August 3

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Wildlife Notes:

There were many humpback whales seen throughout the day to the south of the ecological reserve. They did not come close enough to this rock for any great photos. Although that did not stop me from trying. Many ecotourism boats spent time out there observing and must have got excellent photos from their vantage.

Three California sea lions have landed on the main island. This advanced team marks the beginning of the takeover that will last into the fall and winter, when several hundred of them will sleep, bark, and attempt to occupy any surface. The Californians have not always been the best neighbours at Race Rocks when it comes to the human built infrastructure. So far these three have been respectful and keeping to the perimeter.

A few times today, I saw a very small and fast bird flying around the middle of the tower. I wonder if it is living in the currently malfunctioning foghorn sensor nearby where I caught glimpses of the quick bird. Coast Guard technicians are planning to visit next week to do maintenance on their equipment like the foghorn. I will keep looking out with binoculars for the fast flyer. Hopefully the bird is actually living in the recently installed nesting boxes attached to a post above the ecoguardian’s back porch.

Facility work:

  • Run generator in the evening to top up the batteries after not getting enough solar energy on the mostly cloudy day
  • Clean windows in the lantern room so I can better spy on marine mammals
  • Clean ecoguardian’s house windows so I do not have to look out through guano

Vessels:

  •  Ecotourism: 20
  •  Private: 1

Weather:

  • Sky: Cloudy in morning with some sunny patches in the afternoon and evening
  • Wind: west 16-29 knots
  • Sea: 1′ to 2′ chop
  • Air temperature: low 12 °C, high 16 °C
  • Seawater temperature at max flood: 11.5 °C

Photos from today:

*All wildlife photos are taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail.

August 2

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Wildlife Notes:

  • The loud barks of a few California sea lions echoed across the island this afternoon. Perhaps they are calling out for other pals to stop off here or just being loud California sea lions.

Facility work:

  • Clean windows
  • Tidy boat ramp of weeds and accumulated small pieces of wood
  • Top up water in the 24 batteries in the Energy Building

Vessels:

  • 14 ecotourism boats passed through the reserve today. Many more motored through the channel to the north on their way to see humpback whales and other sites further to the west. 

Weather:

  • Sky: partly cloudy, fog throughout the morning with a distant fog bank to the south persisting into the evening
  • Wind: west 23-35 knots
  • Sea: 2-3′ chop
  • Air temperature: low 11 °C, 16 high  °C
  • Seawater temperature at max flood: 11.3 °C

Photos from today:

*All wildlife photos are taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail.

July 2025 Seawater Data

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Daily sea surface temperature and salinity observations taken at the time of maximum flooding current.

Station RACE ROCKS
Observer Christine, James, Nick Month: July
YSI ID: 3 and 8 Year: 2025
YSI YSI
Temp Salinity
Day Time ºC ppt
1
2 8:30 9.5 28.8
3 9:17 9.8 29.4
4 10:12 10.8 29.0
5 11:20 11.0 28.0
6 12:08 11.1 29.0
7 12:53 11.0 29.0
8 13:45 11.1 27.9
9 13:51 10.4 29.3
10 14:35 10.4 29.5
11 14:55 9.9 30.1
12 15:30 9.8 28.3
13 16:10 9.7 30.5
14 16:59 9.4 30.3
15 17:45 10.4 29.5
16 18:30 11.0 29.5
17 19:35 10.8 29.8
18
19 9:30 11.3 28.8
20 10:50 11.1 28.9
21 11:50 11.2 28.8
22 13:05 11.1 28.9
23 14:20 11.2 29.4
24 15:00 10.9 29.8
25 15:40 10.7 29.1
26 16:30 11.1 29.8
27 17:20 10.5 29.8
28 17:45 11.2 29.2
29 18:30 10.8 29.3
30 18:50 11.2 29.6
31 19:30 11.6 28.4

 

August 1 Census

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Weekly Census:

Mammals:

  • Steller sea lion: 36
  • California sea lion: 4
  • Harbour seal: 129

Birds:

  • Canada goose: 9
  • Cormorant: 19
  • Gull: 556
  • Black oystercatcher: 10
  • Pigeon guillemot: 102
  • Short-billed dowitcher: 1
  • Surfbird: 22
  • Black turnstone: 52

Facility work:

  • Clean solar panels and windows
  • Tidy up the boat house

Vessels:

  •  Ecotourism: 21

Weather:

  • Sky: Partly cloudy, fog in evening
  • Wind: west 22-41 knots
  • Sea: 3-4′ chop
  • Air temperature: low 12 °C, high 17 °C
  • Seawater temperature at max flood: 10.3°C

Photos from today:

*All wildlife photos are taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail.

