Category Archives: ER Warden Report

Carmen’s lab on Transects

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Race Rocks Transect Lab

Kite Diagrams

BELT TRANSECT PROCEDURE

About 20 meters from the dock on the north side of Great Race Rocks, we plotted our transect. Starting at the shore and going 15 m inland, we laid a tape measure and at every half-meter we made a 50cm-by-50cm quadrant and counted the species in the plot.

ANALYSIS:  We counted the algae by percent cover and the invertebrates by number. Some species overlapped, such as anthopleura and halosaccion. This coexistence was possible because the two species were not vying for the same food source. Species such as thatched barnacles and acorn barnacles did not live in the same quadrants, however. This may be because they are competing for the same substrate and nutrients and each prevents the other from invading into their space. As well, the thatched barnacles stopped growing at quadrant 15 but that is just where its competition, acorn barnacles began to grow. Perhaps one species was better suited to surviving farther up the shore.

That was the case for many of the species along the transect. Invertebrates like chiton, limpets and snails needed to be covered by the tide for most of its cycle. If these species tried to grow where they were exposed for a longer period of time, they would dry out and die. Other species like lichen need to be out of the water and as expected, were only found at high elevations on the transect.

The topography also affected the species diversity. The California Mussel, for example, was found only in quadrants that had crevices and rough substrate on which to grow.

In general, the abiotic factor that had the greatest affect on species diversity on the transect was the elevation and amount of tide cover the area got during a tide cycle. Below are kite diagrams of each species we found on the transect.

Carmen and Jana Environmental Systems class April 2003

LINK to photographic transect strip of this area

This x-axis represents percentage cover for the macroalgaes. Note it may be a different scale in the graphs. The y-axis represents the .5meter quadrat location from the peg #15.

The “series” 1 and 2 just represent half of the value for each quadrat for the species, a way to get EXCEL to plot a symmetrical “kite” shape

Anthopleura elegantisima ( green intertidal anemone)

Hedophylum sp. ( Brown wrinkled algae)

Analepus sp. ( rare algae)

Praseola sp. (green mat algae)

Xanthorea sp. (yellow Lichen)

Porphyra.sp

Hildenbrandia sp. ( red thin cust algae)

Alaria marginata ( brown Algae)

Coralina sp. ( pink coraline algae)

Fucus sp.

Gigartina sp. (red algae)

Cryptosiphonia sp. (like wet dog hair)

Halosaccion sp.. (salt sac algae)

Golden Diatom

Ulva lactuca Sea lettuce

Mitylis californianus California mussel

Searlesia dira ( Spindle Whelk)

Amphysia sp. Snail

Neomolgis sp. Red Spider Mite

Purple Nucella Snail

Limpet

Acorn Barnacles

Thatched Barnacles

Littorina Periwinkle snail

Katharina sp. (leather chiton)

 

See Transect A0050101
See Transect A0050102
See Transect A0050103

Return to the Contents page for Environmental modelling with Transects..

Distance Education and Environmental Stewardship

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Garry Fletcher and students in the racerocks.com activity 2003

A. PROGRAMME/ MULTI-MEDIA PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Lester Pearson College is a non-profit educational institution with students on scholarship from 85 countries. It operates and manages the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve and Marine Protected Area as a community outreach program. Students involved in our science and activities programs get the opportunity to participate in the building and operating a website devoted to providing an educational resource for this unique environment.

Racerocks.com ( now racerocks.ca)  was conceived as a project to utilize technology and the internet to bring to the educational community access to a sensitive ecosystem. Our goal was to do that without being part of a negative human environmental impact. Through the generous support of sponsors and partners, in March 2000, the website http://www.racerocks.com/went live on the internet. Since that time three cameras have sent live images continuously and the students and faculty of Lester Pearson College as part of the ongoing stewardship of this area, have produced a large resource of supportive background materials and archived video. In addition, a portable video camera and webcast channel is available for special event programming both from Pearson College and Race Rocks. From the outset we have maintained a commitment to present a non-commercialized site.
This year we are doing an expansion of the live webcasts, which is dedicated to providing regular live webcasts to schools and museums. Trial live webcasts to the Museum of Nature in Ottawa have shown the effectiveness of this approach. The media for this program is entirely Internet based so consequently this entry will use that media to present the project. We have highlighted 9 components of the website which are particularly well-suited to demonstrate the value of the resource to education at a number of levels. Some are specifically targeted at the Middle School level, and some are appropriate for high school and even introductory level ecology classes at the university level. It goes without saying that the site is available to everyone with an internet connection and we also get positive feedback from interested viewers in general. The following represents some of the curriculum links provided by racerocks.ca

