Category Archives: Facility work

Educational Visit, and Orca

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Ecological Notes:

  • Steller Sea Lion photographed nursing what appears to be a yearling “pup”

photo by Ashley Warwick

  • 2 Orca hunting in the reserve, 6 more hunting south of the reserve. This is not uncommon behaviour, as the 2 inside can panic and scatter the seals and sea lions out into the deeper water
  • Juvenile Golden Eagle present 2 days in the reserve. (there has been one frequently sighted in the Rocky Point area since last fall)
  • Students conducted the animal census

Visitors:

  • In cooperation with Pearson College, 7 Students and 1 chaperone for the WestCoast Adventure College stayed for 4 days. Current Eco-Guardian taught classes in Marine Mammals of the Salish Sea, and did some Heritage Arts projects in the evening. In addition, students learned about Race Rocks, all operations out here, and helped the Eco-Guardian with projects …. especially projects like work on ladders, and moving logs that are difficult to do by himself

Learning how to fill the cistern, photo by Sean Thompson

Facility Work:

  • Gutters cleaned on the Student House/ Science Center
  • Most paths, wooden stairs, roof of desalinator bunker, some exterior walls treated to remove algae
  • Paths pressure washed
  • logs stacked in the ramp area, pre-bucked and moved to the upper bucking area
  • More large logs salvaged and moved onto the ramp area
  • Weekly battery maintenance

DND events:

  • 3 days with occasional blasting, some delays when Orca in the pass

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Eco-tourism vessels
  • Cetacean Research vessel when whales present, and Marine Mammal Observer Vessel present blasting

Research vessel – Mike 1, photo by Ashley Warwick

 

Weather Events:

  • Week ending February 10

    • Sky:Overcast with sunny breaks
    • Wind: 5-15 kts
    • Sea:light swells
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 9oC

 

 

** 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?

Early Spring Cleaning

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Ecological Notes:

  • Still waiting to see if any Elephant Seals show up for the moult season
  • Sea Lion numbers are down a bit and not fluctuating as they have been
  • Transient Orca have been in the reserve 3 times at least over the last few days. they hunted right off the end of the pier, and in the channel just south of the light

Visitors:

  • Shore Front coordinator delivering supplies and fuel

Facility Work:

  • There was water in the basement of the Student and Science Center, and I first I couldn’t find the source. I checked all the plumbing on that side of the room, and mopped up the water. Checked a couple hours later and there was as much water there again. Realize it must be a new leak, and that it was still going. Took longer than it should have to find the leak, as it was working around the lowest points and looked like it was coming from the other direction. Isolated the problem, and repairs will be done tomorrow

  • With warmer weather and less rain, time to start spring cleaning of sidewalks. The algae cleaner needs the temperature, and rain free days to work.
  • Catching back up on fuel deliveries allows the replenishing of the Gerry Cans in reserve.

  • Noticed the fog horn wasn’t working on Sunday during the heavy fog. Coastguard notified so they could put out a notice to mariners. they have scheduled a visit for Thursday to repair it. With current availability of GPS and Radar on vessels, glad I didn’t have to use the manual back up!

  • Checking smoke detectors and first aid supplies that may expired

  • Awaiting new materials for the pier fence, cleaned up old wiring, saving longer pieces for repairs and making gates

DND events:

  • Detonations during the last week, under the guidence supplied by the Marin Mammal Observers on the water.

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Still a few Eco-Tourism vessels coming through.
  • 3 or 4 private vessels as well, all appropriate behavior

Weather Events:

  • Wednesday January 31:
    • Sky: High overcast with occasional sunny breaks
    • Wind: ESE to 30kts early, rotating through to NE 10-15kts during the day
    • Sea: rippled, some standing waves due to wind/tide combinations
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 13.5oC
  • Tuesday January 30:High overcast, occasional brief rain

    • Wind: NE dropping to 0kts at sunrise, raising through the day to NE 25kts, then dropping again in the evening
    • Sea:  light chop
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 14oC
  • Monday January 29:
    • Sky: Dense fog all day
    • Wind:N to NE rising from 5kts to 20kts through the day
    • Sea:  light chop
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 11oC

 

 

** 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?

Holiday Storm

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Best Wishes to you if you celebrate anything special this time of year!