Shift Change

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I am excited to be back on the Rock for three weeks. I arrived early this afternoon taking over from James. He was here for the last ten days since Christine finished her shift.

I never get tired of seeing the view of the Race Rocks Lighthouse as the boat leaves the mouth of Pedder Bay. I first saw that view in 2012 and have been hooked ever since.

Approaching Race Rocks in the Pedder Explorer

Most recently, I was here at the beginning of August last summer for a few days before I left abruptly after falling and breaking my ankle. In all of the years I have been coming here I have never so much as cut my finger, so it came as a big surprise to me when I slipped on my way up to clean the solar panels. I am grateful as always to Greg for his seafront support, especially on the day of my accident when he plucked me off the island and took me to the hospital.

Fast forward 12 months, after a surgery and a lot of physiotherapy, I am glad to be back here moving around freely, climbing up the 117 stairs to the top of the lighthouse, and reacquainting myself with this wonderful island’s marine mammal and bird neighbours.

The weather this afternoon was clear sky with a distant fog bank to the south which obscured most of view of the sea level of Washington State, but not the Olympic Mountains towering above. The wind picked up from 19 to 39 knots from the west, with gusts reaching 44 knots. The air temperature ranged between 12 to 19 °C. The sea temperature was 11.6 °C during the max flood at 19:30.

The Pearson College boat Pedder Explorer made two more visits out here this afternoon to show alumni the ecological reserve. Several other ecotour boats passed through.

As I reacquainted myself with the various buildings, I collected the water and fuel tank levels to add to the month end report.

Here are some photos of sights from around the island.

Too busy to look

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Wildlife notes

Nothing out of the ordinary to report today. I think I was just too consumed with my indoor tasks, cleaning, packing, planning, paperwork, talking with the next Ecoguardians etc. to pay enough attention.

This is my last post. I leave tomorrow. Before I go I’d like to thank those who supported me and provided assistance. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my supervisor Greg for all he has done, for always being there and always answering his phone. Thank you to Garry the Park Warden for his encouragement, Mike and Richard the waterfront staff for their assistance, Laura the marine biology instructor for letting me join her tours, Ann and Andrew for their help with bird ID, Hans for verifying the new plants found on the island and Val from Eagle Wing for keeping me informed on animals beyond my line of sight. I’d also like to thank Derek for helping with the camera issue and Kendra for talking to me when I worry about a young seal pup. And to the person who donated to Race Rocks in my name, thank you for reading and for acknowledging my effort on the posts!!!

It is a great privilege to be here. I will miss everything, except the toilet anxiety: am I properly positioned over the right compartment, pee or poo or what if both happen, or did I forget to open to the poop flap?

Mostly I will miss having so much to observe, smell, hear and feel (the sky, wind, waves, tide, plants, birds, seals, sea lions, whales…) and the experience of spending my days is awe and filled with wonder.

Facility work

  • cleaned solar panels
  • contributed to next month end report
  • emails, correspondence
  • cleaning house, organizing

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 26
  • Private: 3

Weather

Clear skies. Fresh westerly breeze until late afternoon, strong breeze in the evening. Daytime temperatures: low 11, high 14.

Goodbye Race Rocks. Christine Chourmouzis, July 20, 2025.

Last breath

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Wildlife notes

Large, older Stellar sea lions are starting to arrive and settle on the islands and rocks in the area. There are still a few gulls with eggs. The oldest gull chicks are starting to grow their feathers and are jumping and stretching out their wings. The oldest oystercatcher chicks are almost full size, their beaks are orange except at the tips and are also stretching their wings. Harbour seal pups haven’t been dropped off on at East Beach for the past two days. The population of black turnstones and surfbirds has exploded. There are so many of them and they are all nattering away – no wonder the ruddy turnstone keeps to itself.

On a sad note, I watched an adult gull take its last breath. It was floating in the back eddy at East Beach, with one wing bent in an odd position. For the 10 minutes I watched, it didn’t struggle or move except to lift its heavy head out of the water. I don’t know how it got there or what happened to it. It was gone when I checked 30 minutes later. Sure there are so many gulls all over the world but still it feels odd displaying these moment of death photos. If it had chicks, they will likely also die as one parent can’t both feed and protect the chicks.

