Category Archives: Webcam Visitor Observations

Squalus acanthias: The Spiny Dogfish–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Dogfish are not usually seen by divers but they occur in the waters around Race Rocks. They are often caught by fishermen and released . The captured one above is the first one recorded for the reserve.gullshark1
In June of 2007 this set of photos was taken by PB of a seagull eating a live baby dogfish. The whole shark was eventually swallowed.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Elasmobranchii
Order Squaliformes
Family
 Squalidae
Genus Squalus
Species acanthias
Common Name: Spiny Dogfish
This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, Volunteers and staff of
Lester B. Pearson College,  2006  Pam Birley

 

ARCHIVE of Education in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

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In this file, photos are presented which link to a number of the field labs and other educational applications of Lester B. Pearson College that have taken place at Race Rocks in past years.

Biology Class 1999
Env Systems TIdepool lab 1999
Royal Roads Field Trip
 Env Systems 1999
Biology Class 1999
Env Systems 1998 Biology Field Lab 1998 Diving Activity: Schools Project. Group 4 projects 1998
Environmental Systems
Transect Lab on Peg 15 , 1998
Env Systems 1997 Diving Schools activity OUTPOST video Drogue lab : Currents
Environmental Systems Class
Tidepool Study , 1997
 Environmental Systems
Current Study 1996
Env Systems 1996
Env Systems 1995
 Diving : Schoools project Biology Field Lab 2004
Diving
education- research
Pearson College and Diving at Race Rocks

Samples of screenshots from the remote cameras.

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Observation of the scenes on the cameras often yield some interesting and varied scenes. Feel free to add to this collection of the screen shots from the video cameras. e-mail : Garry Fletcher (garryf(use the @ sign)gmail.com See further directions on this .

Telephoto of the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. This was taken on a clear day- May 18, 2001 zoomed in on the remote camera. The tail end of a tugboat-drawn barge going up the Strait of Juan de Fuca, May 18, 2001 On a calm day, the area is a very popular site for observation of marine birds and mammals by the tour boats which take on passengers in Sooke or Victoria. May 18, 2001
Captive tourists look out on the life of freedom enjoyed by the elephant seals and sea lions. May 18, 2001 May 18, 2001: Inflatable boats are used by many of the marine mammal tour boats.  We get some glorious sunsets looking out from Race Rocks.This one has the Metchosin Hills in the foreground: June 11, 2001
July 1, 2001, Canada Day fireworks over the provincial capital Victoria, B.C. Mike Slater lined up this scene on camera 3. July 4, 2001, American Independence Day fireworks over Port Angeles to the south of Race Rocks. Jean Dalphond captured this collage of images when he was staying at RR doing a project in early June, 2001.
Gull chicks hatching
July, 2001		 Pigeon guillemots – nest in burrows in the rocks – use remote camera to find
July, 2001		 There was an abundance of baby seals – born in mid July – 2001. Mike and Carol set the camera up on this scene on camera 2 .

The Brandt’s cormorants on the west shore in
January, 2002
May 2002 : yes, sometimes Race Rocks can be “golden”. This is camera 1 on the elephant seals.
June, 2002 : We have had a successful year for gull hatching: 96 counted at one time and most of them survived.
Pam Birley from England has sent us this eagle sequence, January, 2004. She has contributed her album of pictures to our daily log files. The OCEANQUEST exercises:use screen capture to contribute to a database

Falco peregrinus: Peregrine falcon –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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ryanperegrine

This photo was taken on Race Rocks by Ryan Murphy in December of 2008.

See all the posts on this website with observations of Peregrines

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Species: peregrinus
Common Name: Peregrine falcon

Unusual footage taken by Pam Birley using the remote camera 5 of a falcon eating a seabird. Also see similar sequence on right below..