Ecological Notes:

  • Still no Elephant Seals hauling out.
  • 1 yearling(?) came ashore for a couple days. When if first arrived it spent half a day moving around the central area, “calling” loudly (perhaps checking for others to haul out with?)

“You can’t see me here”

  • The Sea Otter – “Ollie” – was reported to be just off Helicopter rock by a photographer out on one of the EcoTourism boats. It’s nice to get updates on this animal, as his teeth are failing, and he is relatively old for a Sea Otter

    “Ollie” the sea Otter Photo submitted by Clint William

  • After dropping to very low numbers, there seems to be another surge of both Steller and California Sea Lions to the haul outs
  • There have been 2 or 3 small wrens in the flower beds, with help from Ann Nightingale, we believe these to be Pacific Wrens … too fast for me to get my own photo ….

photo by Mason Maron

Visitors:

  • 2 contractors from Viriidian Energy came and serviced the generator and upgraded the control system with an Auto Start/Stop system
  • Park Warden Garry Fletcher visited, and in addition to gaining an overview of the park and facilities, spent time with the Eco-Guardian providing interesting stories and history around the facility

Facility Work:

  • Spent some time analyzing and making adjustments to the new control system for the generator system
  • Initial setting on the Auto system proved to be problematic in that they resulted in very extended runs times(up to twice as long = twice the fuel burn and fuel transport!) Discussed with the programmer and they remotely adjusted the unit  to more appropriate times. Also, found out how to properly override the system for a manual run,  to ensure once a week full charges can still be done.
  • Will re-visit with the technician after the holidays
  • After help to secure some more logs … ongoing bucking and splitting to build up firewood stocks for the winter.
  • Did full maintenance on the chainsaw
  • Now running both the old, and the new Seawater data units, to give both readings to adjust  older incorrect readings

  • Proof on Concept: As the damp wood produces less heat in the woodstove, I decided to try to curtain off some areas, such as the front doorway and the kitchen. Using found materials , the main curtain is very thin, and does not cover the top very well, but it still produces a very noticeable temperature difference on either side

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ongoing Eco-Tourism vessels in the park
  • Several private vessels visiting, no noted infractions

Weather Events:

Ongoing winter weather, unseasonably warm, winds direction shifting daily, very little rain

  • Monday, December 25::
    • Sky: Dense, High overcast, very light sprinkles threatening rain, but none occurred
    • Wind: ENE 5-15 kts during the day, rising to nighttime winds gusting to 35 kts
    • Sea:1 meter swells from the East
    • Temperature Low 8.5oC, High 11oC
  • Tuesday, December 26:
    • Sky: Bright overcast sky
    • Wind: ENE, calm in the morning, expected to rise to 25kts during the day and up to 45kts by evening
    • Sea: Large rolling swells from the east
    • Temperature Low 9oC, High 11.5oC

 

 

** 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?

Race Rocks Ecological Reserve #97 Wardens Report December 2023

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Wardens Report by Garry Fletcher.. December 13, 2023

Past Wardens reports may be accessed at https://racerocks.ca/category/er-warden-report/

I got a ride out on the Second Nature vessel of Lester Pearson College. Greg and Cedrick were taking out two technicians to deal with problems with the Solar panels and the diesel engine. 

A herd of California Sea lions who have become accustomed to boats landing at the docks greeted us at the docks.

On the North side of the island there were mainly California sealions. 

The Northern sealions predominated on the south side of the island Their distinctive growl and larger size sets them apart from the California Sea lions 

For the several hours that the technicians were busy in the engine room I could  check out the whole island. Additional solar panels have been added to the array shown in the video below taken from the roof of the energy building/engine room. In the winter the diesel engine has to run for a few hours to help charge the batteries. 