(THE FOLLOWING LINKS ARE BEING REDONE)

1. The Jason Program activity files on Race Rocks:
These files are designed for the Middle School Level. They provide a detailed set of objectives and a teacher information file, as well as assessment methods.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/index.html
a. Scavenger Hunt (An introduction to the racerocks.com website)
b. Geology and Geography (Abiotic Characteristics at Race Rocks),
c. Preserving the Past and Present Culture of Race Rocks (The Thirteen Moons),
d. Maintaining our Coastal Ecosystems (An Ethology),
e. The Northern Abalone,
f. Pinnipeds,
g. Conservation,
h. Seascape – Art

2. The Apple Learning Interchange Files:
The Apple Learning Interchange provided the distribution network on the internet making it possible for thousands of student connections per week. This exhibit provided one with a glimpse of the educational programs, the technology that makes it possible, as well as ideas to help use our resources in the classroom. (Link discontinued)

3. The Race Rocks Taxonomy:
This class assignment allows students in environmental systems and biology to prepare a taxonomy of a species from the Race Rocks area and link to it educational videos and pictures of the species in their habitats at Race Rocks. This provides a useful activity where students can accomplish a number of objectives while contributing a permanent “digital legacy” to help in making this site an enriched educational resource.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/taxonomy.htm
We have also linked to this exercise a template to encourage other schools to use a similar approach for recognition and conservation of biodiversity in their own local ecosystems. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/newecosystem/genusfolder/studentemplate.html

4. The “Adopt an Ecosystem” project:
Environmental Education involving science students at undergraduate levels in direct action is the goal of our program at Pearson College. We have found that the production by students of internet materials on environmental issues is a vehicle for doing this effectively. This is a tool, which provides incentive for environmental understanding and encouragement of an “adopting an ecosystem” attitude that can have important consequences in education. The emphasis is on “action” and seeking methods to enable collaboration with others to help solve environmental problems. Students at Lester B. Pearson College have been learning about environmental issues by producing materials for the internet, a “Digital Legacy”. In this way, their education has the added advantage of serving as a resource for others in the educational system in British Columbia and around the world. It also allows them to participate in facilitating collaborative efforts in environmental research.
https://www.racerocks.ca/educational-resources/adopt-an-ecosystem/

5. Race Rocks as a Resource for a Statistics exercise.
The purpose of this file is to enable a student to transfer Environmental Data being recorded at Race Rocks from an EXCEL spread sheet presented on the internet to their own computer in order to be able to graph trends and analyze relationships. Long-term databases are very important for monitoring change in ecosystems. Patterns of cyclic activity and even events such as Climate Change can be detected from the Race Rocks Data.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/education/curricula/ibbiology/labairseatemp.htm

6. Links to Race Rocks Resources for the BC Grade 11 Curriculum:
Selected Biology Prescribed Learning Outcomes are taken from the B.C.Ministry of Education K-12 Curriculum and Learning . The Outcomes which are related to Race Rocks are presented on this page with racerocks.com links
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/education/curricula/bc11bio/bc11bio.htm

7. IB Biology and Environmental Systems Ecology Resource.
The objectives of the IB program for secondary students are linked to appropriate activities and resources in this file.
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/education/curricula/ibbiology/bioecol.htm
8. The Animal Behaviour studies:
This file is intended for Secondary school students. It provides ideas for taking the live images on the cameras and doing a scientific study of the complexities of animal behaviour.
https://www.racerocks.ca/the-ethology-assignment/
9. The Ecological Niche and The Transect File:
These two files demonstrate useful ecological quantification techniques and allow an interactive format for the students to study this aspect of ecology. They further provide a model for doing similar studies in one’s own ecosystem.
and https://www.racerocks.ca/ecological-niche-the-empirical-model/
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/transect/transrrk.htm

