Category Archives: Class Aves

Branta bernicla: Black Brant Goose–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Branta bernicla Black Brant Goose

The Black brant Branta bernicla is a very unusual visitor at Race Rocks. There are only single individuals that appear, usually in late summer or fall.

Pam  Birley has sent the following images taken with the remote camera 5 which we have put into a short video:

brant-moviePam  writes:
“The dimensions of the Brant are 17″ long and 46″Wingspan, A Canada goose is given as 16″-25″L and 50-68″W (which is quite a variation)
A Glaucous gull is given as 24″L and 50″W Thayer’s  are 20″L and 55” W. So according to that the gulls are all bigger than the Brant – so perhaps the camera was not lying “
The goose continued to hang out with the Canada geese for several months.

ntblackbrantnov14

Black Brant Branta bernicla at Race Rocks see posting of November 22, 2014-for other  photos by Ecoguardian Nick Townley

Physical description
The black brant is a small goose with black head, neck, breast, tail and flight feathers. Its abdomen and tail coverts are white and the back and upper abdomen tend to be brownish-black. Its weight ranges from about 1.5 – 2.7 kilograms.

Global distribution
Black brants nest along the shores of the western Arctic, where they lay eggs in June. In mid-September the young travel to the California and Mexican coasts. The main flock flies over the sea, being seldom observed in British Columbia. There is another migration that may winter as far north as Haida Gwaii. However, the majority winters off the coast lines of Oregon, California and Mexico. The favourite stops for Black Brant Geese are Sooke Harbour, Oak Bay and Sidney Island.

Habitat

Black Brant makes a landing on the heli-pad.

Branta bernicla travel in flocks. The amount of geese in a flock varies, though usually remains at low levels. The brants are considered one of the fastest flying geese.Feeding
They feed mainly on eel grass, which is a significant part of their diet. Other marine plants are also being eaten by them, such as green algae.Reproduction
Black brant’s nests are always placed along shores, never far from the water. In June they lay 4 to 8 eggs and by mid-September the young are ready for a long journey. Immature black brants lack white neck marking and are more black at the bottom.

Classification:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Anserifomes
Family; Anatidae
Genus: Branta
Species: bernicla
Common Name: Black Brant Goose,also called Brent goose.

References:
1. Guiguet, C.J. (1915). The Birds of British Columbia: (6) Waterfowl. Victoria: British Columbia Provincial Museum.
2. Robbins, Chandler S., Bruun, Bertel, & Zim, Herbert S. (1966). A guide to field Identification- Birds of North America. New York: Golden Press.
3. Godfrey, E. (1986). The birds of Canada (2nd ed.). Ottawa: National Museum of Natural Sciences.
See the other posts on this website documenting Brants at Race Rocks
See the index of the Taxonomy of Race Rocks

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers  of Lester B. Pearson College  — 2005–Kamil Mika —year 32

 

Passer domesticus: House Sparrow- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Passerifomes
Family Passeridae

Genus Passer
Species domesticus
Common Name: House Sparrow,  Passer domesticus

One of the worst introduced European species in North America because of their habit of preying on other nests in the area they are frequenting , 

Given that house sparrows are so common everywhere else, it is surprizing that they are rarely seen on Race Rocks. 

Normally this species can be quite damaging to other nesting birds but there are few other small birds that nest here other than the occasional barn swallow.

This bird was the subject of the Classic Paper by Bumpus on Limiting Factors 

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. Somealea Phoung PC year 34

 

Corvus Corvax: The Common Raven- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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We see ravens at Race Rocks especially in winter months They occupy the ecological niche of a typical scavenger. We can distinguish them from the North-western crow by their large size and their enlarged beak. Thanks to Pam Birley for capturing these images and forwarding them to us in November, 2007.

Pam took another set of images showing raven-eagle interactions at race Rocks

 

 

 

Also see other references to ravens in these posts

 

 

Scientific classificationedit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Species:
C. corax
Binomial name
Corvus corax
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. Somealea Phoung
PC year 34

Larus canus: Mew gull –The Race Rocks taxonomy

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An adult Mew Gull: photos by Julie Bowser, July 2012

 

Physical description

  • slender, yellowish, or green legs, with webbed feet
  • gray wings and back with a plain white head, greenish – yellow bill
  • brown plumage and spotted tan
  • dark beak with a pink undertone
  • max lifespan up to 24 years

Habitat: Mew Gulls flourish in and along coastal ranges, tidal estuaries, interior lakes, and marshy grassland.

