Pelicans visit

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Tuesday, November 06, 2001

WEATHER: It was a bright day Max temp – 9.4 Min temp – 8.5 ºC
PC STUDENTS: Yet another day at Race Rocks! Today, we had the pleasure of refilling the oil tanks with the assistance of Mike and Chris. Garry and I managed to restore the remote camera which had jammed.We are looking forward to yet another interesting day tomorrow at Racerocks..HUMAN INTERACTION:Two boats each with seven people passing by Racerocks
posted by Michael Kiprop at 9:52 PM
Good morning
WEATHER:Sky overcast — Vis 15 — Wind north 7 knots — Sea rippled — ocl. brk.
MARINE LIFE: Two Brown Pelicans observed today sitting out with the Mew gulls .
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:44 AM

Harlequin Duck Video

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Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) arrive at Race Rocks for the winter in mid-November. They usually spend their time feeding in the kelp beds around Race Rocks. One does not often see them on shore like this, but it could be that these were here because a sea lion was swimming in the area just before they came ashore. They could be easy prey when on the water or when swimming down to get their food on the bottom. LBPC student Michael Kiprop had seen them out in the kelp bed and had gone down to the shore to get some video. While he was assembling the tripod they came ashore a few meters from where he was standing.

See the Harlequin Duck Taxonomy page:

Project week for PC students

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Monday, November 05, 2001
 Good Evening,
PC STUDENTS: Project week students –Well we are just finishing our second day here at Racerocks. Today Sarah and I seeded some grass in the fissures of the newly restored rock. Along with Salla we ventured to the top of the lighthouse. The view is spectacular! The high light of our day was a poignant video captured by Kiprop of a sea lion sneezing. We vacuumed the tank, and we all learned to syphon, valuable skill. It was a fantastic day out today, which culminated in a great pizza.
We will attept to rise for 7:30am in order to do the morning recordings. We have decided today to make a video, entitled “How to survive on racerocks, for dummies.” We will start production tomorrow.
Goodnight!
posted by HANNAH McKinnon at 7:21 PM
 PC STUDENTS: Project Week students-On Sunday, five students from Lester Pearson College, Salla from Finland, Sarah from Saskatchewan, Hannah from Manitoba, Muyad from Palestine and Kiprop from Kenya moved out to stay at Race Rocks in the Marine Science Centre for the week. They have a number of projects they are doing while there so they will be commenting on what is happening on this log over the next few days.
posted by Garry Fletcher at 1:50 PM
 Good morning
WEATHER:Sky cloudy — Vis 15 miles — Light rain shower — Wind north west 6 knots — Sea rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:19 AM

Large wave day, Minke Whale observed

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Friday, November 02, 2001
Good evening
WEATHER: Max. 10.7ºC — Min 7.5ºC — Reset 8.1ºC Rain 0.4 mm Wind was light and variable. It was a great day to be on the rock.
Although the sea was fairly calm, the 4-6′ swells coming in from the west and piling up to 10-12′ green and white frothy curls on the underwater reefs made for great wave watching!
MARINE LIFE: The birds continue to feed in in large numbers but impossible to count because of the glare on the sea.It was also impossible to positively identify a whale that looked like a 18-20′ Minke Whale even with the telescope, because of the glare and distance.2 of the 4 Northern Elephant Seals regularly hauling out in various areas of Gr. Race spent several hours on the boat ramp enjoying the sun.
HUMAN INTERACTION: There were 5 tour boats and one pleasure craft (4 metre sailboat) in the M.P.A. today.posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:20 PM
Good morning
Sky part cloudy — Vis. 15 miles — Wind west 14 knots — Sea 1 – 2 foot chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:17 AM

Plant Inventory at Race Rocks

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This plant inventory done by Lester Pearson College students Taarini, Julia Clark and Ryan Murphy in Project week, 2001. BC Parks provided some funding.