Facility work

  • cleaned solar panels
  • measured battery specific gravity
  • finished cleaning the laundry room (walls, windows, ledges and shelves), swept and cleaned woodpile area in basement

After…so nice to look out the windows.

The laundry room.  The last of my cleaning jobs as I only have one and a half days left.

Vessels

  • Ecotourism:22
  • Private: 2

Weather

Skies partly cloudy. Strong WNW or W breeze until evening then near gale force. Daytime temperatures: low 12, high 14.

July 18 Census

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Mammals:

  • Steller sea lion: 1 South Islands, 4 on Middle Rock
  • California sea lion: 0
  • Harbour seal: 101 plus 5 pups (July 11: 181 adults, one pup, July 4: 54 adults, one pup, June 27: 258)

Birds:

  • Gulls: 612 (July 11: 1309, July 4: 514)
  • Pigeon guillemot: 139
  • Cormorants: 32
  • Bald eagle: 3
  • Black oystercatcher: 14 adults (saw 8 chicks today, likely 10 or more, no visual yet on the Energy Building chicks)
  • Harlequin duck: 2
  • Surfbird: 70
  • Black turnstone: 141
  • Ruddy turnstone:  2
  • Brown pelicans: 49

Wildlife seen this week inside the reserve but not observed today include: humpback whale, wandering tattler, western sandpiper, least sandpiper, short-billed dowitcher. Note gull count does not include this years chicks.

Glaucous winged sea gull chicks, not included in the census numbers.

A squadron of brown pelicans, at least 49 of them, flew over the western end of the island several times. They landed in the water and were around for about 30 minutes.

The harbour seal pubs stay with their moms for 4 to 6 weeks before they are weaned and will double in size during that time. The white seal pup first photographed on July 2 and 3 has put on a lot of weight.

Facility work

  • cleaned solar panels
  • topped up battery fluids

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 17
  • Private: 2

Weather

Strong westerly breeze until afternoon, gale force in the evening, gusting 40 knots. Day time temperatures: low 11, high 16.

US Coast Guard tall ship heading west up Juan de Fuca Strait. Shame it was heading upwind as it would have been fantastic to see the sails up.

Wandering tattler

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Wildlife notes

A wandering tattler was feeding at the rocks near the Jetty. I last saw one on May 17.  This time I could get good photos and actually sit for a while on the Jetty and watch it bob its tail and feed. I have so many photos – I’ll share just three. With regard to the gulls, nothing out of the ordinary to report. There are still just a few birds left on the nest with eggs and I have been spared seeing chicks killed by angry neighbours. I witnessed some close calls but the chicks were able to stand again and run away. It seems the best outcome results when chicks squat and freeze during an attack. I notice the same for myself – if I move away quickly from an angry, challenging parent on the ground, they chase me, but if I stop and hold my ground, they do the same. This doesn’t work if they are in the air. I was weed whacking today with the ear muffs on completely oblivious to their overhead threats and vocal warnings.  I need two hands to hold the tool so there really is no choice but to hope for the best and go change my clothes afterwards. Only four more sleeps. I shall miss this place dearly.

Wandering tattler

Facility work

  • cleaned the solar panels
  • weed whacked the walkways

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 12
  • Private: 0

Weather

Moderate to fresh westerlies, building to strong in the late afternoon. Daytime temperatures: low 10, high 12.

Cleavers and searocket

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Wildlife notes

Sea lions are starting to return in low numbers but they are hauling out on Middle Rock. There are very few gulls left with unhatched eggs and some of the late layers have abandoned their third egg after the first two hatched. The eggs I found previously with their shells partially missing/chipped away (like on July 9th) have been discarded from their nests.

A gull and its chick – not to be messed with!

I have two more introduced species on Race Rocks to report. Cleavers, catchweed, sticky willy, or goosegrass (Galium aparine) was found in the rocks behind the Energy Building. Geese seem to eat it and that may explain how it got here. The second plant, European searocket (Cakile maritima), is growing on the boat ramp in a crack in the concrete. It is common in coastal areas in Europe, Asia and North Africa and may have come to North America in ship ballast water.

Facility work

  • cleaned solar panels
  • weeding
  • studying the Programmers Guide for the Mate3s power system controller and the programmed setpoints

Vessels

  • Ecotourism: 21
  • Private: 1

Weather

Skies clear. Winds variable and light until late afternoon, moderate SWS in the evening. Daytime temperatures: low 12. high 20.