Tag Archives: Black Oystercatcher

Slow Day at the Race

Posted on by

 

Weather and Sea Conditions

Light southeast winds kept the skies grey today but clouds were high and there was no noticeable precipitation at sea level. A new dusting of snow, high on the Olympic Mountains informed the chill in the air. By evening, winds had backed to northeast 10 to 15 knots. The barometric pressure dropped steadily starting after midnight last night and at 18:30 was around 1001 hPa and still falling. The marine forecast for central Juan de Fuca Strait calls for a repeat of this morning southeast 10 – 20 knots increasing to westerly 15 to 25 Thursday afternoon. It will be cloudy with a 60 percent chance of showers in the early morning followed by a mix of sun and cloud. Sea conditions were fairly calm with a light inshore chop, rougher out in the strait and in collision with current generated turbulence.

Vessel Observations

Three whale-watching operators were observed working in the protected area this morning and one was observed in the evening. One sports fishing vessels was observed transiting the reserve today.

Ecological and General Observations

Afternoon low tides reveal Race Rocks’ high diversity and productivity of seaweeds and marine invertebrates. Many of the birds depend on the table being set when the tide is out and for millennia, the indigenous people who used the area did the same. The rock cairn burials here are a daily reminder of the human significance of the site going above and beyond the history of the lighthouse.

Back to birds, Black Oystercatcher totally depend on the riches of the intertidal. The Black Turnstones here are the only ones I have ever seen foraging in the garden but otherwise they and the Surfbirds are intertidal feeders as well.

There are eleven elephant seals moulting in the garden now and their faces are really starting to peel.

Chores and Visitors

Alex is back, the roof patches were revisited and more blown shingles were retrieved from the latest blow. Other chores were routine and there were no other visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fog in the Morning

Posted on by

Weather and Sea Conditions

There was thick fog in the morning and it took longer to clear than yesterday. The fog bank which came in from the west coast was more extensive today. According to a scout who called from the top of Mount Finlayson, the fog extended down towards Seattle and up through Haro Strait. By early afternoon, there were clear blue skies and sunshine. Wind was light and variable picking up from the west at sunset, to 15 -20 knots. Sea conditions were calm other than the large tidal movements, which make it rough in the narrow and constricted areas.

It was sunny enough once the fog lifted, that the UV index reached a high of 5 (moderate). Barometric pressure stayed fairly steady at about 1005 hPa. There is a strong wind warning in effect on the marine forecast for the Central Juan de Fuca Strait and the forecast calls for westerly winds of 10 to 15 knots increasing to westerly 20 to 30 early Sunday afternoon.

Vessel Observations

No whale-watching vessels were observed working in the protected area today. Transient (Bigg’s) Killer Whales elsewhere kept them busy. Several sports fishing boats went through the reserve, slowly and respectfully.

Kyle takes visitors for a tour around the Ecological Reserve.

Kyle takes visitors for a tour around the Ecological Reserve.

Kyle, the new Pearson College foreshore person, brought visitors out for a tour around the reserve in Haiku, but did not land.

Ecological and General Observations

Now there are five young, male, Northern Elephant Seals ashore on Great Race. They are just starting moult on their faces, around their mouths. They spend most of their time asleep in the garden but squidgle down to the water for a swim in the afternoon, taking their time coming and going. I saw the Steller’s Sea Lion 433Y again today on South Rock. The two species of sea lion seem to be separating out from each other a little more, with better defined separation of haul-outs.

Three pairs of Canada Geese that we had been keeping off the island,  took advantage of the cover of yesterday’s wind to move in. The males are very belligerent and aggressive enough that they are going to be difficult to move. This could be fun.

Other birds that continue their pair bonding and nesting rituals include the Black Oystercatchers, Pigeon Guillemotts and Glaucous-winged Gulls. The Black Turnstones may be getting ready to migrate, as they seem to be taking flight together more than usual, going for wheeling spins off the island. They move very quickly and together as a living unit, flashing their black and white in flights away and then back to the reserve. The Bald Eagles continue to roost and hunt, seemingly all day, everyday.

Sunlight levels were high enough to generate extra electricity for laundry and making fresh water, with the de-salinator, in spite of thick fog until early afternoon.

