Category Archives: weather notes

Census Jan 8

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Black Oystercatchers (over 100–a record for RR)  and gulls with westerly swells.

Green Winged Teals

The SGBs (Small Grey Birds). Not only do they all look very similar but they hide their beaks! There was a mix of Black Turnstone, Surfbirds and Rock Sandpipers in the NE bay.

On January 7 an 8th there was a W wind 30-35 knots.  The Green Winged Teals returned to the island with slightly higher numbers than last time, they spent their time in the pools on the NE side and picking through the mud with their beaks.  I  have not seen any Pelicans in about a week and there have not been any Canada Geese here for about two weeks.  Karen Benzel from International Bird Rescue contacted us recently to report that Pelican R36 that was seen here in November has been taken in for rehabilitation at Wild Arc in Metchosin.

Census January 8, 2013:

75 Cormorants

7 Harlequin ducks

4 Bald Eagles

1 Mallard

81 Black Oyster Catchers

120 Gulls

17 Green Winged Teals

20 Black Turnstone

10 Surfbirds

10 Rock Sandpipers

1 Kildeer

1 River Otter

20 Harbour Seals

100 Northern sea lions

10 Elephant Seals: 8 female, 2 male

Weather past week

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On Dec 25th Easterly winds were gusting over 40 knots pushing swells into and over the jetty.  Zeke is seen below just above the jetty near the crane pad. The Pelicans pictured below were hovering in winds around 30 knots.

Since Dec 25th atmospheric pressure has climbed steadily reaching a high point of 1030 hPa yesterday, Jan 1.  For the past several days we have had sustained NE winds between 10 and 20 knots which demonstrates the potential for harnessing wind energy at Race Rocks, particularly in the winter months when there is less solar radiation to charge the batteries.  Pearson College is in the process of sourcing a wind generator for the island with the goal of further reducing and eventually eliminating dependance on fossil fuel electric generation in the Ecological Reserve.

 

Dec 24th

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Have had some really nice weather out here since the storm. Pelicans are still stopping in and flying through the reserve, mostly in pairs or singles.  Bald Eagles have been quite active in the mornings hunting.

 

On top of the crane, the eagle had just finished eating what looked like some part of a seagull.  In this picture the eagle’s nictitating membrane is covering the eye.  According to Baldeagleinfo.com, “every three or four seconds, the nictitating membrane slides across the eye from front to back, wiping dirt and dust from the cornea. Because the membrane is translucent, the eagle can see even while it is over the eye.”

A few nights ago Zeke got some fresh wounds on his back from Misery, it was not as bad as the the last time.  Him and Misery have been on the main island for several days now. I have not been seeing as many female elephant seals since the storm.  

On Dec 19 there were 15 Green Winged Teals in a pool on the NE side of the island.  This  is the first recorded sighting of this bird in the reserve.

 

 

There has also been a Mallard duck in the reserve for over a week.  Pam Birley first sighted it around Dec 18th, it was also the first recorded sighting of this bird in the reserve.

 

 

 

Yesterday after sunset a lone adult orca passed through the reserve going over Rosedale Reef.

 

Storm

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Westerly swells near middle rock, Northern sea lions surfing.

Storm damage to roof of Science Centre building.

On Dec 16th in the afternoon a low pressure system moved in right over southern vancouver island bringing Easterly winds that exceeded 50 knots (measured from tower) and then switched 180 degrees, within a few hours over midnight, to Westerly winds toping out also over 50 knots the morning of Dec 17th.  As shown above atmospheric pressure reached a low of below 980 hPa, one of the lowest readings i have seen out here.

Flying sea lion

The westerly winds brought several dumps of hail and rain and created good surf conditions for Northern sealions to catch a few waves. Several shingles were blown off the Science Centre building on both the  South and North sides of the roof.

Fresh snow on vancouver island behind sea lions, gulls and cormorants on West and Middle rocks.

Pelicans and a Peregine

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Since the last post there have been several visits of Pelicans to the reserve.  My first sighting of 3 of them was on Saturday afternoon just before dark.

Dec 2-Pelicans on North East side

On Sunday evening a flock of around 20 pelicans landed on the West rock, joining the elephant seals that were there.  The light was really poor so I couldn’t get a very good quality image.   There has recently been a sighting of a similar size group close to Victoria, likely the same ones.

Dec 2-Pelicans on West Rock

Dec 3-Brown Pelican

 

 

 

 

On Dec 3 there were 4 Pelicans sighted in the reserve as well as a Peregrine Falcon.

Misery has been on the main island   up near the South side of the tower for several days. I have seen up to 8 other elephant seals on West Rock including a male that looks nearly as big as Misery.

