Category Archives: ER Warden Report

Fauchea laciniata: blue-branching seaweed–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by

Divers at Race Rocks often see this species standing out with its bright blue colouration when underwater.  Exposed above water, it looses the bright blue colour, and has a rather drab reddish colour.

rm241010irideal

Fauchea laciniata photo by Ryan Murphy

purplriridea

Fauchea laciniata, blue-branching seaweed with a white anemone–photo by Ryan Murphy

See other photos by Ryan Murphy on this Flickr site.

Classification:
Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Subphylum: Eurhodophytina
Class Florideophyceae
Subclass: Rhodymeniophycidae
Order: Rhodymeniales
Family: Faucheaceae
Genus: Fauchea
Species:laciniata

Other Members of the Phylum Rhodophyta at Race Rock

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.

 

Christmas Bird Count -Dec 28, 2014

Posted on by

valandgarry1We want to thank Lester Pearson College for providing transportation to the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve for the 2014 Christmas Bird Count. Ecoguardian Alex Fletcher picked up Garry Fletcher and Val George with the Race Rocks boat from the Pearson College docks at 9:30 AM. We were able to do a Pedder Bay count as well.

The following is the spreadsheet for the 2014 Christmas Bird Count prepared by Val and Garry. Link to the Index for the past Race Rocks records for the Christmas Bird Counts

2014 Christmas Bird Count –
Summary for Race Rocks and Race Passage

Continue reading →

Dec 28, Warden’s Report -Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

Posted on by

I went to Race Rocks today with Val George for the Christmas bird Count.  ( See other reports from  today.) The highlight of course was the discovery of the first record for the Boreal Owl in Southern Vancouver Island . Some other observations from my visit are included here:

2014-12-28gooseexclosure2 2014-12-28gooseexclosure1m
Several 1 metre exclosures for goose grazing have been installed on the grass  areas on Race Rocks. Winter grazing by the Canada geese (introduced to Vancouver Island in the 1980s) has resulted in erosion in some areas of the island, and grass turf cover is prevented.
2014-12-28macrocystislongm 2014-12-28 macrocystis
Drift Macrocystis at the jetty. This Giant Kelp can grow anchored at great depths but winter storms will lift it up and the  main contribution to energy-flow  in the ecosystem comes from decomposition on the shoreline. Macrocystis grows in areas of high salinity, so not in he brackish estuarine conditions of the Strait of Juan de Fuca , but not at Race Rocks  where it ends up only as drift in the strand line.
deadcorm cormfeet
A dead cormorant, (probably Brandt’s ). Interesting webbed foot structure.
2014-12-28thayer1year 2014-12-28deadcormventralm
A 1st year juvenile Thayer’s Gull The breast had a hole and internal organs  were eaten. It was probably from an eagle attack.
2014-12-28energybldg energybuildingpanels
This year, the college has finished tilting the solar panels. Increased energy efficiency has been noted. They were originally installed flat since we were concerned that the strength of the wind may damage them. This hasn’t happened. View of the energy building roof from the top of the tower.
2014-12-28johanplaque ..
This fall a plaque has been installed to honour Johan Ashuvud, who as a student at Pearson College, was instrumental in having Race Rocks designated as an ecological reserve in 1980 ..

Other Ecological reserves wardens reports are available here:

Aegolius funereus: Boreal Owl–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by
Boreal Owl: A.Fletcher photo

Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus):  for measurement –the pipe is 5 cm (2 inch)  diameter–photo by Alex Fletcher, Ecoguardian at Race Rocks, Dec 28, 2014.

 

December 28, 2014– Val George and myself were picked up at Pedder Bay By Alex Fletcher, (Ecoguardian at Race Rocks) and we went out to Race Rocks for the Sooke area Christmas Bird Count. It was a great day with many high counts , but we were especially surprized to flush a small owl out from under a rock up near the camera 5 pedestal.  At first Val thought it just could be a Boreal owl (Aegolius funereus)  which would be a first for this area. We found it again under the porch of the Ecoguardians house and were able to get some good pictures of it. Then we decided it must be a Saw whet owl as Boreals are just too rare here. When he returned home and started comparing his pictures with other images, Val realized it was indeed the rare ( for this area)  Boreal owl.