Chores were routine. There were no visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

Re-runs

Posted on by

Weather & Sea Conditions

Light, variable winds and overcast skies were the norm for most of today. The sun came out in the early evening but total accumulated sunlight levels were way down from the highs of last week. Of course this also meant a low UV index, which barely reached 2 today. The barometric pressure climbed steadily from a low of 1010 on Sunday, to over 1030 hPa today and tomorrow’s forecast calls for more sun and a moderate (5) UV index. Light winds are predicted to continue, rising to 15 knots Wednesday afternoon. Except for tidal rips and current driven standing waves, sea conditions were calm and rippled today.

Vessels

Six whale watching vessels were observed working in the protected area today. One of the larger yellow vessels took chances with safety and wildlife security, ignoring common sense and rules, by barging through the narrow, shallow passageway between the South Rocks sea lions haul-out and Great Race. They were lucky, they missed the shallow rocks and the sea lions were disturbed but did not stampede.

Why is it always the same company that pushes the limits? Not all of their operators take these kinds of risks but it certainly makes one pause and wonder: what kind of leadership allows this to happen repeatedly?

Very few sports fishing boats were seen today except in the distance at Constance Bank and Beechey Head. One was observed passing through the protected area (not fishing), near Rosedale Reef.

Ecological and General Observations

Ecologically it was the day of the goose. The time has come, (the Walrus said), for egg laying to start, whether nests are built and territories staked out, or not. There was a certain desperation and pandemonium amongst the geese today leading to much honking, numerous chases, physical battles between the males and general goose drama. They are here to stay, like the California Sea Lions.

Everything else seemed to proceed as usual; sea lions and seals slept. Beulah crushed the beds where I picked tulips yesterday and then moved over behind the boat-shed. The river otter continues to use his two story, rock, otter spot and ‘decorates’ the walkway with evidence of his fish predation. The gulls seemed more settled and there seemed to be fewer marauding eagles. Black Oystercatchers are all in pairs in the same areas where they nested last year, through most of the day. The Pigeon Guillemots spent more of the day ashore and were still here in the late afternoon. The Harlequins were busy fuelling up for their move to the mountains.

A true sign of spring, the bull kelp could be seen reaching the surface at low tide. Soon there will be beds of kelp around each rock making it easier for the skippers to see the underwater hazards that are compounded by ‘the race’. The Sea Otter made a brief appearance and appeared to be itchy. Maybe he was just doing his daily ritual of grooming to keep his fur impeccable and impenetrable to the ocean’s cold.

Chores were routine today. There were no visitors.

Eagles Use Foghorn Daily

Posted on by

 

The morning started with either low cloud or high cloud. The sun shone under the fog on the Victoria side and on the Sooke side it thickened and the ceiling lowered to become more fog-like. Port Angeles was obscured early. The fog lifted from east to west and resulted in a beautiful clear day with a west wind of 20 – 25 knots, constant throughout the day. Barometric pressure held fairly steady as well, at 1016 -1017 hPa. The marine forecast for the central Strait has a strong wind warning in effect, calling for west winds of 20 to 30 knots and there are showers in forecast.

No whale watching vessels were observed today. One ‘sports’ fishing vessel was observed inside the boundary today but no fishing activity was observed in the protected area.

Second Nature visited briefly with Kyle at the helm and a second person that was supposed to be measuring things.

Today was census day and the results are below. It should be noted that the Bald Eagles were hunting gulls all day on Great Race Island. Although no takes were seen, the gull population thinned significantly during the day and the gull numbers today may not reflect a representative sample of the true numbers seen this week.

Animal Census

2016 01-Apr
River Otter 1
Northern Elephant Seal 8
Harbour Seal 176
Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 28
California Sea Lion 103
Canada Goose 5
Brandt (flying through) 75
Harlequin Duck 11
Surf Scoter 0
Common Merganser 2
Brandt’s Cormorant 2
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Pelagic Cormorant 3
Cormorant (not ID’d to species) 0
Bald Eagle (juvenile) 4
Bald Eagle (adult) 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 4
Black Oystercatcher 12
Black Turnstone 70
Surfbird 0
Rock Sandpiper 0
Dunlin 2
Mew Gull 0
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs in nesting area) 210
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs outside of nesting area) 98
Thayers Gulls 0
Calfiornia Gulls 3
Western Gull 1
Common Murres 12
Rhinoceros Auklets 2
Pigeon Guillemot 40
Common Raven 2
Northwestern Crow 2
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1

 

 

 

Classic Spring Day

Posted on by

Weather Observations

Today was quintessentially spring. It was already getting light at 05:30 and although there were a few clouds around during the day, it was sunny all day. The UV Index reached almost four, which is rated as moderate. Accumulated solar energy for the day in Langleys was the highest day this week at over 450. (One Langley = 11.62 watt hours per meter2.) Winds were 5 – 20 knots from the west until evening, when they switched to light easterly breezes. There was a significant ocean swell late in the day. The barometer was steady most of the day at ~ 1020 hPA. The marine forecast is calling for light winds becoming easterly 10 to 15 knots early Saturday morning.