 

From the helicopter pad I observed a very nervous mixed herd of California and Northern sealions that were occupying the area on the West side of the island, preventing me from going in that direction to check out the tidepools. 

Race Rocks must be one of the few outdoor locations in British Columbia where flowers bloom year round because of the surrounding waters never dropping below 8 degrees C which moderates the temperature.

There were many Black turnstones around the island. They are found here year round although they are not known to nest here.

 

 

There has been a high number of gull mortalities this past year. This one is missing the breasts indicating it was a meal for the Bald Eagles. They now patrol the area regularly and this has probably contributed to the low number of overwintering gulls.

The absence in overwintering seagulls at this time of of year  was very obvious. Ined some years they have number in the thousands. The south-west corner which usually is heavily populated only had a dozen of probably brants cormorants, and a small flock of less than 100 gulls was on the north-east corner of the island

While I was there , Greg and Cedrick from Pearson College helped in cleaning gutters, definitely a two-man job for safety reasons, and hauling up some of the logs in the harbour by the slipway for cutting up for firewood. 

SOME WORK YET TO BE DONE: 

Managing a former light station and an Ecological Reserve can be a large job.  Pearson College does an admirable job in fundraising to keep the place going. It is after all the only Ecological Reserve in the province which has human dwellings and a full time Ecoguardian paid for by Pearson College. Since 1997 Pearson College has taken on the role of management of these facilities which require constant upkeep in a very demanding physical and biological environment. I will point out several items below that are needing attention. 

 

This is the last of the old storage tanks used by the coastguard. They await removal. It is just a matter of time until the salty environment encouraging the rust could cause further problems. 

 

Below are some suggestions I would like to make about things that are not urgent but to which attention may be paid in the future. 

The rock wall which was eroded by the hurricane in 2006 Is still in a partly fallen state, contributing to bare soil and erosion.  It wouldn’t take much effort to repair this to improve the stability of the area. ( maybe a student project week item?)

 

At one time the area under these artifacts was covered  with bricks from the original engine room. The bricks are still there but they are now overgrown with grass. Removal of the overburden would improve the appearance of the area. 

 

 

California Sealion

 

 

Underwater Scenes

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Ecological Notes:

  • Sea Lion numbers range up and down daily. Have notice more smaller sea lions this year, and can hear the higher squawks of younger ones. Unlike last year, I haven’t found any nursing pups yet.
  • Barred Owl is still here. For a couple days, there were zero other birds on the top area of the main island (Canada Geese, Turnstones, Gulls, or Dunlins)….. but they are gradually returning now. I suspect maybe the Owl hunted extensively one night and scared them all away(?)
  • Humpback whales still visible daily
  • On one day, in addition to the Humpbacks, Southern Resident Orca passed south of the reserve heading west, and Bigg’s (Transient) Orca passed heading East. While they were too far to get photographs, both groups were visible by eye (once I located them with binoculars)

Visitors:

  • Group of students and instructor from Pearson College visited for the weekend. They were primarily interested in mapping the kelp forests and how they are affected by Urchins and Sea Otters. They helped with other projects and used the ROV to view the underwater area off the jetty.

Siri, Finn, Maria, Annabelle, and Edgar

Always curious!

Sea Urchins

Young Bull Kelp

  • Contractors to work on the main house windows

Facility Work:

  • Now able to start bucking logs from the ramp area and moving to the full bucking area for firewood.
  • Cleaned and prepped the science house for the students visit
  • Did another full sweep of the main island to remove dead gull carcasses
  • Contractors continue the finishing work on the newly installed windows, moving primarily to the sills and finish on the inside.