See other posts on this website tagged with plant

MAP LOC. # Unkn. # Species # Common Name SPECIES Description AREA Diam Meters UTM VERT UTM HORIZ Introduced Indigenous
10 1 Mist Maiden Romanzofia tracii 5349628 460559 yes
2 chickweed 1  “  “
3 brome Bromus 1  “  “
11 4 fescue-tft grass tuft grass 1 5349631 460553 yes
3 brome 3  “  “ no
12 1 Mist Maiden R.tracii 36 5349637 460556 yes
brome  “  “
13 1 Mist Maiden R.tracii mud flat 5349647 460543 yes
7 short grass  “  “
14 3 brome 5349646 460546
15 ? 5349629 460564
16 3 brome grey water pit 6 5349585 460620 no
17 3 brome 6 5349586 460614 no
tulip two  “  “
18 7 short grass rocks 5349594 460618
2 chickweed  “  “
3 brome  “  “
5 dandelions  “  “
6 wild geranium  “  “
19 6 wild geranium marker 0.5 5349595 460617
20 3 brome 8 5349598 460615
8 marigold 6 clumps
geraniums small patches
24 clover few patches
23 small patch
21 marigold 3 5349602 460615
geranium many  “  “
brome many
grape hyacinth  few patches
short grass
chickweed
dandelion
26 in cracks of rock
22 Romanzoffia 5349595 460624
geranium
brome
28  Tamarix large bush
23 brome 8 m circle 5349606 469625
chickweed
dafodillls  quite a few
30 few clumps
31 spiny leaves
bluebells 4 plants
24 brome 5349612 460634
native fescue
geranium
chickweed
28 2
brome
chickweed
short grass
30 amongst 29
purple stalk 1
dry long grass covering rock
26 brome few 53949631 460622
dafodill 3
Romanzofia tracii 1 clump
geranium
28 5
chickweed
bluebells 15
19 big patch
brome
31 equisetum? clumps of strait hollow like baby bamboo?
27 brome covered- 3m 5349637 460609
war crane 3 m patch
chickweed
fescue small
28 33 between winch house and house 5349623 460608
brome
geranium
chickweed
short grass
bluebells
marigolds fewe
28 small
29 concrete patch 5349619 460595
30 English Daisy all short
short grass
geranium
native fescue
dandelion
marigold
brome tiny bit
31 brome short lawn 5349619 460585
English daisy
marigold
bluebell 1
chickweed
32 Carols flowers Bergemia 5349602 460586
marigold
tulip
hyacinth
bluebell
E daisy
clover
short grass
33 clover
lawn grass
E.daisy
geranium
marigold
dandelion
34 short grass 5349612 460566
brome patches
geranium
35 short grass 5349607 460554
brome patches
chickweed small amt
36 brome 5349638 460543
short grass 2 m
chickweed
37 tidepool 5349640 460547
38 brome behind lighthouse 5349576 460621
chickweed
geranium
marigold
fescue
stalks
Romanzoffia
brome
hyacinth
short grass
40 brome 5349555 460588
clover
hyacinth
geranium
marigold
bluebell
stalk
41 brome 5349549 460588
fescue
short grass
thistle
marigold
30 big bush
bluebell
stalk
42 brome 5349537 460577
geranium many
bluebell
marigold
native grass
43 native grass 5349554 460517
brome
stalks
dandelion
geranium
44 lighthouse 5349564 460592
45 bluebell 5349551 460554
brome
fescue
short grass
46 brome 5349538 460552
short grass
daisy
marigold
geranium
bluebell
chickweed
47 brome 5349555 460538
geranium
48 brome 5349558 460545
geranium
shrt grass
chickweed
49 tidepool 5349570 460504
50 tidepool 5349570 460493
51 brome all rocks 5349577 460512
52 brome many
bluebell
marigold
chickweed
geranium
53 26 5349584 460527
brome
54 short grass
brome
55 brome 5349601 460539
chickweed
56 brome 5349606 460548
wallflower
short grass
57 pad crner 5349623 460535
58 other corner 5349607 460607
59 brome 5349620 460539
Romanzoffia rocky
chickweed
60 brome behind house 4 m 5349580 460551
geranium
daffodil
wallflower
bluebell
61 marigold along path 5329589 460563
chickweed
geranium
short grass
wall flower
26 on rock

