Low 12^oC, High 18^oC
Today (Thursday, August 25):
- Sky: Foggy until mid-afternoon, clear and sunny to overcast
- Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
- Sea: light chop turning to high waves by evening
- Temperature Low 12^oC, High 20^oC

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
Fence line visually inspected and several posts put back into place.

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

431Y remains at Race Rocks

486Y still on Race Rocks

882R branded at Rogue Reef, OR in 2011

998R still on site

Sea Otter is back in the kelp off the east side of Race Rocks.

Foghorn repair crew landing

Coast Guard crew cleaning their solar panels.

Alpha male elephant seal beginning his annual molt.

Steller’s sea lions

California Gulls circling during helicopter approach

Marine mammals were unperturbed by the helicopter.

Adult and some juvenile gulls departing as helicopter landed.

Youngsters gathered into creches when the adults left due to helicopter landing

It didn’t take long for the gulls to resume normal activities.

Alpha male elephant seal beginning his annual molt.

Brown-headed Cowbird

U958 was branded in Astoria, OR in 2015 and was previously seen at Race Rocks in 2020.

Surfbird molting from its breeding plumage.

Neck wound caused by entanglement.

Fence breach!

California sea lion branded at San Miguel Island, California in 2010.

August 22 and 23

Posted on Tuesday,August 23, 2022 by Ann Nightingale

Both Monday and Tuesday were foggy for much of the day, as can be typical in August. At about 11 am on Tuesday, the fog signal stopped sounding when the fog was at its most dense. The Coast Guard and nearby marinas were notified. Most boats have GPS and/or depth sounders so a grounding was unlikely but still a concern. It started up again at 1 pm, then off again an hour later. The Coast Guard hope to be able to come tomorrow to repair it, but in the meantime a navigation advisory has been issued.

Ecological Notes:

The alpha male elephant seal has been present both Monday and Tuesday, but the young female headed back to the water sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.
Steller’s sea lion (431Y) was seen again on Tuesday.
A Short-billed Dowitcher remained on East Beach on Monday.
An unofficial tally of sea lions during high tide on Tuesday evening produced a count of 456 (not separated by species).
A Common Murre was seen aground beside the jetty on Tuesday afternoon. This is an unusual behaviour for this species away from their nest site.
See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

Yesterday (Monday, August 22):
- Sky: Foggy in the early morning becoming partly cloudy
- Wind: W 10-31 kts
- Sea: light chop to 3′ seas
- Temperature Low 12^oC, High 15^oC
Today (Tuesday, August 23):
- Sky: Foggy most of the day
- Wind: W 17-29 kts
- Sea: moderate to heavy chop
- Temperature Low 12 ^oC, High 15 ^oC

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
Batteries topped up on Monday.
Fences are being checked and downed posts reset daily.

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Alpha male elephant seal and young female come nose to nose

California sea lions swim with their tails up!

Glaucous-winged Gull chicks nestled in compost

Float seen east of Great Race

Standing waves in Race Passage

Common Murre

Seal lions moving closer to the fence line

Seal lions moving close to the fence line. Downed post was picked up and straightened without causing a stampede, although the sea lions were paying close attention.

Young Glaucous-winged Gull with a “toy”

Black Turnstones have been moved inland by sea lions on East Bay beach

Sea lions on East Bay beach

Alpha male elephant seal seen from the tower

Navigational warning issued when foghorn failed

August 20 and 21

Posted on Sunday,August 21, 2022 by Ann Nightingale

Compost project was completed on Saturday, with incorporation of a barrel of rain/fog water from the roof as the final touch. The rainwater was heavily contaminated with gull droppings, so not useful for much, but excellent to keep the compost moist and provide nutrients. The number and aroma of sea lions is increasing, but bird diversity remains low.