Vessel Observations

There were seven visits by whale-watching vessels into the Ecological Reserve. Except for getting too close to the rocks and wildlife, most operators followed the regulations and were careful. The same company that is problematic almost daily has a new larger vessel that sped in the Reserve twice today. The company was notified. Not all vessel operators in this company’s fleet behave badly however the reputation of the company will suffer with a hothead at the helm and so will animals involved in collisions. One speedboat broke down between Great Race and South Rock. The engine cover was off and they were drifting (slowly). I asked them if they were okay and they said they were fine. Soon after, the two-stroke sprung to life in a cloud of fumes and they motored off towards Pedder Bay. An Oak Bay Marine Group vessel followed one of the whale watchers in behind South Rock today and then sped out of the Protected Area. Pedder Bay Marina was advised although they are able to track their boats so can tell where the vessel is and how fast it is going.

Today was animal census day and the results follow.

2016 25-Mar
River Otter 1
Northern Elephant Seal 2
Harbour Seal 72
Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 78
California Sea Lion 176
Canada Goose 2
Harlequin Duck 12
Surf Scoter 0
Common Merganser 1
Brandt’s Cormorant 42
Double-crested Cormorant 71
Pelagic Cormorant 43
Cormorant (not ID’d to species) 75
Bald Eagle (juvenile) 7
Bald Eagle (adult) 2
Killdeer 4
Black Oystercatcher 12
Black Turnstone 30
Surfbird 6
Rock Sandpiper 1
Dunlin 2
Mew Gull 0
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs in nesting area) 558
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs outside of nesting area) 529
Thayers Gulls 0
Calfiornia Gulls 11
Western Gull 1
Common Murres 0
Pigeon Guillemot 93
Northwestern Crow 2
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1

Maintenance

Chores were routine, plus tank shed reorganization and basement clean-up. Month-end report started.

Sunlight levels excellent for making water, doing laundry and charging batteries.

 

 

Beulah Rolls Over

Posted on by

Winds were light and variable today under cloudy skies with occasional showers. Tomorrow has a similar forecast, partly cloudy, 40% chance of showers with the strong west wind warning continued. The barometric pressure reached 1020 hPa in the early hours of the morning and then dropped to 1012 by dusk. The wind materialized with rain after dark, gusting over 30 from the west.

Only two whale-watching vessels were seen today and neither was in the reserve. To the northeast of Victoria, J-pod (Resident Killer Whales), a Minke Whale and Transients (Bigg’s Killer Whales) were a draw for the whale watching fleet.  Two sports fishing vessels cruised through slowly.

Nothing to much report ecologically today other than spring is progressing rapidly. The female Northern Elephant Seal (Beulah) made the huge effort of rolling over today. That was it for activity there. Bald Eagles continue to fish and hunt birds in the reserve. The River Otter showed himself again today, near the derrick and within a meter of a small gaggle of geese. The River Otter was busy rubbing his scent gIands all over the grass there and then went into the sea and swam off in the direction of North Rock. From the scat, it looks like a fish diet, lots of scales and medium sized fish bones. I continue efforts to persuade the geese to nest on Vancouver Island. Seals, sea lions and cormorants rest, roost and dry out on the rocks. Glaucous-winged gulls, Black Oystercatchers and Pigeon Guillemots all make preparations for parenthood.

Pearson College divers, under the supervision of Laura Verhegge, visited this afternoon in Second Nature. They did a dive with three groups of divers, during the flood, in the back eddy by the jetty. Some of the students were ‘over the moon’ about their experience and really enjoyed the colours and rich sea life. They wanted to continue exploring even when it was time to go. Others were in ‘a little over their head’ and glad to be back on board. Great leadership and teamwork brought out the best in everyone. A very small sea lion appeared to enjoy having students to investigate and some of the students noticed.

No photos today, sorry, technical problems with camera.