Peregrine Falcon at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

On Tuesday morning and again in the evening the wind picked up to 40 knots from the West.

Dec 4-West Rock elephant seals (not Misery)

 

 

 

 

 

Change of Guardian

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Wednesday morning we switched guardians, Mike has finished a 3 month shift and I will be here for the next 4 months. It has been 8 months since i was last out here, nice to see that Mike and Julie have done a great job out here and that the place is in good shape.

I have been on the lookout for the pelicans that Mike has observed out here and was thinking they were gone. But this morning, while photographing a sealion taking down a fish I noticed a large bird in the frame.  The pelican must have been on the east face of the Eastern rocks which is out of sight from the main island.

On Wednesday the winds picked up to over 25 knots.  Misery hauled out on the main island that night and stayed here until yesterday.  After making his way down the ramp and through the debris he stayed at least an hour amongst the logs, floating and making bubbles.


This morning Misery was out on West rock with at least 3 female elephant seals.


Not a lot of traffic in the reserve the past days.  On Wednesday two whale watching boats toured around the elephant seals on West rock and today there is a dive boat off the west side.

 

August 13 Update

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Slowly the sea lions, both Stellar and California, are making their way to the main island from West Race Rocks. I’ve decided to take regular shots of their progress. The first image is August 7, after the first night of their arrival, and the next is of August 10.

7 August 2012

10 August 2012

The second is a notably less clear image because of the fog. Over the past week the fog has been incredibly thick mostly in the morning and late evenings. Just a few moments after that photo was taken the sea lions disappeared altogether.

The fog provides an obstacle for mariners which is why I was surprised to note half a dozen whale watching boats appear near the jetty at times of less than 50m visibility.

The last image illustrates only a glimpse of how dense the fog can be. It is taken from the tower facing westward.

 

 

 

Fog after sundown, 11 August 2012

The fog is lifting!

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View looking to North Race

Today was my first view of the mainland for the past couple of days excluding a few glimpses here and there.The past week has brought constant fog and winds of 20-40 knots which means boat traffic has been minimal. (At least as far as I can see!)

 

Newborn Black Oystercatcher

Today though, the sun has come out and with that yet another newborn. The Black Oystercatchers  (Haematopus bachmani) are hatching. These birds live mainly in the intertidal zone. Where the chick is shown in the photo below is where it just hatched and effectively camouflages itself. Quite a difference from its nest to that of the gulls’.

On another note, the elephant seals are spending more time wading in the water and are holding their breath for longer periods. I was startled the other day when I looked near the jetty to see one limp underwater only to realize it was snoozing and would come up for air every few minutes.

Glaucous-winged gull juvenile

 

And finally, an updated picture of one of the three infant gulls in past posts. It has become more difficult to get pictures of all three because they are more mobile now.

 

 

 

 

A New Mammal on the Island!

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Julie has arrived! She will be taking over Eco-Guardian for the summer, keeping a close eye on our animal neighbours, monitoring human activity in the reserve, and doing the maintenance and upkeep required to keep the station running. I will be training her over the next few weeks.

Hungry Red-tailed Hawk

In other news, we had a visit from a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo Jamaicensis) a few days ago.

 

 

 

 

The Chase

I was lucky enough to capture this action-shot as it swept overhead.

 

 

Red-tailed Hawk in Flight

 

 

 

 

June continues to be rather dismal and cold. Temperature has averaged about 12 degrees Celsius here with a high of 15.2…. pout.

 

 

 

 

End of May

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Hold the presses! I just got back from the top of the tower where I was washing the windows. My eyes were drawn to a huge lump on Middle Rocks. With the binoculars I could see what appears to be 3 bull elephant seals, a few cows and a juvenile. That makes at least 14 elephant seals in the reserve! I wonder if it is Misery?

It is hard to tell that June begins tomorrow, due to the fog and damp. But there are certainly signs of summer beginning to show up in spite of the weather. The first Glaucous-winged Gull eggs are being laid, the Oystercatchers are getting more secretive

 

But the really BIG news is that a new-to-me bull elephant seals arrived yesterday. He isn’t as big as Misery but he is bigger than Zeke. I would guess he is a few years away from becoming a Beachmaster. He caused quite a commotion rampaging around and roughing up a few females before he found a nice spot to sleep for the next few days. I have named him Chunk, for both his size and the large scars down his back, which appear to be caused by a boat propellor a few years ago. (Ed note: These were actually caused by a fight with Misery last year. ) The scars look fairly well healed but some pretty big chunks were carved out by the prop.