Category Archives: Ecoguardians Log

Arrived at Race Rocks

Posted on by

Eco guardian switchover. Thank you Sierra for welcoming me. As the boat pulled away leaving me alone with hundreds of seagulls and their chicks, oyster catchers and pigeon guillemots I was drawn to the other mammals on the island. Hard to be lonely with this guy around! Watching the sunset from the lighthouse I was entertained by the seal pups still trying to nurse from their moms. A river otter ran along the jetty. Tomorrow morning I will check to see if it discovered the Oyster Catcher eggs surrounded by a circle of broken shells. The wind is howling from the west. Huge whitecaps. I was very glad the stairs down from the lighthouse had a railing!

Final Day

Posted on by

Personal Note:

  • Even though my time here was short and sweet, I will cherish the life long memories created during my time here on the island. I hope to continue my role as eco-guardian here in the future! 

Starry Night at Race.

 

Ecological Notes:

  • 1 female Northern Elephant Seal.
  • 1 male Northern Elephant Seal. 
  • 8 Steller Sea Lions spread out on Middle Rock and South Island.
  • 2 River Otters made their way up towards the house and successfully caught a Gull chick. After making their catch, they quickly ran to hide under a wooden platform.

Facility Work:

  • Cleaned the main house in preparation for the new eco-guardian! 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 7 Ecotourism vessels and 3 pleasure vessels sightseeing in the reserve.

Feature Event: 

  • My partner, Zenon, proposed to me at the top of the lighthouse (I said “yes!”) 

Zenon (left) and Sierra (right) engaged!

** 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?

Maintenance

Posted on by

Ecological Notes:

  • 1 female Northern Elephant Seal.
  • 1 male Northern Elephant Seal. 
  • Many Black Turnstone’s on the East side of the island.

Black Turnstone

Visitors:

  • Greg came out to help with maintenance of the Ocean Network Canada CODAR system and taking battery cell readings. 
  • Welcome Zenon to Race Rocks!

Facility Work:

  • Power washed the East side of the main house. 
  • Applied wood preservative to the back deck of the main house. 
  • Maintenance on Ocean Network Canada CODAR system; swapped out UPS.
  • Battery cell readings with Greg and Zenon.  
  • General cleaning of main house. 

 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 7 Ecotourism vessels.
  • 2 private vessels sightseeing.
  • 1 Canadian Coast Guard Vessel and 1 Western Canadian Marine Response vessel passing through the reserve and sightseeing.

** 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

Birds

  • Surfbird 17

  • Western Sand Piper 4

  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western 191

  • Many Gull chicks, unable to count without being disruptive.

  • Cormorants 11

  • Pigeon Guillemots 62

  • Oyster catcher 11

  • Ruddy Turnstones 6

  • Black Turnstone 114

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion 4

  • Harbour seal  53

  • Harbour seal pup 8

  • Elephant seal male 1

  • Elephant seal female 1

  • River Otter 2

Wildlife Observation

Posted on by

Ecological Notes:

  • 1 female Northern Elephant Seal.
  • 1 male Northern Elephant Seal. 
  • Many Ruddy Turnstones, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds and Western Sand Pipers observed on the east side of the island. 
  • There are many Gull chicks running around the island! The adult Gulls are very protective and will dive down towards me as I walk the path to the main-house. 

Gull Chicks

 

Facility Work:

  • Power washing is satisfying. I finished power washing the south facing side of the student house . 

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 4 Ecotourism vessels and 2 pleasure vessels sightseeing in the reserve.

** 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?

 

Morning Fog

Posted on by

Ecological Notes:

  • 1 female Northern Elephant Seal.
  • 1 male Northern Elephant Seal. 
  • The female Elephant Seal spent the early morning in the shallows. By late afternoon, she made her way back onto the island.
  • The male Elephant Seal has been spending most of his time nestled against the student house.