 

Student Power

Posted on by

The morning was quiet, overcast and uneventful, weather-wise. Light variable winds continued and the wind did not rise above 15 knots until mid afternoon when the wind became more definitely north by northeast. There is a wind warning in effect calling for south winds of 20 knots near the west entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca tonight. The barometer continued yesterday’s gradual fall and reached ~1003 hPa when this log was posted at 18:00. The forecast is calling for a 60% chance of showers with variable light winds becoming southwest 10 to 20 Monday evening.

Only one whale-watching vessel was observed today. They moved slowly and carefully while watching the sea lions and eagles on South Rock. The sea lions didn’t even look up.

Ecologically there was nothing outstanding to report. Spring steadily approaches and will soon be here. There were a few more shorebirds resting, grooming, bathing, feeding and sleeping on Great Race, before the next part of their journeys. Black Oystercatchers are definitely staking out territories in pairs at all the same places that were used last year and the year before. Eagles continue to be busy on all of the islets but particularly Great Race South and West. The sea lions seem truly exhausted and during the day sleep together in huddles with the two species mixed together. One new brand was noted but light levels were too low to verify the number.

Sunlight levels were surprisingly low today. This is good for a low UV index but is not so great in terms of generating solar power. Students Aziz and Sam helped by cleaning most of the solar panels, which helped us capture more of the available energy. Kyle and Keneshka helped move empty propane tanks and other outgoing gear to the end of the jetty for pick-up. Together the four students made a good team and cleaned up the student house after using it for the weekend. Sam also helped launch and retrieve the whaler in time for a test drive to check a couple of things before Chris arrived in Second Nature. That all went well.

Chris arrived for pick-up, with a guest, a naval doctor who seemed to enjoy visiting Race Rocks. He felt very lucky to have grown up beside the sea in Wales. Race Rocks reminded him of larger, more isolated seabird islands that he had visited in Wales.

Malou, a student from Greenland continued her training on Second Nature today and did very well demonstrating her ability. She made a good landing and managed to launch back out into the stream, away from the concrete jetty with no damage, a feat in itself. My limited experience driving Second Nature was that it was a tricky boat to drive, so kudos to Malou.

Green with Shades of Blue

Posted on by

March 17 was a windy day on Race Rocks. The early morning east northeast wind  kept intensifying and it was blowing 25 – 30 knots northeast by noon. It kept up for the rest of the day. The barometric pressure started to drop from a high of 1026 hPa, in the afternoon. The forecast includes a gale warning, with the easterlies continuing under sunny skies for at least tomorrow.

One whale-watching vessel was observed working in the Protected Area today and several others were seen transiting the area. Sports-fishing boats were all outside the reserve.

The Nanoose Yarder, a tug, headed west through Race Passage with the fishing vessel, Arctic Fox II in tow. The Arctic Fox II was damaged by fire in Cowichan Bay last winter and looks like she will need some serious TLC before heading out again to troll for tuna, offshore. DND blasting continued.

The impression that the gull population was rising daily, returning en masse was not wrong. Nest site locations from last year are almost fully occupied. Pairs are standing close, pulling vegetation and starting to jockey for position with neighbours. No actual nest building has been observed yet. Canada Geese have been discouraged.

The idea that more California Sea Lions were showing up was backed up by more brands observed today and of course by the counts themselves.  Today was animal census day and results are posted below.

2016 17-Mar
River Otter 0
Northern Elephant Seal 0
Harbour Seal 131
Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 41
California Sea Lion 123
Canada Goose 0
Harlequin Duck 15
Surf Scoter 0
Common Merganser 0
Brandt’s Cormorant 40
Double-crested Cormorant ~100
Pelagic Cormorant 28
Cormorant ~50
Bald Eagle (juvenile) 9
Bald Eagle (adult) 3
Killdeer 2
Black Oystercatcher 26
Black Turnstone 42
Surfbird 2
Rock Sandpiper 0
Dunlin 0
Mew Gull 0
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs in nesting area) 486
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs outside of nesting area) 229
Thayers Gulls 10
Calfiornia Gulls 6
Western Gull 1
Common Murres 1
Pigeon Guillemot 76
Northwestern Crow 2
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 0

 

Today was a catch-up day inside and chores were routine.

Arctic Fox Nanoose Yarder 2

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Westerly Gales

Posted on by

Weather-wise, yesterday was wild weather and today dramatic. After yesterday’s log was posted and the internet was out,  the wind turned to southeast and sustaining over 50 knots. The barometer bottomed out at ~987 hPa  in the early hours of the morning and then started to rise again. As today’s entry goes on the web-site ~17:00 it is at 1006 and climbing.