B. FURTHER DETAILS ON PROGRAMME/MULTI-MEDIA PRODUCT

1. Fitness for Need and Purpose:
The main aim of the program is to provide a virtual website which presents as many aspects as possible of an environmentally sensitive area, allowing investigators to use the resources of the area without contributing to a negative environmental impact. The target audience is wide ranging, from elementary school to university and the general public. Some of the materials presented are interactive, some present curriculum ideas which can be pursed in the classroom, and some challenge others to use the model of this area to instill the values of environmental stewardship in others so that more areas can be protected yet made available virtually to the public. Since we at Pearson College have benefited for so many years from the resources of this special ecosystem, we feel that by making it available to all, we can contribute a great amount to environmental education. We are continually seeking feedback from groups and individuals who use our resources.

.
2. Design and presentation to suit distance learning:

The materials of racerocks.com are available to anyone with an internet connection. Although the live streaming video is a highlight of the site, it was appreciated early on that for the next few years, not everyone would be able to receive it on high speed cable. As a result, a wide range of materials have been added to the site to reduce dependency on the speed of the network. Many of the archived video have been provided in a 56K format for downloading where only modem access is available. The part of the website designed for Middle School learners in particular has been designed to facilitate easy implementation by the teacher, complete with specific Learner outcomes and assessment procedures. The level of difficulty varies greatly, with an Ecological Niche modeling lab at one end of the spectrum and directions for downloading video and images to use in your own presentation at the other. Copyright release has been provided to anyone using the materials for educational purposes. The provision of two robotic cameras provide a level of interactivity unsurpassed in most educational media. If students are given an assignment where they have to quantify behaviours of an animal, and they can do that remotely by manipulating the controls of a camera, then this is a great motivational device for learning.

3. Use of a systematic course/multi-media product development process
When in the fall of 1999 we received the Canada Millennium Partners Fund grant to start this project, we enlisted the voluntary help of an internet consulting company, LGS of Victoria to assist us in project management and web site design. Our administrator Angus Matthews directed the technical progress of the project, and our Biology and Environmental systems faculty member Garry Fletcher directed the educational content development of the site. Members of the B.C. Department of Education PLNet were asked to comment on the site as were a number of graduates, and local elementary teachers. Feedback has been received since the inception from a wide range of our audience, and most of it has been positive. The only problems identified are usually those related to the need to install the free QuickTime software onto computers in order to see the archived and live video. The request from the Jason Foundation and the B.C. Department of Education to produce special materials for the middle school last year to serve as the Canadian component for coastal resources for the Jason Project was definitely a benefit to the upgrading of our middle school curriculum materials.

 

4. Coherence and Integration of media and technology in the study materials
The technology was chosen because it was recognized to be the most dynamic for a changing world where the updating of the information and the rejuvenation of curricular materials can be done on an ongoing basis. This would not be possible with static media such as a CD or a DVD. Furthermore, since our materials are developed on a voluntary basis, we were determined that equal access to all of a non-commercial site should be possible. It can be appreciated that with declining school budgets, funds are often available for infrastructure and hardware but not often for updating materials. The media of the internet makes possible the most current and in this case “in real time” resources to be made available. Our efforts are valued by the Educational Branch of Apple to the extent that they are currently providing us with a generous updating of hardware for our webcasting computers and continue to provide free of charge access to their Akamai network for serving of the live streaming video on the four cameras.

5. Evidence of Impacts and benefits derived from Evaluation

1. We frequently get feedback from schools and individuals thanking us for the materials and the approach used on racerocks.com. Appreciative comments have come from parents doing home schooling and two of our South American students have been able to do a live presentation in Spanish for an inner city elementary school in California. This got rave reviews from the children, and they were very appreciative of the two students who presented it. Each year we also bring out several small groups of school children from local middle schools. These children serve as proxies for those back in the classroom and in this way provide a first hand link with the environment. See an example of one of these trips on http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidwestmont2a.htm Teachers, students and parents frequently express their gratitude for this opportunity to visit the site virtually, with their own guides on the scene as well.

