Category Archives: Ecoguardians Log

Very busy times

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Ecological Notes:

  • 8 Elephant Seals in various stages of molt
  • 1 of the above is the surviving male pup from this season
  • 5 Canada Goose nests now
  • Gulls are still pairing up and courting, but no nests yet
  • Seals and sealions use the sensitive whiskers, and hair above their eyes to detect vibrations from fish when in the dark depths  of the ocean.

Visitors:

  • 2 separate sets of students from Westcoast Adventure College, each group with chaperone for a total of 9 students and 2 chaperones
  • Each group stayed for 3 days and 3 nights, for 2 days of classes, and 1 day of learning about and helping  with the procedures of the Ecoguardian
  • Class was An Introduction to Marine Mammals of the Salish Sea …… A program the Ecoguardian has been teaching for 17 years to the students of WAC, and this was the first time it could be taught amongst actual marine mammals here at the reserve!

Facility Work:

  • All sidewalks and the generator building have been pressure washed.
  • Even more waste building materials have been gathered and stacked ready for pick up
  • Many logs were salvaged from the rocky shoreline while there were extra people here.
  • An extra thorough cleaning of the Student house.
  • New electric fencing was set up to protect the lower solar panels from the sealions, as they had managed to get under the panels and damaged the wiring in the past.
  • As normal, lots of fence repairs during the windy times. Although there is not much sealion traffic right now, it is much easier to keep it all up than redo it all later.
  • Still working with the old tank on the fuel delivery vessel, so lots of fuel transfers from boat tank, to barrels, to portable tidytank, to generator tank.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Daily visits from Ecotourism Vessels, and some private vessels paused to look at the sealions.
  • In addition to kayakers, a pair of paddlers ventured out and around the reserve in a canoe
  • As the current Ecoguardian is an experienced kayak and canoe guide, all were observed closely to ensure they were equipped properly and had the skill sets to be out here in the currents. Happy to report, all was good!
  • 2 sailboats passed through the main channel east to west before looping around past the southern side of the main island. 1 had a little trouble in the currents on the west side and stalled out, but they recovered before they were any actual danger …. but they looked quite tense through the binoculars!

 

 Feature Event:

  •  The updated Solar power system has continued to function at the high level it was hoped it would provide. With only average sunlight, the system still uses much less generator time, and we have only been running the generator 2 out of 3 days.

Weather Events:

  • Many high wind days, giving way to medium winds and clear skies. Rinse and repeat.

 

** 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?

Improved Solar Power

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Ecological Notes:

  • 5  Elephant Seals
    • The Beachmaster (Bernard) has left the island, most likely for one more big feed before molting
    • 2 Adult females, both starting their molt

    • 2 new (to me) animals here, either very large pups, or small yearlings …. waiting to see if they do a normal molt.
    • The only remaining pup that was born here has completed it’s first baby fur molt, and has been tentatively exploring the area by the pier, when encouraged by another new pup I don’t recognize

Tentative first tries

Meeting a new buddy

Moved into the water while he had support

 

  • 3 known Canada geese nests now, one was right by the door to the house. The gulls robbed all the eggs though, so I dismantled that nest so that they would build somewhere else.
  • Gulls and Black Oyster Catchers are pretty much all paired up now, although I have not seen any nests yet as it’s still a bit early in the season

Visitors:

  • 4 contractors stayed for 2 days to work on the solar power system
  • 3 guests of the Ecoguardian  over 2 different time slots
  • College instructors and their guests came for a brief visit and overview of the reserve

Facility Work:

  • Replacement of damaged solar panels
    • added a new array or 4 panels
    • redid most of the wiring involved

There was an immediate improvement  to the system, resulting in a reduction of generator fuel use by about 1/3. This will only improve as the days get longer and brighter.

  • Visiting guests aided the ecoguardian in some tasks better accomplished by have some else there for safety and/or lifting. (including log and firewood prep and other  wastewood and equipment moving and stacking.) they also helped with pressure washing.

Safer to cut down on the rocky shore with someone here with me

DND events:

  • 3 or 4 days of the regular blasting, with safety vessels and Marine Mammal Observers present.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ecotourism vessels are gearing up for the season and visit on a regular basis, often reporting the location of the sea otter and injured or entangled animals to the ecoguardian.
  • 2 jet skis in today … a little loud running against the current, but they kept proper speeds

 Noted Infractions:

  • Only one private fishing vessel in the reserve noted.

 Feature Event:

  • Spring is in full swing. Flowers are blooming, the pineapple weed is growing and of course the birds are all in courting behavior.

Weather Events:

  • very typical mix of spring weather …..wind from all directions on any given day, mix of sun, clouds and rain squalls.