 

The Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, is a bird of prey (or raptor) which has captured the attention and imagination of ornithologists and bird-watchers alike for several thousand years. With a body length of 15-20 inches and a body weight of 1.25-3.75 lbs, the falcon is built specifically for travelling at high speeds (up to 180 m.p.h.) in order to catch its prey. The name Falco peregrinus is derived from the Latin falx, or sickle-shaped, and peregrinus, meaning wandering. It is unclear whether the former is derived from the shape of the bird’s silhouette in the sky or from the shape of its beak, but the latter name comes undoubtedly from its propensity to migrate great distances.In the picture of a Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle from his Flickr site, Ryan Murphy said
“This was amazing to witness in person, I regret not having been able to capture it better than this! Just before this the eagle rolled backwards towards the chasing falcon… awesome aerial battle!”
Predation
Two sequences of pictures from Race Rocks below have been taken by Pam Birley showing the peregrine eating a shorebird.and a sea gull. Though peregrine falcons, like other birds of prey, are considered to be near the top of the food web, they are not completely free from predators. Great horned owls and golden eagles have been known to attack them. Humans have also been known to take their eggs in hopes to raise the falcons for hunting purposes.
As top predators, peregrine falcons play an important ecosystem role in regulating the populations of their prey.
Habitat
Peregrine Falcons prefer open habitats such as grasslands, tundra, and meadows. They nest on cliff faces and crevices. They have recently begun to colonize urban areas because tall buildings are suitable for nesting in this species, and because of the abundance of pigeons as prey items.
Peregrine falcons prey almost exclusively on birds, including mourning doves, pigeons, shorebirds, (see slide shows above) waterfowl, and smaller songbirds. They will also eat small reptiles and mammals. Although peregrine falcons capture their prey with their claws, they generally kill prey with their beak.The photos for this slide show and video were taken on the remote camera 5 at Race Rocks, by Pam Birley operating the camera from Great Britain. Pam had observed the peregrine falcon on various perches around the island in the mornings for several weeks in October and November. Her persistence paid off on November 17, 2005. Pam wrote in her e-mail ….”Today we had just returned home .. I just came up to the computer, switched it on and there was Perry with his breakfast….I really caught him in the act of devouring his prey today! “You may see other pictures that Pam has taken using the remote camera at Race Rocks by clicking here to go to her photo album .
CLICK ON THE BLANK SPACE

PEREGRINE FALCONS AT RACEROCKS: OCTOBER, 2004

Pam Birley of Leicester England captured some of the pictures remotely on robotic camera 5 and Mike Slater, our reserve guardian took the pictures of the antenna perch on the towerPam was interviewed recently about her wildlife viewing on racerocks.com
ref: Anderson, Charlie, “Live Wildlife for your Living Room “,
The Province (newspaper) , Vancouver, B.C. ( Sunday, Nov.21, 2004)

Conservation Status
Peregrine falcons have suffered due to their dangerous position atop the food chain. Pesticides accumulate in small (not lethal) quantities in the tissues of small birds and mammals, but become concentrated enough in predatory birds, such as falcons, to kill them or render them incapable of producing offspring. Organochlorine pesticides (DDT and dieldrin) have been proven to reduce the birds’ ability to produce eggshells with sufficient calcium content, making the egg shells thin and more likely to break. Peregrine falcon populations dropped greatly in the middle of the 20th century, they were threatened worldwide by the increasing use of pesticides. All breeding pairs vanished in the Eastern United States. A successful captive breeding/reintroduction program, combined with restrictions in pesticide use, has been the basis of an amazing recovery by peregrine falcons. Now the use of many of the chemicals most harmful to these birds is restricted. It is not yet restricted in the areas of Central and South American where many subspecies spend the winter. After having been on the endangered list since 1969, the incredible recovery of Peregrine Falcons has become a perfect example of how effective human conservation can be. In the 1990’s they were taken off the lists of endangered species in the United States.

Jan 25, 2010 Brian Mury sent this link to a set of images he took from Camera 1 on the top of the tower. The falcon is perched on the FM antenna which is used by Environment Canada to transmit anemometer readings from the top of the tower.

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Chiara Ravetti PC yr 31

 

Installation of the Remotely Operated Camera 5 at Race Rocks

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This remote controlled camera gives a full 340 degrees view of the land and surrounding waters of Great Race Rocks. The panoramic view with zoom capabilities can be controlled by the viewer.

Photos for this page by G.Fletcher

Be sure to use the manual focus when needed, and we apologize if occasionally the housing is covered with salt spray making viewing difficult, as it is not easy to keep it clean in this exposed location.

The original cam 5 was a SONY camera provided by Apple. This was replaced in 2010 with a canon VBC60, available from Nuspectra.