2. In recognition of the educational value of our program, we have been acknowledged in the indexing of the GEM , Gateway to Educational Materials of the US Dept of Education (http://www.thegateway.org/) and the National Library of Canada (http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm)
3. The racerocks.com program has been recognized by a number of media sources linked from our file: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/news/oct00news.htm In particular, in the journal Education Canada in the edition on Education and Technology. Vol. 41, No 3. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/news/2001/edcan/rrcomeduc.htm

4. Since part of our goals relate to the involvement of our own students in providing the programming live via the internet, the following account describes how one of the three students expressed his satisfaction with the process last June in bringing a set of live programs to the internet:

“I am one of three Pearson College students currently spending 11 project days at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. We are all year 29 students of Pearson College who decided to stay for this project after our first year, and we’ll soon be going home to different countries of the world.Oceans have always had a great fascination on me. Coming to Pearson College and living on the Pacific Ocean was the realization of an old dream. Through my IB biology class as well as waterfront activities at the college I’ve learned to value marine life in all its beauty and diversity. During the year, I spent one project week at Race Rocks, studying marine mammal behaviour in relation to the DND’s weapons testing. Numerous trips led me out to the island, some for biology classes (and related fieldwork), and some for helping with tasks necessary for the island, such as bringing fuel for the generators. Every time I come to Race Rocks, it allows me to discover something new, to explore a new aspect of this gorgeous place. This has been an amazing time for all of us. Diving, learning more about the reserve and species living on it, contributing to research projects, producing live webcasts daily, and helping the lighthouse keepers in maintaining the station have just been some of the tasks we pursued during the last days”
Jeremias Prassl, June 2003

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Although so many people get to use the wonderful educational resources of the Race Rocks area by going there virtually on the internet, the wildlife is not harmed and the environment remains pristine. If we can say this after another 20 years and if other places have taken this technique and applied it in a similar way, then the experiment will have been worth every bit of the volunteer time and effort to make it successful. The program takes advantage of new media and new technology in a original and creative way which will hopefully form a model for education in conservation ecology in many parts of the world. When young people are given ownership of an idea they tend to internalize the values and end up with their own real commitment. Perhaps this is the aspect which we are most proud of in this project. From the examples we have seen of what our own students have gained and contributed in this venture, we know how effective this process can be and how powerful it is an educational tool. Because the project involves a creative approach to conservation education never tried before on this scale, and because it gives the confidence to our own international students knowing that their efforts can have a wider effect, influencing conservation practices beyond our local example, we feel this program has a major value in Distance Education.

 

The Commonwealth of Learning selects the racerocks.com website for its Excellence in Education Award 2004.

 

LINK TO DISTANCE EDUCATION FEATURES OF RACEROCKS.COM

Contact information:
Garry Fletcher, Educational Director, racerocks.com
Victoria, BC.email: garryf (use the at sign ) gmail.com

Slash, an Elephant Seal Injured by a Motorboat

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This page is directed to all those marine vessel operators who persist in driving at high speeds in areas frequented by Marine birds and mammals. This Elephant Seal was struck by a motor boat somewhere around Race Rocks in January of 2003. Fortunately he will probably survive, he was one of the “lucky” ones. This is the most northern location for haulout of elephant seals . They are docile creatures, unafraid of boats. We just have to slow down and watch the surface carefully to avoid these animals when we are driving around sensitive ecological areas. 

slashmovieiconIn January 2003, two male elephant seals were hauled out on Great Race island. One was suffering from severe injuries, probably inflicted by someone driving a motor boat at high speed in the area around Race Rocks.

 We eventually named  “Slash” and he becomes the docile elephant seal that hangs around the main island for many years. 

injured elephant seal injured elephant seal

 Return to the Index file on Slash.

Slash, the Injured Elephant Seal

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In January 2003, two male elephant seals were hauled up on Great Race island. One was suffering from severe injuries, probably inflicted by someone driving a motor boat at high speed in the area around Race Rocks. This elephant seal we eventually name “Slash” and he becomes ta docile elephant seal that hangs around the main island for many years. Ecoguardian Mike Slater took this video. See other videos of him on this site.

