Nucella lamellosa: Frilled Dogwinkle–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

We have somehow missed getting a photo of this Dogwinkle.. stay tuned!

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Neogastropoda
Family Thaididae

Genus Nucella
Species lamellosa (Gmelin,1791)
Common Name: Frilled Dogwinkle

Other Members of the Phylum Mollusca at Race Rocks.

Return 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.

 

Cystodytes lobatus: Lobed compoud tunicate

Cystodytes lobatus photo by G.Fletcher.. 1980

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
subphylum Urochordata,
Class Ascidiacea

Order Enterogona
Family Polycitoridae
Genus Cystodytes (Ritter 1900)
Species lobatus
Common Name: Lobed compound tunicate

 

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.

 Garry Fletcher

Rissa tridactyla: Black legged kittiwake

PB-Black-legged -Kittiwake2

Black-legged -Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla In the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve


We received an e-mail today from Pam Birley of Leicester England with the photos of this Kittiwake she had taken using the remote controlled camera 5. This is a new photo record for Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Rissa (Stephens, 1826)
Species: tridactyla
Rissa tridactyla
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.

 

Limosa fedoa : Marbled godwit–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

donandnina-marbledgodwit

Marbled godwit  Limosa fedoa : photo by Ecoguardians Don and Nina, November 9 2015

This is the first record for the marbled godwit at Race Rocks. Don and Nina recorded it in their log today. Compare it with the whimbrels which we see almost every year in migration seasons


At least one Godwit stayed around for some time. Here are Jasper’s pictures from the log of December 15, 2015:

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Limosa
Species: L. fedoa
Binomial name
Limosa fedoa (Linnaeus, 1758)

for a good recording of their call go to: http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/marbled_godwit
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.
Garry Fletcher 2015

 

 

Spinus tristis :American Goldfinch–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Ann Stewart, Race Rocks Ecoguardian, took these pictures of the American goldfinch ( Spinus tristis) in its winter plumage and posted them in her log of today’s date. This is the first record for this species on Race Rocks The brown nape and bright colours suggest that it is a male.  This is at the extreme northern range for these birds at this time of year. Race Rocks serves as a valuable stopover for the migration of many birds, so we assume it was on its way across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Spinus
Species: S. tristis

Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758)
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.

 

Balaenoptera acutorostrata: Minke Whale–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Minke whales are being seen more frequently in recent years off Race Rocks .  See the posts on Minke whales sighted from the Ecological Reserve.
(We are still waiting for a picture of whales in the Ecological Reserve.)

For reporting Minke whales, go to  the Northeast Pacific minke whale project.

The BC Cetacean Sightings Network has a good description and images:

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Eutheria
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Mysticeti
Family: Balaenopteridae
Genus: Balaenoptera
Species: B. acutorostrata

 

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.

 

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus-Yellow-headed blackbird–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Ecoguardian Anne Stewart made the first record of this species by photographing  this Yellow-headed blackbird female at Race Rocks, May 22, 2015 It is one of the 58 species that has been recorded by photograph as a migrant stopping off at Race Rocks.

Xantho= yellow,  Cephalus = head

YhblkbrdScientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Xanthocephalus
Species: X. xanthocephalus
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte, 1826)

yellow-headed blackbird
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.

 

Fine Day in Spite of the Forecast.

Light northeasterly winds brought some morning showers and kept it cool until late morning. The light northeasterly continued in the afternoon but solar radiation levels went up to a high of over 800 watts per m2 bringing up air temperature to a high of over 13oC. The barometer was fairly steady until noon and then started to fall very gradually. The marine forecast has a strong wind warning in effect overnight diminishing to a 20 knot westerly by early afternoon tomorrow. As I write this in the early evening the north-northeasterly is freshening to over 20 knots.

Three whale watching vessels were observed in the Ecological Reserve today… Sports fishing vessels were observed fishing nearby but not in the ER.

More measurements and individual moult progression, observations were made on the Northern Elephant Seals on Great Race today.

A very cooperative "pose" for length measurements. Note the little tail up in the air between the rear flippers.

A very cooperative “pose” for length measurements. Note the little tail up in the air between the rear flippers.

Traffic jam on the elephant seal measuring device.

Traffic jam on the elephant seal measuring device.

Pigeon Guillemots and Glaucous-winged Gulls were observed mating today, so nesting sites will soon be imperative.

Pigeon Guillemots are getting prepared for nesting.

Pigeon Guillemots are getting prepared for nesting.

Six Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) landed on the light-tower and then paid a short low elevation visit to Great Race Island today. This is possibly a new record.

A brief visit was made by six Red-winged Blackbirds.

A brief visit was made by six Red-winged Blackbirds.

Savannah Sparrows may be nesting somewhere nearby: I am still looking for their nests.

At least ten Savannah Sparrows are seen daily now.

At least ten Savannah Sparrows are seen daily now.

There were no new visitors today and maintenance chores were routine.

Agelaius phoeniceus :Red-winged blackbird–the Race Rocks taxonomy

This was our first photographic record of this species as a migrant at Race Rocks. It nests in the marshes throughout BC , and locally in the tidal marshes along Taylor Beach

A brief visit was made by six Red-winged Blackbirds.

A brief visit was made by six Red-winged blackbirds on April 27, 2015-Photo by Anne Stewart

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Agelaius
Species: A. phoeniceus

Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766)

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.

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

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.