Category Archives: Species

Spinus tristis :American Goldfinch–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

 

Aegolius funereus: Boreal Owl–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Boreal Owl: A.Fletcher photo

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

 

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

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

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

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

Link to the call of the Boreal Owl:

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

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

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.
Garry Fletcher, Dec. 2014.

 

Melobesia mediocris: Seagrass Crust–The Race Rocks taxonomy

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melobesia

Melobesia mediocris on Phyllospadix sp.

 

phyllospadixMelobesia mediocris or the seagrass crust is a pink coralline algae which grows as an epiphyte on the surfgrass Phyllospadix sp. 

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Florideophyceae
Order: Corallinales
Family: Hapalidiaceae
Genus: Melobesia
species: mediocris
Other Rhodophytes or Red Algae 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

 

Mesophyllum sp.: epiphtic coralline algae–Race Rocks Taxonomy

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mesophyllumbad

Mesophyllum sp.Photo by Ryan Murphy

mesophyllum

Ryan Murphy photographer pointing to the the round epiphyte

Classification:
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Rhodophyceae
Order: Cryptonemiales
Family: Corallinaceae
Mesophyllum sp.

Description: This plant is erect, up to 2 cm. wide. Its colour is dark pink to purple. Shape is circular. It exists as a flattened growth epiphytic on many geniculate rhodophytes such as Bossiella sp.
Habitat: On geniculate rhodophytes in tide pools.
Pacific Coast Distribution: Alaska to California.
Other Rhodophytes or Red Algae 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

 

Megaceryle alcyon: Belted Kingfisher– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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This is our first record of the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) at Race Rocks. It came today from the Ecoguardian,  Alex Fletcher.  We see these birds frequently in Pedder Bay and along the Coastline of Taylor Beach, but so far we have not had a record from Race Rocks.

kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher _ Megaceryle alcyon on the winch cable: photo by Alex Fletcher, Dec 10, 2014

 

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Order: Coraciiformes
Suborder: Alcedini
Family: Cerylidae
Genus: Megaceryle
Species: M. alcyon
Megaceryle alcyon (Linnaeus, 1758)

Usually kingfishers are common around the shores of Pedder bay and Taylor Beach. They are rarely sighted at Race Rocks

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. Alex Fletcher (PC)