Behavior: Mew Gulls will not stray far from land and are known to seek the shore first in the occurence of stormy weather. The gull will also advace further inland in large flocks, into agricultural districts, to feast on the exposed worms and larvae after the land has been plowed. Northern gulls will migrate south when breeding season begins.

Food Eaten: herring, worms, insects, berries, grains, crustaceans, clams, mussels, young sea birds.

Predation: Cannibalistic adult gulls will eat eggs and hatchlings.

Predators: gulls, sharks

Migration: Mew gulls migrate in summer through-out Northwestern Canada and Alaska, winter along the Pacific Coast. They rarely migate inland South of its breeding range.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species canus
Common Name: Mew Gull

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. October 20 2003 Tya Arizona PC year 30

Larus thayeri: Thayer’s gull – The Race Rocks taxonomy

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Thayer’s Gulls aligned for wind, November, 2005

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriliformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species thayeri
Common Name: Thayer’s Gull

History: Formerly considered as a subspecies of Herring Gulls. It is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of Iceland Gulls.

Physical Appearance:22 1/2″ – 25″ wide Mantle slightly darker grey Grey on the underside of the wing tips is distinctive. Yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible. Pale to brown eyes, with a purple-red ring around it. Darker pink legs.

Sound: Long mewing call: hiyah
Warning call: gah-gah-gah

Nesting: Usually 2 or 3 olive-brown, heavily blotched eggs in grass nest on sea cliffs in the high arctic. They only overwinter at Race Rocks, feeding on the small herring and krill in the surrounding waters.

Habitat: They are seabirds of the arctic, coastal rocks and rocky headlands. They are usually located on the Pacific coast on North America during winters. At Race Rocks, they often number in the hundreds out on the South West corner of the larger island, as the numbers below show.

Immature Gulls: They are similar to herring gulls, but slightly smaller and with proportionately smaller bill.
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 2003- Kevin Mingyui Chau

Uria aalge: The Common Murre- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Common Murre – photo by Raisa Mirza

Where at Race Rocks?: Flocks of several hundred common murres will be seen in the waters of Race Passage from August to October, with smaller numbers staying around through the winter. They usually come ashore at Race Rocks only if they have been oiled in an oil spill in the Strait. Occasionally there will be high mortality to large flocks of these birds in the strait of Juan de Fuca when they are caught in fish nets at night.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Alcidae
Genus Uria
Species aalge
Common Name: Common murre

Interesting local ecology/behavior/adaptation: Common murres are usually a length of 14 inches. They are an immature-like, basic-plumaged adult but often with a thin, pointed bill and small, rounded tail. Blurry streaks make its flank appear dusty, and this thin white trailing edge is visible at rest. Its head, neck, back, wings, and tail are all blackish, and its breast, belly, foreneck, and undertail are white. A dark line extends from its eye across its cheek, and its white breast meets its dark neck as a blunt, rounded intrusion. Both sexes are very similar. Common murres often raft on the surface of the water, fly in lines, and stand erect.

This rare image of a Common murre ashore on the island was photographed by Pam Birley with remote camera 5 on the West side of the island at Race Rocks in August 2009– See Pam’s other images of this murre in her August log .

Distribution elsewhere: All coast of the Northern Hemisphere where cold currents of upwellings nourish a multitude of fish. In the west, they nest in colonies in western Aleutians and from Arctic Alaska to central California. They are found on the ocean or in large bays.

Reproduction and feeding particulars: Eggs of common murres are produced one at a time and are variable in colour, coming in blue, green, or buffy with darker blotches. They are long and pear shaped, and are laid on inaccessible cliff tops on vertical, narrow ledges, especially on rocky islets or head lands. Each nest has enough space for one egg and one incubating parent. Breeding is their main purpose of coming to shore.