  • See MPA Guardian Carol Slater’s comments on these animals in the Daily log of Jan19, Feb 11, Feb13, Feb 14 and Mar 1, 2003
  • See the recovery a year later below:
  •  Fortunately he has recovered well as can be seen her in two videos taken by Mike Slater in July and August ,2003. later we started vcalling him Slash and have devoted a special page to him on this website

 

Oregonia gracilis: Decorator Crab — The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Decorator crabs are common in the intertidal and subtidal areas at Race Rocs. Their habit of attaching bits of algae, or shell on their carapace makes them well camouflaged. They are a small crab, only up to 2-3 cm width in their carapace. 

In 1889, William Bateson observed in detail the way that decorator crabs fix materials on their backs. He noted that “[t]he whole proceeding is most human and purposeful”, and that if a Stenorhynchus crab is cleaned, it will “immediately begin to clothe itself again with the same care and precision as before”.[2](Wikipedia)
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostrata
Order: Decapoda
Family: Majidae
Genus Oregonia
Species gracilis
Common Name: Decorator Crab
 

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda 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.

 name 2002 (PC)

Larus philadelphia: Bonaparte’s gull – The Race Rocks taxonomy

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Bonaparte`s Gull is one of the smallest North American gull. The small size12″-14″( 33 cm) and light buoyant flight of They are reminiscent of terns. Wingspreads range from 24 to 63 in. (0.6-1.6 m).

Summer adults have black heads, grey mantles and white underparts and tail. The wings show white outer primaries with black trailing edges. The bill is slender and black. The legs and the feet are reddish-orange. In winter, the black head becomes white with dark round spot behind the eye. Juveniles show dark ear spot on the head. They have brown on the mantle, scapulars and sides of the breast. The tail is white with a black terminal band. The legs are pinkish. By late September, young birds have moulted into the first winter plumage, characterized by a narrow dark bar on the upper wings, a dark leading edge to the primaries, which together form an “M” across the upper surface of the wings. They lose the juvenile`s brown but retain the terminal band on the tail. In their first summer, they begin to show a dark hood, and the”M” pattern on the wings begins to fade through wear. Bonaparte`s Gull attain adult winter plumage in their second year.

They are escpecially common in late August , September and October when swarms of Krill enter the waters.

Bonaparte`s Gulls are present in Race Rocks as omnivores. They feed on insects, worms, fish, mollusks, crustaceans in Pedder Bay and in the waters from Pedder Bay out to Race Rocks. They nest as isolated pairs or in small colonies, in other parts of British Columbia
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum  Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadiformes
Genus Larus
Species philadelphia
Common Name: Bonaparte`s gull

Websites and references:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/BO NGUL/
Peterson Field Guides. Peterson , Roger Tory. “Western Birds”. third edition(1990) Hougthon Mifflin Press: p. 96,102

 

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. December 2002- Giulio Esposito PC year 29

Zalophus californianus: The california sea lion

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calif

California Sea Lion, note dry one on the left , wet one (black) on the right: photo G. Fletcher

DESCRIPTION:
California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Their color tends toward chocolate brown, although females are often a lighter golden brown. Males may reach 1,000 lbs. (more often 850 lbs.or 390 kg) and 7 feet (2.1 m) in length. Females grow to 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in length. They have a “dog-like” face, and around five years of age, males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male’s head often gets lighter with age. These members of the Otariid, or walking seal, family have external ear flaps and are equipped with large flippers which they use to “walk” on land. The trained “seals” in zoos and aquaria are usually California sea lions.

In 1970 , Trevor Anderson reported to David Hancock for the Journal article “California Sea Lion as a Regular Winter Visitant off the British Columbia Coast” that ” California Sea Lions had hauled out on rocks near the light every winter since 1966…. and a peak of population of 30 was reached in February, 1969.”

It is clear that the population of these animals has risen considerably over the years, and by 2007, up to 300 may haul out in the fall of the year. ( 500 in 2015)

They tend to move out of the dock area with the winter storms which bring swells from the North East. They also haul out mixed in with the Northern or Steller’s sealion.