We have had collaboration from viewers in capturing pictures from this camera. See this example.

Bald Eagle Predation on Birds at Race Rocks

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We received the pictures for this file attached to an e-mail from Pam Birley, a regular observer from England on our cameras. She saved these images from our remote camera so we have quoted her e-mail here describing the events as they unfolded…….

. ” On January 22/04, it was a peaceful scene on the cliff with a large group of cormorants and a grazing goose….when suddenly a young bald eagle swooped down and made a meal of one of the birds….

 

Note that the cormorants were swimming out beyond their perch at this point as the eagle stands on his prey . …..A passing seal kept popping up to see what was going on….

 

…….and when the eagle had finished its meal it flew off, leaving the rest of the carcas for the seagulls to finish off.. Quite a little drama. What a fantastic site – always something of interest”

 

….Pam goes on to say…” Do you know where the elephant seal is (we call him Big Guy) – I can hear him but can’t find him on the cam – he was under that rock for about a week. I belong to Whale Watchers Group on Yahoo, most of us being addicts of Orca-Live.com during the summer and we have been pasting some RR captures on that site. We do give credit to you of course and we are spreading the word about your excellent website. Thank you so much !!! .”….

(ed. note) : Well thank you Pam! We really value your observation and quick action in recording these scenes and sending them along to us as an e-mail attachment. One of our Japanese students has suggested the name “Debu” (Fatty in Japanese) for the elephant seal that spends much of his time up on the main island. If you can hear him but not see him, he is hauled out just out of range of the camera on the North side of the house. He likes the soft long grass of one of the lawns. See the marine mammals archives for several videos of this elephant seal who was badly injured last year.

 

Haliacetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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In November 2009, Ryan Murphy captured this set of images when a juvenile eagle was making his daily pass by to prey on a seabird. The juvenile california gull provides the meal for that day. Click the image to see a slide show video of this sequence..See the Eagle Set on Ryan’s Flickr site

Bald Eagles measure from 30″ to 43″ ( 76 to 109 cm) in length and from 70″ to 96″ ( 2 to 2.4 m) in wingspan. They have a high thin, chittering voice which contrasts with its magnificent appearance. Bald Eagle’s diet is primarily based on fish catching. It also eats carrion and crippled waterfowl. At Race Rocks, eagles frequently take adult Gulls and Pigeon Guillemots as can be seen in the accompanying images.

The adult Bald Eagle has a snow-white head and tail, the immature ones have brown head feathers which develop white underneath and gradually grow out over several years.
It was formerly found living all over North America. Hunting, poaching and the growth of civilization has had a negative impact in the Bald Eagle population whch has dimished considerably in the last decades. Nowadays it is found only in the Aleutians, Alaska, sections of Northern and Eastern Canada, British Columbia, Northern United States and Florida.

Its habitat is on or near seacoasts as well as close to large lakes and rivers, where the fish population is abundant. It nests in tall conifers, often old growth Douglas Fir or Cedar. Nests are common in the Southern part of Vancouver island. The closest to Race Rocks are on Bentinck Island and along Taylor Beach. The nests are renovated every year starting in January with new sticks, often ripped from tall dead fir trees. The eggs are white and come in groups of 1 to 3 each time.Its beachcombing , scavenging role, and the fact that it eats at the highest trophic level, can cause the Bald Eagle to accumulate pesticides in its body ( from contaminated fish and wildllife. ) The Bald Eagle population remains high in the rain forest coastal area of central and Northern British Columbia and Alaska.

This image comes from the slide show “Fresh Kill” It provides a closeup of an eagle whose head coloring is almost mature, but has not yet lost its dark speckling.
Reference: Miklos D. F. Uduvardy ,1977 The Audubon Society, Field Guide to North American Birds, Western region., Chanticler press, fifth edition: NY

 

The nictitation membrane is a transparent inner eyelid in birds, reptiles, and some mammals that closes to protect and moisten the eye. It is also called the third eyelid.
Pam captured these images of young eagles close to camera 5 in the spring of 2005 to help us demonstrate this adaptation.You can find further information about this feature at: http://ebiomedia.com/gall/eyes/protect.html

Bald Eagles in the Rain

 

 

 

 

Bad Hair Day for the Eagles

 

 

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Carolina Munoz 1987