This morning, the sea was still in motion with a substantial swell (~1m) from the southeast that was knocked down later by the flood tide and west wind. The wind switched to west fairly early in the morning and it has been blowing 20 – 30 knots all afternoon. (Oh for a wind turbine that doesn’t harm birds.)

The forecast for Friday is a switch to east overnight, 5 – 15 knots, turning back to west 10 – 15, by late afternoon. Showers to continue.

No vessels were observed in the Ecological Reserve today. Explosions resumed around noon, with the red flags flying a warning to all.

Geese are starting to prefer Rocky Point’s grassy areas and that is a good thing. The high density of eagles here could be unsettling. A Bald Eagle was observed taking a cormorant today. The big adult ate about half of it. Another slightly smaller, adult (male?) approached, waited and they switched off carefully in the wind so the carcass would not fly off. The male (?) ate most of the rest, before taking off with remains in talons, as gulls moved in to clean up. There were a few different species gulls resting here today. The Harbour Seals didn’t show up yesterday or today, nor did the Pigeon Guillemots.

One tagged California Sea Lion was photographed; tag and brand # X79. A necklaced Steller’s Sea Lion was observed and photographed. It look a lot like one that was here last fall except that the plastic on the neck may be coming apart. The animal is vigorous. While under observation, it climbed off one rock, swam across head held high and climbed up another rock, to the top of the ‘dog pile’.

Today was census day and here are the results.

2016 10-Mar
River Otter 0
Northern Elephant Seal 0
Harbour Seal 0
Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 26
California Sea Lion 82
Canada Goose 2
Harlequin Duck 11
Surf Scoter 12
Common Merganser 2
Brandt’s Cormorant 25
Double-crested Cormorant 50
Pelagic Cormorant 18
Cormorant ~100
Bald Eagle (juvenile) 3
Bald Eagle (adult) 2
Killdeer 2
Black Oystercatcher 13
Black Turnstone 21
Surfbird 7
Rock Sandpiper 2
Dunlin 2
Mew Gull 0
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs) 138
Thayer’s Gulls 61
California Gulls 12
Common Murres 6
Pigeon Guillemot 0
Northwestern Crow 2
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 0

 

Chores were routine and there were no visitors.

Wild Goose Chase

Posted on by

Last night’s north easterlies created a bit of a symphony: percussion on soffits accompanied by back door whistling its multifarious tunes. Morning started with the call of Canada Geese arriving, southerly winds (10 – 15 knots) and rainy skies. By late morning the wind direction had changed to west and the sky eventually cleared to a mix of sun and cloud by late afternoon. The gentle to moderate westerly is forecast to continue tomorrow bringing a 30% chance of showers. The barometer has been rising all day, so things are looking up.

‘Sports’ fishers were seen passing and fishing in the distance today and there were no sightings of whale watchers in the Ecological Reserve.

I went out to clear off the geese first thing and saw a pair mating in the water. That inspired me to ramp up daily goose patrols. No sign of nests yet, but there are a few pairs that are hormonally persistent. The large number of Bald Eagles is potentially helping keep the geese nervous. I saw an adult eagle flying with some sort of large bird, hanging from its talons but could not tell if it was a goose or a cormorant. The gulls seem to be setting up their territories, even though it still seems quite early for anything very serious. Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged gulls, and Black Oystercatchers are all in breeding plumage, as are many of the three species of cormorant.

Chunk actually moved today, leaving his dead, stink zone for fresh flowers and a sloped recline on the other side of the paths. I also saw him open one eye as I walked past, a small feat of energetic response. He really is wiped out from all of his male activities.

A California Sea Lion, which is equally lethargic, is hauled out beside the derrick and he looks quite emaciated with backbones and ribs showing. The rest of Sea Lions that remain look healthy and haul out tightly together in two spots, a small group just down to the northwest of the Science House and a larger group on the South Islets. There are a few branded animals but I haven’t been able to get photos yet. A male Steller’s 76Y (left side) and a couple of rump branded Columbian California Sea Lions. 76Y was branded at St. George Reef in northern California, just south of Oregon, in 2002 as a pup. 443Y is just going into its third year and was branded at Rogue Reef in southern Oregon, just north of the California border, in 2013.

 

There were no visitors and chores were routine.