  • Communicating with DFO in regards to the salinity measurements. They seem high, even though the meter was recently replaced. Tested with a meter owned by Pearson College and that meter showed numbers I would be expecting.
  • Ongoing spray down of walkways and decks to reduce slim and algae, but wondering if the cooler weather is reducing the effectiveness of the spray(?)

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Continued visits by Eco- Tourism vessels
  • Some private vessels transiting, some pausing to enjoy the nature in the reserve.

 Noted Infractions:

  • No attempted fishing detected
  • Transit and departure speeds all good

Weather Events:

  • Winds pretty consistent NNE 10-15 Kts
  • Mixes of partial cloudy, and some fog at night
  • Temperatures ranging 4 to 7 degrees

 

 

** 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?

Waiting on the storm(s)

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Ecological Notes:

  • All Elephant Seals have moved along, I imagine they will return in December or January and stay for the moult season
  • Although I thought it was a random event, there has been a Barred Owl roosting under the tank shed deck for 3 days now

  • Sea lion numbers are down, and many moved to the southern rocks after heavy blasting at the DND site

Visitors:

  • Ongoing visits by contractors working on main house windows

Facility Work:

  • Working on gradual trimming and removal of plants from the walkways. the root systems can be destructive to the concrete and brick, as well as encouraging water leak into the buildings…. will scrub down the  paths with the next heavy rains
  • Diesel Generator oil change

  • Weekly battery electrolyte top up and check
  • Continuing to collect logs for firewood
  • Even in the less messy months, cleaning the solar panels every now and then helps

DND events:

  • Several very loud blasts during the week, noted more than average disturbance with the birds and sea lions. (maybe coincidental but it was the day of the loudest that the 3 elephant seals left)

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Ecotourism and education vessels in the reserve, most following guidelines well.
  • Several private vessels in the reserve. None were observed fishing, but they commonly exit the reserve at high speed.

Weather Events:

  • Friday, November 17:
    • Sky: Mostly sunny and clear, with slight haze and overcast far south in the strait
    • Wind: NE winds 10-15 kts shifting to ENE later in the afternoon
    • Sea: rippled to with minimal chop
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 9oC
  • Saturday, November 18:
    • Sky: clear until mid-afternoon, with clouds and haze on the south side of the strait.clouds gradually increased in the late afternoon
    • Wind: early morning rising to NE 15 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to
    • Temperature Low 6oC, High 8oC

 

 

** 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?

First week back

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Ecological Notes:

  • 3 Male Elephant Seals, 1 sub adult, 1 yearling, 1 3 year old(?) tagged – K646 (other tag obscured)
  • At least 20 Canada Geese, more adults than I have personally seen here before other than brief stop overs for migration
  • At least 6 Humpback whales, 2 well in the reserve

Visitors:

  • Contractors, working on the windows of the main house

Facility Work:

  • topped up battery electrolyte levels for solar storage

    Solar power battery bank

  • Took delivery of 1300 litres fresh water for the the storage tank

How we transfer water to the storage tank

  • Transferred a barrel of diesel to the main house tank, was a poor fall for wood salvage for the wood stove (so far)

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • Still regular Ecotourism vessels, and the school educational vessel
  • 1 private vessel fishing in the reserve, left as soon as I contacted them on VHF

 

Weather Events:

  • Saturday, November 04:
    • Sky: Bright high cloud early, giving way  mixed high and low rain clouds by mid-morning
    • Wind: Low north winds in early morning, rising by noon to NW 35+ kts, dropping in the evening and overnight to light winds
    • Sea: Morning rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 11oC, High 15oC
  • Sunday, November 05:
    • Sky: Early morning fog giving way to high cloudy overcast
    • Wind: morning NNW 5 kts, gradually shifting to N and rising to 20kts mid day
    • Sea:  light chop with a slight underlying swell
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 12.5oC
  • Monday, November 06:
    • Sky: Foggy until mid-afternoon, clear and sunny to overcast
    • Wind: W/WSW 16-37 kts
    • Sea:  light chop turning to high waves by evening
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 13oC
  • Tuesday, November 06:
    • Sky: Clear and sunny to overcast by afternoon
    • Wind: NNE 15 kts dropping and shifting to W 3kts through the day
    • Sea:  light chop , with underlying swell
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 12oC

 

 

** 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?

November Returns

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Happy to be returning to the Eco-Guardian position, after a summer on and off the ocean (and my motorcycles!)