 

RANGE/HABITAT:

seali2sleep

Ecological Equivalents: a subspecies of california sea lion from the Galapagos Islands.

California sea lions are found from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. They breed mainly on offshore islands from southern California’s Channel Islands south to Mexico, although a few pups have been born on Año Nuevo and the Farallon Islands in central California. There is a distinct population of California sea lions at the Galapagos Islands.

 

 

We keep track of the branded sealions at Race Rocks: two links: https://www.racerocks.ca/race-rocks-animals-plants/marine-mammal-tracking/

5477-1-of-1Records of Sea Lion brands: You can  see the Ecoguardian’s notes and images of the branded sea lions in the log for 2011-2013 etc. here.

Previous photos and observations of tracking devices prior to 2011 can be seen in this linked file:

 

BREEDING

Sea lions do not pup at Race Rocks, it is strictly a winter haulout colony. Most pups are born on the outer coast to the South in June or July and weigh 13-20 lbs. (6-9 kg). They nurse for at least 5-6 months and sometimes over a year. Mothers recognize pups on crowded rookeries through smell, sight, and vocalizations. Pups also learn to recognize the vocalizations of their mothers. Breeding takes place a few weeks after birth. Males patrol territories and bark almost continuously during the breeding season. Gestation lasts about 50 weeks and lactation 5 to 12 months. The longevity is estimated to be around 17 years.

SUBSPECIES

Three subspecies are recognized: Zalophus californianus californianus (Lesson, 1828), Zalophus californianus wollebaeki (Sivertsen, 1953) and Zalophus californianus japonicus (Peters, 1866), each living in a clearly separate range. According to Rice (1998), the differences between these types justifies classification as separate species: Zalophus californianus, Zalophus wollebaeki and Zalophus japonicus

ecotourimpactsSee this link to several archived videos of marine mammals. In particular note the effect of DND blasting on the colonies.

 

 

 

FEEDING HABITS

California sea lions are opportunistic feeders and eat such things as squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, anchovy and whiting. The California sea lion competes with the Northern Sea Lion Eumetopias jubata for habitat and food.

NOTES

sealionraft

rafting sealions

California sea lions are very social animals, and groups often rest closely packed together at favored haul-out sites on land, or float together on the ocean’s surface in “rafts.” They are sometimes seen porpoising, or jumping out of the water, presumably to speed up their swimming. Sea lions have also been seen “surfing” breaking waves.

The males are probably the most vocal of all mammals, and let out a loud incessant honking bark to protect over their territories. They are faithful to their territories, and to their harems of up to 15 females. Sea Lions swim up to 25mph which makes them one of the fastest aquatic carnivores.

Sea lions are known to damage fishing gear and steal or destroy fish in the nets. As a result a lot of California sea lions drown in nets and they are frequently shot at by commercial fishers. September, 2003 : This past few months we have seen three California and Northern Sea lions with fishing flashers hanging from their mouths. These animals pursue fishing lures , probably especially when live bait is used. They swallow the bait, and take down the meter plus length of leader line before the flasher comes to their mouth. The individuals will be seen for several days trailing these flashers. It is not known whether they eventually shed the flasher or whether this leads to an untimely death. Although they can pick up a flasher in waters at some distance from their haulouts, it certainly makes sense to restrict fishing activity when marine mammals are in the vicinity of a fishing vessel. This video shows a sea lion with a flasher in his mouth.

Sea lions are preyed upon by killer whales. Sea lions are known to have such diseases as pneumonia, caused by a parasitic lungworm, and a bacterial infection called leptospirosis, which affects their livers and kidneys.

Other problems for California sealions involve humans. Sea lions have been found illegally shot and also caught in drift or gill nets and other marine debris. However, their population is growing steadily, and California sea lions can be seen in many coastal spots.

At Race Rocks they can become a problem in the fall when they arrive in large numbers. We have to put up electric fencing to keep them from damaging the infrastructure on the island as they will crush pipes and instruments.

rmsept1411slstair-1

In the fall of 2011, the California sea lions were especially attracted up near the house in mid September . They all departed when an earthquake struck the north end of Vancouver island.