Reference: Peterson, Roger Tory, Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990

Udvardy, Miklos D.F., The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, New York, Chanticleer Press, 1977

Common murre – http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i0300id.html

n sea clifts. They are accomplished divers that “fly” under water in pursuit of a small fish.
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
April 2009 Raisa Mirza

Phalacrocorax pelagicus: Pelagic cormorant–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmpelagichorm

Pelagic Cormorant,  Phalacrocorax pelagicus photo by Ryan Murphy, 2010

See images of Pelagic Cormorants on Ryan Murphy’s Flickr site

Range of the Pelagic Cormorant:
Breeds from the Bering Sea to Japan and south to near San Diego, USA.  Winters in the Aleutian Islands and along the coast from British Columbia to Baja, California.

Pelagic cormorants nest at Race Rocks and live there year-round. They prefer the cliff to the West of the camera 5, and can often be seen perched there along the cliff edge (picture above left)

Nest:
The nest is a mass of seaweed and grass on a cliff.  Pelagic cormorants nest in colonies and like ledges so narrow they must land and take off facing the cliff. During the years between 1980 and 1995 numbers of nests ranged above 20. In the years 2000, 2001,2002 there was complete nest failure due to the lack of herring feed in the surrounding waters. During 2003 , 2004, and 2005 only two or three nests have been established with successful hatches.

Following  are pictures taken in the nesting season by G.Fletcher in the 1980s and 1990’s when there were pelagic cormorants nesting at Race Rocks:

Local Numbers of Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Xmas bird count

Screen Shot 2014-12-20 at 8.06.55 PM

Pelagic Cormorants–Ryan Murphy photo

Year
1997–14
1998–2
1999–20
2000–14
2001–12
2002–20
2003- no census taken..too stormy!
2004- 110

rmpelagiccorm22010

Pelagic Cormorant–Ryan Murphy photo

 

2005- 20
2006-20
2007-42
2008-storm
2009-90
2010-78
2011-0
2012-0
2013-17
2014—
rmpelagiccorm2010

Pelagic Cormorant–Ryan Murphy photo-2010

Classification:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelicaniformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Phalacrocorax
Species: pelagicus
Common Name: Pelagic cormorant

 

We have seen a marked decline in nesting of one of the four species of seabirds which has nested traditionally at Race Rocks, Pelagic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus). By 2007, the nesting population had been reduced to one or two nests, and from 2008 to the last season (2009 ) there were no nests at all. This population crash has been common across the Gulf Islands., and the lower end of Vancouver Island and Strait of Juan de Fuca. According to the Canadian Wildlife Service, the population of this species is estimated to be at 9000 individuals, and the pelagicus subspecies is red-listed by BC – other subspecies are stable.

RM_males-and_female_pelagic_cormornat

Two males and a female pelagic cormorant

In this attached file, I have summarized the results of several papers on research on Cormorant populations in the southern Gulf Islands and Georgia Strait. Vermeer and Rankin, 1984, did their research when the populations were on the incline, however since the 1900s, this trend has not persisted as has been reflected in the paper by Chatwin et al. The summary of their paper and the possible reasons for decline are listed near the end of this review.

See other posts of Pelagic Cormorants 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. Garry Fletcher, 2003

 

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

Aphriza virgata: Surfbird–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Inset of the photo below showing the surfbirds

Inset of the photo below showing the surfbirds as winter visitors in January, 2009.

bf1009surfbirds-1

The surfbirds above seen in January 2009 on Race Rocks, are the larger of the two species shown here. The smaller birds are Rock Sandpipers. Photo by Barry Herring

rm0109surfly

Surbirds in flight. Photo by Ryan Murphy
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Aphriza
Species virgata
Common Name: Surfbird
Below, in this photo by Barry Herring we can contrast the back coloration in flight of the Surfbird. on the left and the Black Turnstone on the right.

Below, in this photo by Barry Herring we can contrast the back coloration in flight of the Surfbird. on the left and the Black Turnstone on the right.

Return to the Race Rocks taxonomy Index

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, s staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College Dec. 2002 Claude Bajada
(PC Yr 29) Malta

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