Ecological Notes:

  • 3 Elephant Seals, one tagged

  • Large daily fluctuation of sea lions…… lots of forage fish in the area, and I believe some are moving further into the Salish Sea, as other regular haunts were low on sea lions last week
  • Did see “Ollie” the sea otter near one of the north west rocks
  • Deceased Sea Lion removed from boat ramp area ….. (untrained)observation looked like an older animal, in normal shape, with no visual injuries
  • Many Brandt’s Cormorants in the reserve
  • 3 Humpback whales in the pass between Race Rocks and Pedder bay, several more south of race, viewable by eye and binoculars

Visitors:

  • Contractors working on main house window replacement

Facility Work:

  • Contractors replacing windows
  • Perimeter fence maintenance
  • Moving maximum fuel to generator room, keeping it up to ensure easy access during the upcoming storm season
  • Opportunistically remove dead Gull carcasses from the island while performing other tasks
  • Solar working well, and batteries retaining levels well overnight

DND events:

  • none during this time period, but they were working there earlier in the week, and could account for lower sea lion levels mid week

Noted Vessel Traffic:

  • 2 or 3 Ecotourism vessels
  • 1 Ecotourism  vessel with multiple visits while implementing their education program
  • 2 Kayakers out and about in the reserve

Weather Events:

  • Friday, November 03:
    • Sky: Clear in the morning, then filling in with high overcast and some clouds, light haze on the water by mid-day
    • Wind: Dropping during the night , to 5-10 kts mid morning, northerly,  building to 20-25 kts mid afternoon/evening
    • Sea: rippled to 2′ chop
    • Temperature Low 10oC, High 13oC

 

 

** 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?

A Quick Week on the Rocks

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A week goes by quickly out here!  First, an update:

The branded Steller’s sea lion I reported in my last post has a history that includes a previous trip to Race Rocks. 746R was branded at Rogue Reef (Southern Oregon) on July 12, 2009.  He has been all over Carroll Isl WA, Graves Rock SE AK, Castle Rock CA, Barkley Sound BC, Race Rocks in 2016, Sucia Island WA, Ewing Isl WA and Cape Arago OR as recently as July 7 this year. This and other marked sea lions are being studied by Susan Riemer of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. If you see marked sea lions, she really appreciates hearing about your sightings.

The last few days have had all of the weather possibilities for this time of year except hot. Foggy much of the time, windy most of the rest, and sometimes foggy and windy just to change things up. No rain, but humidity in the high 90s.  I’m always struck by how different the temperatures can be just a couple of kilometres away. The wind yesterday actually broke the electric fencing tape on the jetty, which I fixed this morning.

Despite the wind, it’s been a good week for shorebirds.  Another new one for me here (but not for Race Rocks) was a Sanderling. Normally seen chasing and being chased by incoming waves on a sandy beach, they do spend some time in more rocky environments.

The thick stubby bill and “spangled” back pattern are characteristics of Sanderling

The red colouring on the neck had me hoping it might be a MEGA rarity, but it was not.

The predominant gull at Race Rocks this time of year is the Glaucous-winged Gull. They are the regular breeders in this area.  But gulls don’t necessarily stick to their own kind. When they hybridize with Western Gulls, the offspring are known as Olympic gulls.  When they hybridize with Herring Gulls, the offspring are known as Cook Inlet Gulls. There is a gull that I’ve been watching that I think may be one of the latter.

Note the white “window” in the outer primary feather

The orbital ring is orange-yellow like both the Western and Herring gulls. The iris is darker than a Herring gull and lighter than most Glaucous-winged Gulls.