Facility Work:

  • Power washing continues. I sprayed down the west side of the main house (as high as I could safely reach).

DND events:

  • none

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 5 Ecotourism vessels and 2 pleasure vessels.

Weather Events:

  • Fog in the early morning; cleared by early afternoon. 
  • Westerly wind, averaging 20 knots all day. 

** 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?

 

New Eco-guardian

Posted on by

Ecological Notes:
• 1 female Elephant Seal.
• 1 male Elephant Seal.

Facility Work:
• Power washed stairs of main front house and applied preservative to the wood.
• Cleaned solar panels.

 

Noted Vessel Traffic:
• Several ecotourism vessels and 4 pleasure vessels.

Noted Infractions:
• Two speeding pleasure vessels in the reserve.

Feature Event:
• Bigg’s killer whales entered the reserve yesterday early afternoon and again at sunset!

• Thank you Derek for helping me with the transition as Ecoguardian.

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

Weather – Past:
http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Time for fencing

Posted on by

 

Personal Note:

  • On my last day here at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, I’m very thankful for the opportunity and experience provided to me. My normal employment calls me back, but I hope to return to continue experiencing the reserve in a different season!

Ecological Notes:

  • 1 Male Elephant Seal and one Female Elephant seal in the grass area up by the power building

    Enjoying the sun

  • Although I’m sure there are more, I caught a quick glimpse of some Pigeon Guillemot chicks as they scurried back into their rock den.

Facility Work:

  • Existing electrical fence routes redone and repaired. The north field had all the fencing replaced, and a couple new gates added. A new section will be added to the south (lighthouse side) when supplies are available. As the sealions start to return, fencing plays an important roll in protecting the plant life, and structures and equipment on the island. There is also a huge safety factor for the Ecoguardians when moving around accomplishing their daily tasks.
  • Although not a pleasant topic, removed 2 old Sealion carcasses  from high above the waterline. The warmer weather really increased the smell, but the wind and heat (and bugs)  really help them to break down to an almost manageable weight for dragging. Respectably returned to the ocean.

DND events:

  • 6 to 10 detonations over Monday and Tuesday, all sealions moved from the middle rocks to the southern rocks.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Several Ecotourism vessels and at least 6 private vessels sightseeing in the reserve.

 Feature Event:

  •  Lots of  cleaning and organizing in preparation for the new Ecoguardian arriving Thursday! A warm welcome to Sierra!

 

** 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

Birds

  • Bald eagle adult 4

  • Bald eagle juvenile 3

  • Black Turnstones 6

  • Ruddy Turnstones 3

  • Surfbird 9

  • Western Sand Piper 8

  • Gulls, Glaucous and Western 110

  • Many Gull chicks, too difficult to count

  • Cormorants 42

  • Pigeon Guillemots 74

  • Oyster catcher 16

  • Oyster catcher Chick 2

  • Canada Goose 7

Mammals

  • Steller sea lion 8

  • Harbour seal  117

  • Harbour seal pup 19

  • California sea lion 3

  • Elephant seal male 1

  • Elephant seal female 1

  • Sea otter 1

  • River otter 1

Turnstones, Surfbirds, and Pipers

Posted on by

Ecological Notes:

  • 1 Big Male Elephant Seal up by the student house, juvenile Female Elephant Seal down by the Jetty
  • Seeing more Harbour Seal pups every day.
  • 1 River Otter cruising around the shoreline, most likely looking for gull chicks.
  • 2 groups of migratory birds seen the last couple days, including Ruddy Turnstones, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds and Western Sandpipers.

Facility Work:

  • Working on the next section of electric fence, as the Sealions are slowly starting to show up.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 4 Ecotourism vessels and 6 private vessels sightseeing in the reserve today.

Weather Events:

  • Winds Westerly 20- 25 knots most of the day, rising to 30 knots in the evening. Clear skies with slight haze to the south. Some chop when the wind was against tide.

 

** 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?