The Californian Sea lion was once killed in great numbers for their blubber which could be made into oil, and the rest would be made into dog food. Today the seal lion is protected by international treaty which has led to a positive shift in their populations.

rmuwoct11califswim

California Sea Lion underwater by Ryan Murphy Oct 2011

Unusual Events:

redtailThis unusual event involving a red-tailed hawk and a sea lion was observed in October 2003.

 

 

 

INJURIES:
RMdetail_20090823Sea lions bear the brunt of many actions by humans, many which could be avoided with more caution in driving boats through congregations of the  mammals.

 

 

 

 

flash2Fishers should bear some responsibility for the many instances of fishing flashers attached to hooks inside.

 

 

 

 

rmoct2011slneckWhen the sea lions are present in great numbers, we are always seeing individuals with entanglements, usually in the plastic hoops that fishers use for net bundles, Posts at this tag show many examples of injuries and entanglements.

 

 

 

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Pinnipedia
Family Otariidae
Genus Zalophus
Species californianus
Common Name: California Sea Lion

Other Members of the Class Mammalia 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. Original by Caroline Mwaniki (PC yr. 27)

 

Eagles Congregate in Winter at Race Rocks

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In January, on a planned dive off West Race Rocks, the divers had to divert to another location because of a large number of eagles on the island. They shot this clip as they went by the island. Carol Slater had counted 43 on the Rocks earlier in the day. This is typical of their peak in numbers every January. The brown juveniles and the white headed adults number fairly equally.


 

Ardea herodias: Great Blue Heron–The Race Rocks taxonomy

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Images for this slide show video were taken on the remote camera 5 by PB.

 

The great blue heron is a very widely spread bird throughout the American continent. During the breeding season it can be found in places such as Alaska and as far south as Mexico or the West Indies. In Winter, most blue herons leave Canada and go to the United States, or even places as Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. However, British Columbia seems to be an exception to this, and blue herons live there during the whole year. On the southern part of Vancouver Island, they are frequent residents in Pedder Bay and are often seen sitting out on the kelp at Rocky Point. Kelp provides shelter for a number of small fish such as herring and anchovie. Occasionally on calm days, we will see a heron standing and spearing fish from the Nereocystis (kelp) beds out at Race Rocks, so they become part of the top of the food web in the ecosystem.
Blue herons are the biggest type of heron. Adults can be over 1 meter tall, and they can have a 2 meter wing span. Their head is white with a black stripe on each side extending back from the eyes. Their back is blue and the breast is white streaked with black. In flight, the neck is doubled back and the head rests against the shoulders. Herons in their first year have grey crowns and grey wings.
Great blue herons feed mainly on very small fish, with no more then 7cm of length. Occasionally, they can feed on shellfish, insects, amphibians, reptiles, small birds and rodents.

Blue herons usually nest in forest areas, within a few kilometres from their main feeding area, in treetops. This is done in order to prevent the nest from being reached by land predators. During the spring, when both males and females arrive for nesting, males occupy old nests or branches and prepare to defend their territory. In the presence of females, they emit very loud shrieks. Two year old males are the most likely to mate immediately. The closest possible nesting area to Race Rocks is Rocky Point.
After mating, males gather construction materials to build a new nest, and together with the female, they build it in about one week. By April, each female then lays three to five eggs, which she incubates during the night, while the male incubates them during the day.

After hatching, young herons are fed by their parents, who regurgitate predigested food. If supplies are not enough. Only the strongest will survive. The weaker offspring end up being pushed out of the nest by the strongest, and they eventually starve. The survivors grow very quickly. Eight weeks after they’re born they can already fly clumsily, and at the age of ten weeks they leave the nest and become independent. An average of two or three chicks results from each breeding cycle of the blue heron
Great blue herons are a very sociable species. They organize in colonies for breeding, feeding and protection from predators.
These birds live as long as 17 years. They have very few natural predators. Draining marshes and destroying common food sites are the greatest threat to the population of great blue herons. However, the mortality among young birds is high. The eggs are often preyed upon by crows, ravens, eagles and raccoons. In ictoria, nesting colonies have moved due to continula predation by bald eagles. Shortage of food is also a common death factor among youngsters. Although contamination by chemicals seems to interfere with the reproductive system, it is not yet proven that it has a direct impact on overall population levels.
Reference: Hinterland Who’s Who?
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
SubphylumVertebrata
Class Aves
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae
Genus Ardea
Species herodias
Common Name: Great Blue Heron