I’ll be passing these and other photos on to someone more “gullible” than I am!

The Second Nature from Pearson College has been making the rounds with alumni and friends of the school. Some of them had to look hard to find us through the fog!

Thanks to Greg Dickinson and Pearson College for providing this opportunity to me again.

Visitors:

  • No visitors ashore, but several from Pearson College on boat tours around the rocks
  • Ecotourism traffic has been picking up, despite the fog.

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels daily
  • Cleaned outbuilding windows inside and out
  • Swabbed the decks at the Ecoguardian residence
  • Fixed a shock-inducing break of the electric fence on the jetty
  • Visually checked the entire run of the fence and reconnected tape blown out by high winds

More photos:

 

Aug 2 – Census surprises

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One of the reasons for doing a weekly census is to put down in writing the numbers of mammals and birds that are actually in the reserve. This gives us the opportunity to compare the results, not simply rely on memory. And that’s a good thing!  My impression on my return to Race Rocks is that there were a lot fewer gulls here than last year.  A check of a census at a similar date in 2022 shows that not to be true. The numbers are actually very similar, but down about 15% from the same period in 2021. Census records the high counts of each species observed during the day. The marine mammals, for instance are best counted at low tide when most are hauled out. The adult gulls are at their highest numbers first thing in the morning and shorebirds gather on the east beach in late afternoon. Gull chicks can be counted anytime, but are usually undercounted because of their great hiding skills. In between, the census person watches for any other birds and animals that might show themselves.

Gull chick hidden in the marigolds.

Today’s census had several surprises apart from the number of gulls. While on the jetty, I thought I caught the flash of a bird in the corner of my eye.  It was more than one. At least 3 swallows were feeding on insects in the small bay beside the jetty. I managed to get some bad photos, but good enough to identify two different Barn Swallows and one Violet-green Swallow. Later in the day, a Lesser Yellowlegs was resting with the other shorebirds, and a Parasitic Jaeger (also identified by bad photos) headed west not far off Great Race. An adult and juvenile Glaucous-winged Gull were out for a little swim.  It always amazes me to see these youngsters in the water!

Lesser Yellowlegs, possibly the first documented for Race Rocks.  First on eBird for the Race Rocks hotspot.

Out for a swim

Among the sea lions today, I found one entangled with a fishing lure. This poor animal has been her for several weeks. Another had been branded for a research study. I’ll report this number to get its history.

tagged 746R

Sea lion entangled with sports fishing tackle.

More photos below!

Census, 2 August 2023

Birds

  • Harlequin Duck                              1
  • Black Oystercatcher                       23
  • Ruddy Turnstone                            1
  • Black Turnstone                              93
  • Surfbird                                           24
  • Western Sandpiper                         2
  • Short-billed Dowitcher                     2
  • Lesser Yellowlegs                           1
  • Parasitic Jaeger                              1
  • Pigeon Guillemot                            83
  • Heermann’s Gull                             2
  • Western Gull                                   1
  • California Gull                                 120
  • Glaucous winged Gulls                 332 adults, 237 juvenile
  • “Olympic” Gull                                3 adults 3 juvenile
  • Brandt’s Cormorant                        7
  • Pelagic Cormorant                         2
  • Violet-green Swallow                     1
  • Barn Swallow                                 2
  • Brown-headed Cowbird                 2

Mammals

  • Harbour seal                                195
  • Northern (Steller’s) sea lion         79
  • California sea lion                        7
  • Sea otter                                      1

Visitors:

  • No visitors
  • Ecotourism traffic has been slow.  Several boats a day, but rarely more than one in the area at a time

Facility Work: 

  • Cleaned windows and solar panels
  • Replaced batteries in smoke, CO alarm in Student House

More photos:

** All wildlife photos taken at safe distances with high-powered zoom, and may be cropped to improve detail! **