Report in Times Colonist : Newcomer thrills watchers at Sooke Christmas Bird Count

(These owls breed in dense coniferous forests across northern North America and Eurasia and in mountain ranges such as the Alps and the Rockies. The subspecies: A.f. richardsoni is the only one that occurs in North America). It lays 3–6 eggs in a tree hole in the forest. The small nocturnal owl eats mainly voles and other mammals but also birds as well as insects and other invertebrates.)--text in brackets adapted from Wikipedia–

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Aegolius
Species: A. funereus
Aegolius funereus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies: A.f. richardsoni (Bonaparte, 1838)
Other owls photographed at Race Rocks.

Link to the call of the Boreal Owl:

From the reference: Rare Birds of Vancouver Island: Compiled by Rick Toochin, Paul Levesque and Jamie Fenneman July1, 2013: The following notation indicates only three other records of the Boreal Owl on Vancouver Island, but there are no records for it on southern Vancouver island.

Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus):
1.(1) adult February 27, 1993: fide Don Cecile (specimen) Tofino (Siddle 1993b)
2.(1) adult October 3, 1994: Marc Winfield, Rick Toochin, Mike Toochin: Triangle Island (Toochin 1995) (Bowling 1995a)
3.(1) adult fall 1996: fide Jamie Fenneman (specimen) Courtenay (Bain and Holder 1996f)

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.
Garry Fletcher, Dec. 2014.

 

Banded Cormorant data:

Posted on by
DSC_6938 banded cormorant

Double-Crested Cormorant photo by Ecoguardian Alex Fletcher

 Note on banded cormorant:
The bird (KC0) was banded as an adult at a breeding colony on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary (near Astoria, OR) in May 2013 by the group, Bird Research Northwest (http://www.birdresearchnw.org). They  banded the bird as part of their study on movement and demography of the species. (There is a large DCCO colony there and some  think authorities  are trying to destroy it as the corms are eating all the fish that are trying to get up the river. See
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/141118-shooting-cormorants-columbia-river-salmon-endangered-species-environment/)

On Dec . 30, 2014 the following details were sent to us after we reported it to the
The North American Bird Banding Program

Banding Data returned after reporting:
Band Number :1128-01387 KC0
Species: Double-Crested Cormorant
Age of Bird : Hatched in 2011 or earlier
Banded : 05/31/2013 Sex Unknown
Location:  East Sand Island, 2.4 KM West-Southwest of Chinook, WA, Clatsop county , Oregon USA (Coordinates: LAT: 46.25833; LON: -123.975 )
Bander Dr. Daniel D. Roby Oregon Cooperative  WRU Oregon State  University 104 Nasgh Hall Corvallis  OR 97331 3803
Encounter Data
Location 2 mi SSE of Rocky Point, British Columbia, Canada
Encountered 12/13/2014
Desc: Race  Rocks Ecological Reserve

————————————————————————————

Info from : BandReports@usgs.gov

The North American Bird Banding Program
Bird banding is important for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds. About 60 million birds representing hundreds of species have been banded in North America since 1904. About 4 million bands have been recovered and reported.

Data from banded birds are used in monitoring populations, setting hunting regulations, restoring endangered species, studying effects of environmental contaminants, and addressing such issues as Avian Influenza, bird hazards at airports, and crop depredations. Results from banding studies support national and international bird conservation programs such as Partners in Flight, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and Wetlands for the Americas. The North American Bird Banding Program is under the general direction of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Cooperators include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity and Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources; other federal, state and provincial conservation agencies; universities; amateur ornithologists; bird observatories; nature centers; nongovernmental organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the National Audubon Society; environmental consulting firms and other private sector businesses. However, the most important partner in this cooperative venture is you, the person who voluntarily reported a recovered band. Thank you for your help.