Ecological Notes:

Only the alpha male and one young female elephant seal were seen present in the last couple of days. The male remained in his spot alongside the science house until mid-day Sunday. One of the young females made her way to that spot Sunday morning, and was still in place at sunset.
Only passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird.
Another branded Steller’s sea lion (431Y) was seen. He was branded at Rogue Reef, Oregon in Jul 2013, and had not been reported since 2014. (Although some data is still pending.
Birders touring the area on Sunday found a single Common Tern, rare for this area.
A Short-billed Dowitcher was on East Beach on Sunday.
The aroma from the California sea lions and resulting flies are increasing. All California sea lions have remained outside the fence–so far.
See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

Yesterday (Saturday, August 20):
- Sky: Overcast in the early morning becoming clear and sunny
- Wind: W/WNW 12-29 kts
- Sea: light chop to 3′ chop
- Temperature Low 13^oC, High 17^oC
Today (Sunday, August 21):
- Sky: Overcast in the early morning becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon
- Wind: W/WSW 9-24 kts
- Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
- Temperature Low 14 ^oC, High 16 ^oC

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
Compost renewal project completed
Fences all checked and one west of lighthouse repaired

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Brown Pelicans

Short-billed-Dowitcher

Surfbirds

Short-billed Dowitcher with Black Turnstones

Birders checking out the shorebirds in East Bay

Young Glaucous-winged Gulls and young elephant seal

Young elephant seal beside the Science Building

Harbour seal and pup

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Bonaparte’s Gull

Steller’s sea lions

Branded Steller’s sea lion

Steller’s sea lions

Collected rainwater makes good compost moisture!

Boards all in place and ready for compost action

Compost project – Done!

August 18 and 19

Posted on Friday,August 19, 2022 by Ann Nightingale

The compost rejuvenation project is almost complete! The first chamber was completely emptied with the compost spread to various locations, but mainly in the hollow along the main path to the Ecoguardian’s residence. The compost still in process from the second chamber was put into the first chamber, then topped with some completed compost which can be used to cover any new materials added. Compost from the second chamber was used to fill some voids around both residences, although it was not all used up. There remains about 1/3 of the mature compost, piled up for future removal or to cover new compostable materials. The final steps are to reattach the boards and maybe one more little thing…

Ecological Notes:

All three elephant seals were seen on August 18. One of the young females followed the alpha male all the way to his usual place alongside the researcher residence. She stayed with him for about 5 hours before returning on her own to the ramp.
Only passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird.
The branded California sea lion (X759) seen Wednesday originates from Astoria, Oregon. He was branded in Feb 2017 and had not been reported away from that site after March 2017.
A Sooty Shearwater was seen south of Race Rocks on Friday.
At least one Ruddy Turnstone remains.
Very quiet on the water over the last two days.
See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

Yesterday (Thursday, August 18):
- Sky: Overcast in the early morning becoming clear and sunny
- Wind: Variable 1-21 kts
- Sea: calm to rippled
- Temperature Low 15^oC, High 27^oC
Today (Friday, August 19):
- Sky: Overcast with distant morning thunderstorms. Fog in the late morning, but mostly clear in the afternoon.
- Wind: mostly W 3-34 kts
- Sea: calm to 3′ chop.
- Temperature Low 13^oC, High 21^oC

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
Chimney at the ecoguardian house cleaned on Thursday
Fence east of lighthouse repaired
Compost renewal project continues and is near the end.

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Young elephant seal following adult male

Adult elephant seal and young female next to the researcher residence

Pigeon Guillemot

Brandt’s Cormorant

California Gull

Sunset from the researcher residence, with gull embellishment on the windows.

Compost being used to fill previous hoes and trenches.

Compost bin 1 ready for action

Compost bin 2 mostly emptied and remaining compost turned

Looking as good as new

Gulls are coming in with lots of bait fish for their young.

August 16 and 17

Posted on Wednesday,August 17, 2022 by Ann Nightingale

The compost rejuvenation project continues with 58 more buckets of aged compost removed from the first chamber to complete stage 1. Stage 2 involves moving the compost from the second chamber over to the first, turning and mixing it in the process.

Several branded sea lions are being seen. When their histories are obtained, updates will be posted.

It has been very quiet on the water the last two days both mammal and bird-wise.