Seabird feeding frenzy

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Thursday, November 01, 2001
WEATHER: We had calm seas for most of the day although the wind has increased to over 24knts in the past 1/2 hour.
MARINE LIFE: Fishing was good for the birds and sea lions today! Just after 10a.m. the sky was filled with hundreds and hundreds of sea birds,gulls,cormorants and common murres streaming across the islands southward to a tideline about 1/2 km. away.Looking with the telescope I estimated 3500-4000 sea birds feeding—-by 13:30 most had dispersed. In a space of three hours we saw 5 Steller(northern)sea lions catch salmon (-that looked to be 5-8lbs) in the kelp bed between North Rocks and Gr. Race. The birds,especially gulls rush over to get any bits of fish that break away as the sea lion thrashes the fish back and forth at the surface.The two juvenile elephant seals that were hauled out in the little bay with a group of about 20 harbour seals, swam out into the large kelp bed along the east side of Gr. Race just before 14:00 and had not returned before dark.Have not seen the large bull elephant seal that spends a good portion of the year stretched out atop West Rock.Did a boat tour around all the islands today and counted 97 California and 27 Steller sea lions. Also counted over 800 Cormorants.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 10:03 PM
Good evening
Max. 10.0ºC — Min. 8.1ºC — Reset 9.7ºC — Rain 1.6 mm
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:04 PM
Good morning
Sky overcast — Vis. 13 miles — Rain showers — Wind north east 5 knots Sea rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:12 AM

Orca visit

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Wednesday, October 31, 2001


WEATHER: Max 10.1ºC — Min 8.1ºC — Reset 8.9ºC Rain 14.6mm
Total Rain fall 108.1mm for the month of October 2001- Mean high temp. 11.5ºC — Mean low temp. 8.1ºC
MARINE LIFE: A blustery start to the day again but the weather did not seem to bother the mature Bald Eagle that arrived shortly after 9:00 and stayed for over two hours.We noticed the second visitor at 12:50 just west of Gr. Race,a lone transient bull Orca. He ‘cruised’ along the shore of North Rocks and Gr. Race and then into the kelp bed on the east side of Gr. Race.The Harbour seals were very agitated,crowded together close to shore, bobbing up and down to watch for the whale. Interestingly several groups of sea lions(steller&california) followed along about 200′ behind the Orca. Watched through the telescope one group of 10-12 sea lions follow the Orca about a mile east when we lost sight of them.

 

 

Early Eagle Appearance

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Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Good evening
WEATHER: Max. 9.0ºC — Min. 6.7ºC — Reset 8.9ºC — Rain 3.6 mm
Although the wind got up to 20-22 knots late morning, by 14:00 the cool northerly eased off to a dull rainy afternoon.
MARINE LIFE: There are fewer than 100 Sea Lions hauled out but we have over 500 gulls,Glaucous-winged,Western and a few Herring gulls. We counted 190 Cormorants,mostly on North Rocks.The immature Bald Eagle that spent most of the day on the high point of the rocks just SE of Gr. Race Saturday and again Sunday has not been back – maybe the immature gull it caught and ate was enough gull for a while, their preferred food is fish. We do not usually see many Eagles out here this time of the year as they congregate at the rivers like Goldstream which are full of salmon returning to spawn.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:03 PM

No blasting today– sealions return

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 Good morning
Sky overcast — Vis 15 — Wind west 9 knots — Sea rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:40 AM

After a quiet weekend (no blasting at D.N.D.) only 85 Sea Lions have returned to their usual haul-out areas.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 10:49 AM

The poor quality video from camera#1 and especially #3 is because of the sheets of rain driven by the 45-50knt. winds we are enjoying at this time! The visibility is very poor but looks like all but 8 or 9 sea lions have moved into the water, the aprox. 300 gulls are all huddled together in small groups facing into the westerly.13 Black Oyster Catchers are together in a small depression on the east side of Gr. Race in the shelter of the house.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 3:48 PM

Driving Rain

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Monday, October 22, 2001
Good evening
Max 10.5ºC — Min. 8.0ºC — Reset 8.9ºC — Rain 13.6 mm. As you see it was not a good day for fishing.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:33 PM
The poor quality video from camera#1 and especially #3 is because of the sheets of rain driven by the 45-50knt. winds we are enjoying at this time! The visibility is very poor but looks like all but 8 or 9 sea lions have moved into the water, the aprox. 300 gulls are all huddled together in small groups facing into the westerly.13 Black Oyster Catchers are together in a small depression on the east side of Gr. Race in the shelter of the house.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 3:48 PM