U.S. Geological Survey
Canadian Wildlife Service
Please Report Bands at www.reportband.gov or call 1-800-327-BAND

Direct reporting form we used can be found  at:
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/

 

Charadrius vociferus: Killdeer–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by
rm07910killdeer

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus photo by Ryan Murphy, 2010.

ASkilldeer

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus photo by Anne Stewart, Oct 2014

Link to other posts on this website about Killdeers

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Charadriidae
Subfamily Charadriinae
Genus Charadrius
Species vociferus
Common Name: Killdeer

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.

 2014, Garry Fletcher

 


Anthus rubescens: (American Pipit ) –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by
raisasept292010amerpipit

Raisa Mirza in the fall of 2010 took this image of an American Pipit at Race Rocks.

Raisasept222010americanpipit

Raisa Mirza in the fall of 2010 took this image of an American Pipit at Race Rocks.

8 individuals of this  species were recorded on the  VNHS Field Trip, Sept 27 2014.

DanielleD-Amerpipet

Photo of American Pipit by Daniel;e Donecke on the VNHS FIeld Trip, Sept 2014

 

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Motacillidae
Genus: Anthus
Species: A. rubescens

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.

Oct 30, 2012 –Garry Fletcher

Trip to RR to Plan for neck-ringed sealion treatment

Posted on by

Today Chris Blondeau,. and Courtney Edwards  took Martin Haulena , and Joe Gaydos to Race Rocks to meet with Ecoguardian Anne Stewart and take stock of the facility and make plans for how to deal with the plastic neck bands  that we have are observing with the onset of the large numbers of sealions each year.

Martin is the Head Veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium, Joe is with Sea Doc Society in the San Juans and with U.C. Davis , California.

GFmartinandgroup2014-10-29m

Martin, Courtney, John, former PC student from Wales and friend who are volunteering this term at the college.

 

Underwater camera and California sea lion

Posted on by

pbo192014ct

 

 

Pam Birley from England just sent this great image which she took this afternoon on underwater camera 2.

 

 

 

Link to other observations by visitors on the webcam by clicking on the Webcam Visitor observations link in the line below.

Victoria Natural History Society Field Trip-Bird Count

Posted on by

Thanks to the participants of the VNHS Field Trip today and especially to Daniel Donnecke for tabulating this detailed bird census list.

For the boat crossing between Pearson College and  Race Rocks, Daniel and the group on the boat made the following observation:

2 Great Blue Heron
110 Double crested cormorant
2 pelagic cormorants
160 rhinoceros auklets
45 common murre
3 pigeon guillemot
25 Heermann’s Gulls
8 Glaucous winged gull
20 California Gull
30 Gull sp.
4 Oystercatcher
4 Harlequin duck
1 common Goldeneye
4 mallard
1 red-throathed loon
56 greater white fronted geese (single flock crossing the strait)
20 band tailed pigeons
2 coopers hawk
400 turkey Vultures (attempting to cross the Strait but turned  around)
DanielleD-Amerpipet

American Pipit–Anthus rubescens photograph by Daniel Donnecke

At Race Rocks Daniel made the following census notes which he entered on eBird : 23 species (plus 2 other taxa) total:

4
Greater White-fronted Goose
11
Canada Goose
2
Harlequin Duck
17
Surf Scoter-(-east-bound)
42
Brandt’s Cormorant
8
Double-crested Cormorant
18
Pelagic Cormorant
25
cormorant sp.
10
Turkey Vulture- (-distant, ketteling)
16
Black Turnstone
2
Dunlin
1
Western Sandpiper
1
Short-billed Dowitcher
2
Common Murre-(-low number, most alcids closer to Vancouver Island)
1
Rhinoceros Auklet-(-low number, most alcids closer to Vancouver Island)
41
Heermann’s Gull
1
Western Gull
110
California Gull
1
Herring Gull
25
Thayer’s Gull
36
Glaucous-winged Gull
85
gull sp.
8
6
Savannah Sparrow
1
Song Sparrow

For other images of the species above see the Race Rocks Taxonomy