Ecological Notes:

All three elephant seals were seen on August 16 and 17
Only passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird.
26 Brown Pelicans circled Great Race before heading towards Esquimalt at dusk on Wednesday.
2 branded Steller’s sea lions (486Y and 304Y) and 1 branded California sea lion (X759) were seen during census on Wednesday. 304Y was branded at Rogue Reef, Oregon in July 2011, and has been resighted from California to BC.
Very quiet on the water over the last two days.
See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Census (Wednesday, August 17):

Mammals

Elephant seal: 3 (1 adult male, two juvenile females)
Steller sea lion: 129 (including branded 304Y and 486Y)
California sea lion: 115 (including branded X759)
Harbour seal: 131

Birds

Black oystercatcher: 9 (8 adults 1 chick )
Killdeer 1
Black Turnstone: 49
Surfbird: 11
Common Murre: 2
Pigeon Guillemot:60
Heermann’s Gull: 2
California Gulls: 500
Glaucous-winged Gulls: 448 adults 203 chicks (including 1 banded adult)
Pelagic Cormorant: 4
Brandt’s Cormorants: 19
Double-crested Cormorant: 4
Brown Pelican: 26
Bald Eagle: 1
Brown-headed Cowbird: 3

Weather:

Yesterday (Tuesday, August 16):
- Sky: Foggy most of the morning; sunny in the afternoon, with light cloud
- Wind: W/WSW 15-25 kts
- Sea: up to 2′ chop
- Temperature Low 13^oC, High 15^oC
Today (Wednesday, August 17):
- Sky: Clear and sunny
- Wind: variable calm to 22 kts
- Sea: calm to rippled
- Temperature Low 14^oC, High 25^oC

Facility Work:

Solar panels cleaned daily. Windows washed.
Fence east of lighthouse repaired
Compost renewal project continues.

Vessel Traffic:

Many Canadian ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve. Cruise ships are going through daily.
Tours from Pearson College continued on Wednesday.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Compost chamber emptied and ready to be refilled.

On to the next chamber!

Potatoes were growing in the compost. Unfortunately not fit for human consumption.

Elephant seals

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Fence in need of repair

Glaucous-winged Gulls circling the tower

Gulls have been particularly aggressive with each other this week.

Colour-banded Glaucous-winged Gull

California sea lion

These look as though there might have been scientific equipment attached. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/marine-mammal-protection/california-sea-lion-research

Adult male and juvenile female elephant seals.

Steller’s sea lions on alert

Possibly scar from previous entanglement. No rope or line was visible.

Pearson College tour.

Branded California sea lion

Brandt’s Cormorant (left) and Pelagic Cormorant (right) demonstrating size and shape differences.

Branded Steller’s sea lion

Brown Pelicans at dusk

Brown Pelicans

Flock of 26 Brown Pelicans

August 14 and 15

Posted on Monday,August 15, 2022 by Ann Nightingale

It was a short but great stay for Carl and Brady Hughes. They managed to see all of the expected mammals and got to know the Glaucous-winged Gull community quite well during their visit. Carl spotted the season’s first Sooty Shearwater on Saturday and attempted overnight audio recording that night. He will post his recordings to iNaturalist and eBird. The compost rejuvenation project continues with 48 more buckets of aged compost removed from the first chamber.

Ecological Notes:

All three elephant seals were seen on August 14 and 15.
Passerines seen in the last two days were Brown-headed Cowbird, Barn Swallow and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. A Northern Harrier flew north over Great Race on Saturday.
A juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher was wandering the paths in the fog on August 15.
The branded Steller’s sea lion sighted on August 12 has a history! Originally branded at Rogue Reef, Oregon in July 2003, he has been sighted at least 70 times. Previous sightings on Race Rocks include Dec 2007, May 2008, Sept 2009, Aug 2014, and Aug 2017. The most spectacular resighting, though, involved an escape from a pod of Orca in the San Juan Islands in 2020.
Humpbacks and Orca are being seen regularly, but generally at great distance.
See photos below for more ecological sightings.

Weather:

Yesterday (Sunday, August 14):
- Sky: Sunny with light cloud. Scattered fog patches
- Wind: W 8-23 kts
- Sea: up to 1′ chop
- Temperature Low 12 ^oC, High 16 ^oC
Today (Monday, August 15):
- Sky: Fog most of the morning, clearing to partially cloudy in the afternoon
- Wind: W/WSW 11-37 kts
- Sea: calm to 3′ chop
- Temperature Low 11 ^oC, High 17 ^oC