 

 

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. March 8 2009- Pam Birley

Metandrocarpa taylori: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Oozoid budding in Metanrocarpa taylori:, :”Larvae of the stolidobranch ascidian Metandrocarpa taylori molt a thin sheath upon settling, then metamorphose and radiate a larval complement of vascular ampullae upon the substrate. These ampullae thereafter regress, “rest” in a reduced condition for several weeks, and then regrow into the oozooids definitive array of vascular ampullae in accompaniment to the development of the oozooidal vascular nest of test-vessels. Pallial buds emerge some four months after the larva settles; the oozooid has by then grown to a length of at least 2 mm and its vascular nest is surrounded by at least 16 vascular ampullae. Oozooids bud one to five buds (mean, 2.6) in a rather short period of blastogenic vigor, then persist in the colony. Late buds are requently aborted.”
-Hiroshi Watanabe and Andrew Todd Newberry 1976.  Budding by Oozooids
in the Polystyelid Ascidian Metandrocarpa taylori Huntsman.  Journal
of Morphology 148(2):161-176. image by Ryan Murphy.

 

Metaandrocarpa oozoid buddingThe photo above is derived from the one above. Here the nudibranch Dendronotus albus is feeding on the tuniates.

 

 

 

A cup coral ballanophyllia growing amongst a colony of Metandrocarpa All images above were taken in 2010 by Ryan Murphy

 

 

 

 

 

The small orange tunicates are always colonial.

 

 

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Urochordata
Class Ascidacea
Order Pleurogona
Suborder Stolidobranchia
Family Pyuridae
Genus Metandrocarpa
Species taylori
Common Name: orange social tunicate

The common name for Metandrocarpa taylori is “colonial sea squirt”. This name comes from the animal’s ability to squeeze (“squirt”) out water if one removes them from their underwater home. Whilst they seem to be quite simple organisms regarding their shape, sea squirts are in fact quite close to humans on an evolutionary scale – they’ve got a spine.

Sea squirts belong to the phylum Chordata (as shown in the table above), which includes all animals with a spinal chord, a supporting notochord (backbone), and gill slits at one point in their lives–everything from fish to humans. Tunicates have all these features as larvae. A young tunicate larvae will swim around for some time, find a rock or another hard surface to settle down and make itself stick to this surface with adhesive organs. It then starts changing, rearranges its organs (loses the tail, degrades its nervous system) and becomes a full grown sea squirt. Sea squirts possess both sex organs, but are physiologically unable to self-fertilize.

Tunicates actually “wear” tunics. They secrete the leathery sac–called a tunic–that protects the animal. There are two openings in the sac, called “siphons.” Cilia on the pharynx move about to create a current and draw water in through the incurrent siphon. The water is then filtered through the mucus-coated pharynx, which traps food particles. Oxygen is drawn from the water as it passes through the gill clefts, and moves out through the excurrent siphon.

Divers at Race Rocks will be able to observe different kinds of sea squirts in or near rock niches. They settle down in patches of about 8-9 cm diameter. Sometimes one can also find a patch of sea squirts grown on kelp, which are mostly another species, metandrocarpa dura.

Suggestions for further research:

1. How do different factors – current, sea temperature, light – influence the water circulation in the sea squirts? Which influence does this water circulation have on the sea squirt’s direct environment?
2. In which depths do sea squirts grow? Does depth influence their growing? How far can the larvae move before the settle down and what influences their choice of location?

Sources:

http://www.umassd.edu/Public/People/Kamaral/thesis/SeaSquirts.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/chordata/urochordata.html

Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, Eugene N Kozloff, 1996, University of Washington Press

Keys to the Marine Invertebrates of Puget Sound, the San Juan Archipelago, and Adjacent Regions, Eugene N. Kozloff and others, 1974, University of Washington Press
Other Members of the Subphylum Urochordata 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.  Ryan Murphy

 

Jeremias Prassl (PC yr 29)