 

** 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

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march 21/2022

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                         19
  • Harbour seal                            48
  • California sea lion                   38
  • Northern Elephant Seal            6
    • 1 Large male
    • 2 non-nursing female
    • 1 weened pup
    • 2 new have arrived that I don”t recognized … 1 very large pup, 1 small yearling (unsure,, may be able to confirm if it does a full molt)
  • Sea Otter                                 1

 

Birds

  • Bald eagle adult                        4
  • Bald eagle juvenile                      8
  • Turnstones                                  30
  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western     78
  • Cormorants                                 37
  • Canadian goose                           14
    • (4 nests with eggs)
  • Harlequin Ducks                          8
  • Oyster catcher                             10
  • Pigeon Guillemots                        24

Census

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March 15, 2022

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                         14
  • Harbour seal                             38
  • California sea lion                   33
  • Northern Elephant Seal            4

    • 1 Large male
    • 2 Adult female
    • 1 weened Pup male
  • Sea Otter                                 1

 

Birds

  • Bald eagle adult                           4
  • Bald eagle juvenile                      8
  • Turnstones                                  18
  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western    72
  • Cormorants                                 41
  • Canadian goose                          14
  • Harlequin Ducks                         4
  • Oyster catcher                             10
  • Pigeon Guillimots                       8

Spring is in the air

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Ecological Notes:

  • 4 Elephant Seal on the main island
  • The Male Beachmaster (Bernard), 2 Adult Females, and 1 weened Male “pup” (very large now!)
  • The last pup had grown to almost double the size he was when I got here, and  I had hoped to report he was doing well, but unfortunately the nature and the Beachmaster had other plans. The (female)pup passed suddenly about a week ago and was returned to the sea today. Samples were taken for analysis, including hopefully testing for DNA to check paternity.
  • 1 California Sea Lion noted with rope entanglement. He is surprisingly active for the depth of the wound. Reported to the Marine Mammal hotline.
  • On a more positive note, the Black Oystercatchers are paring off, and some Gulls are wondering around showing off nice clumps of grass they have collected to whoever will notice.

“See my stuff????”

Visitors:

  • A couple of visits from the shorefront coordinator, delivering groceries, parcels, diesel fuel, and parts for repairs.

Facility Work:

  • After a couple attempts to repair the existing connections from the outside line to the pump, it was decided to just replace and simplify the pipes ….. to a final success.
  • Repaired the VHF Antenna on the main house, applied tape to hopefully stop it from vibrating the threads free in the wind.

DND events:

  • On and off all week, except the weekend of course

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Several Ecotourism vessels enjoying the sights and sounds of the reserve.

Responsible viewing and educating

  • With the nicer weather, several kayaks and outrigger canoes have looped out around the reserve, experienced paddlers who all stayed out of the main channel in the reserve where currents can be strong.

 Noted Infractions:

  • Some private fishing very close to the reserve, but measurements with a laser rangefinder suggest they were just outside the 40M depth contour.

Weather Events:

  • A mixture of winds, but mostly light days with mostly sun for the last couple days.

 

** 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

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February 28/2022

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                         28
  • Harbour seal                            73
  • California sea lion                   43
  • Northern Elephant Seal            3
    • 1 Large male
    • 1 non-nursing female
    • 1 weened pup
  • Sea Otter                                 1

 

Birds

  • Bald eagle adult                          9
  • Bald eagle juvenile                      15
  • Turnstones                                  28
  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western     47
  • Cormorants                                 52
  • Canadian goose                           14
  • Harlequin Ducks                          6
  • Oyster catcher                             7
  • Pigeon Guillimots                        32

Back at the Reserve

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Great to be back at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve after a couple months away with family! Thanks to the previous Eco-Guardians who left things in such great shape, in spite of a particularly hard winter weather-wise.

Ecological Notes:

  • The beachmaster Male Elephant Seal is still here, keeping everyone in check.

Spring is in the air

  • 1 Nursing Female/pup set
  • 1 very large male pup here, appears  to be recovering well from injuries received before I arrived.
  • Another Adult Female Elephant Seal has returned.

Facility Work:

  • Tidied up some of the fencing
  • Battery level servicing
  • Equalization Charging of the Battery System
  • Trouble shooting of water pump system in the main house. One-way valve to be serviced once it is confirmed parts are available.
  • Various diesel fuel transfers
  • Ongoing firewood stocking

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 4 Ecotourism vessels and 5 private vessels sightseeing in the reserve.

Weather Events:

  • Primarily westerly winds of 20-30 knots, shifting to cold and clear northeasterly winds on Sunday.

 

** 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

Posted on by

February 21/2022

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                         45
  • Harbour seal                             65
  • California sea lion                     62
  • Northern Elephant Seal            5
    • 1 Large male
    • 1 nursing female
    • 1 non-nursing female
    • 1 nursing pup
    • 1 weened pup
  • Sea Otter                                 1

 

Birds

  • Bald eagle adult                          4
  • Bald eagle juvenile                      9
  • Turnstones                                  22
  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western     38
  • Cormorants                                 87
  • Canadian goose                           8
  • Harlequin Ducks                          9
  • Oyster catcher                           10

Census

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Birds

  • Bald eagle adult                           6
  • Bald eagle juvenile                      14
  • Turnstones                                  11
  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western     68
  • Cormorants                                 96
  • Canadian goose                           0
  • Harlequin Ducks                           2

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion                          129
  • Harbour seal                               9
  • California sea lion                      46
  • Northern Elephant Seal              6

Many Visitors at Race Rocks

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Ecological Notes:

Race Rocks is a wealth of biodiversity, and an amazing place to get to spend any amount of time. Despite the huge amount of wildlife that spend time on Race Rocks over the winter, it can feel a little quiet. Not last week!

We were super lucky getting some of the Pearson College students out despite COVID lockdowns on Campus, this is always one of the highlights of our time at Race Rocks! The kids always have the best questions and remind me why I pursued the life I live now. Any opportunity to share the joy and smells of Race Rocks.

Pearson Students getting Elephant Seal 101. Photo by Laura Verhegge

After the final group of students left, we got a surprise visit from DFO via their helicopter coming by for a socially-distanced visit. We had a helicopter buzzing us throughout the week, and it wasn’t until it landed at the end of the week we realized that was most likely the crew checking out the island, seals, and heli-pad. The elephant seals clearly weren’t fans of the helicopter. Interesting-ly the idling helicopter covers the same sound frequencies the Beachmaster uses to drum his dominance. Our Beachmaster tried drumming at the intruder, but he couldn’t overpower the sound and decided that abandoning his harem and a trip into the ocean was preferable to hanging out with a helicopter.

The next day we woke up to a new female Elephant Seal! We suspect this seal was Tyra from last year, going off her scar patterns and BEAUTIFUL eyes. At this point in the season we have expectations for these seals: they come ashore, hang out for 5 days, give birth, nurse for 21 days, mate and leave. Tyra was a reminder that we don’t really know that much about these mysterious animals. She came ashore, mated, and left. She looked great, very plump. I am really quite surprised. Maybe not all pregnancies come to term, and in that light her behaviour actually makes a lot of sense. She needs to come ashore when a Beachmaster is ready to mate, and if she doesn’t have a pup to birth then there really isn’t a reason to stick around and wait until it’s time to moult.

Tyra returning to Race Rocks to visit the Beachmaster. All hail the Beachmaster!

And we had a new pup born! I told you lots happened. Rhi-Rhi has been ashore since January 25th and slipped out a new pup this morning. The new pup is super chirpy, and very mobile; it had a very ‘rolled up’ vibe directly after being born, with curled fingernails and it’s giant flippers wrapped around itself. We expect her to nurse until the 22nd of February, but clearly I need to stop trying to predict what these animals are going to do.

Rhi-Rhi inspecting her newborn pup.

Facility Work:

Race Rocks has a Boston Whaler from it’s Coast Guard era that can be used in case of an emergency. During a very low tide we figured this was the ideal time to re-spool the twisted up cable used to launch the boat. While it’s easy to think that emergencies never happen, it’s great to know that in that hypothetical situation the boat will be able to be launched on any tide without any problems. Big thanks to the previous Eco-Guardians who did some great boat maintenance!

DND events:

Lots of blasting over the last week, some of the Pearson College students were definitely surprised.

Elephant Seals seem happiest when all smushed up against each other.

Feature Event:

We had someone report a wayward Elephant Seals wandering around Sturdees Beach & the Gorge vale Golf Club. This fits very well with the theme of ‘we don’t really know much about Elephant Seals’ and thought it would be worth mentioning. As the Northern Elephant Seal population continues to recover, hopefully we’ll all get to experience more Elephant Seals in British Colombia, and sometimes that might be a returning pup who hasn’t really figured out the timing of things yet. They’re really remarkable animals, who spend a very small proportion of their time (<10%) above the water Over the last 2 years there have been wayward pups reported crawling around in areas where they were not wanted, these little seals are just looking for some place safe to moult and head back into the ocean. This is one of the parts that makes Race Rocks such an important place for these animals: a place on land where the seals can hang out and sleep without being disturbed: their time on land relies on them fasting for weeks on end losing up to 40% of their body weight during these stints. Every time they get woken up or stressed that is another drain on their limited energy available, leading to the first couple of years where mortality can be up to 75%.

A wayward elephant seal pup at Christie Point, photos by Dorothy Chambers

The silver colouration shows this wayward pup has already moulted, so probably from last years birthing season. While we would expect pups to return to Race Rocks to moult, we don’t really know how they return to the same areas, and they may just try out new areas at different times; or just get lost.

https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/seal-hits-the-links-at-gorge-vale-likely-same-one-that-has-toured-view-royal-5009767

Weather Events:

It was a lovely week of weather, punctuated with a nice little blast of wind of 40 knots+ Sunday and Monday.

The first pup Mikey is already starting to moult his soft baby fuzz into a silvery sleek diving suit of fur at 41 days old.

Weather – Current:

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

Weather – Past:

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