Tag Archives: blasting

July 17 and 18

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Ecological Notes:

  • A large pod of humpbacks has been around Race Rocks for at least the past few days, with many visible to the south. Today, I saw a few blows and dorsal fins near north of Turbine Rocks (north of the main island), then near West Rocks. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos.
  • I keep seeing a fast moving barn swallow and fox sparrow fluttering low around the island. I only see one at a time, so it is possible there are more of each species. Similar to the humpbacks, the little birds don’t stop in one place long enough for a photo opportunity.
  • See the photo gallery below for more ecological happenings from the past two days.

Weather:

  • Yesterday (July 17):
    • Sky: Cloudy, heavy rain showers after sunset and overnight
    • Wind: W 14-25 kts
    • Sea: rippled, then up to 2′ chop in evening
    • Temperature Low 12oC, High 16oC
  • Today (July 18):
    • Sky: Partly Cloudy
    • Wind: W 12-30 kts
    • Sea: rippled, then 1′ chop in afternoon
    • Temperature Low 13oC, High 15oC

Visitors:

  • No visitors

Facility Work:

  • Scrubbed and squeegeed solar panels, routine tidying and checking infrastructure around the island.

 DND Events:

  • Between 10:20 and 13:20 today, there were three detonations on the nearby DND (Department of National Defence) training area on Bentinck Island, about 2km or 1NM from Great Race Rocks. The sudden explosions sent many birds into the air, as well as seals and sea lions into the water.

Vessel Traffic:

  • Many Canadian and American ecotour boats have been nearby and heading through the waters of the ecological reserve.

Here are photo highlights from the past two days. Click on the photos for larger views and captions.

Beautiful Fall Sunset, Minke Whales!

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Weather Today: 

  • Visibility 15+ NM
  • Sky overcast, some sunshine in the afternoon
  • Wind 0-5 knots NE
  • Sea state calm, some interesting wave patterns due to currents in the mid day

Visitors: 

  • Greg visited with a contractor yesterday along with some island supplies
  • Not too many visitors in the reserve this time of year. A steady trickle of eco-tourism boats on the less windy days, maybe 5-10.
  • Yesterday we watched the HMCS Brandon leave from its home port, Esquimalt. An impressive vessel in capabilities and design, you can learn more about it Here if you are interested!

Ecological Notes: 

  • On Tuesday we were lucky to be present for a spectacular display of orcas in the strait, roughly 2 NM to the S of Great Race Rock. The pod seemed to be hunting something, perhaps a sea lion. It was an incredible sight to observe, with the whales flying out of the water and slapping the surface with their tales.
  • We continue to see humpback whales daily, surrounding the rocks here and a bit further into the strait. Most of the time we first notice the cloud of water that forms when they surface, exhale, inhale, and dive.
  • Today we were joined by a small group of whales, smaller than humpbacks and not orcas (small dorsal fins). We are thinking that these could have been minke whales since they seemed larger than porpoises.
  • Yesterday evening we found an adult glaucous-winged gull sitting in the intertidal near our jetty. It wasn’t moving and seemed to be positioned in an uncharacteristic way, with wings splayed. We weren’t able to identify any physical injuries, although noted that it wasn’t able to make any normal seagull noises, and seemed to be attempting to regurgitate something. We were hopeful that we might be able to transport it to the nearby wild arc rescue center nearby, but unfortunately it was deceased by this morning. We are wondering if it could have swallowed a piece of human trash that may have become lodged, although we were not able to see anything when we examined it.
  • The sea lions are noisier than ever but seem to have found their places among the rocky intertidal. It is amazing to watch them fish in the early mornings, often surfacing with large salmon with a flock of seagulls close behind! I (Mara) noticed two young tagged sea lions this week that seem to be staying close to each other throughout their time here. It’s hard to say if this happens more often since it’s tough to identify individual animals among the over 1000 currently here!

Additional Notes: 

  • There has been quite a bit of blasting on the DND land over the past week to two weeks. Most of the time it is not unreasonably disruptive, but when there is a particularly large blast all of the animals on the island rush in the opposite direction.

Hatching Goslings + Exciting New Arrival

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Today’s Weather Conditions:

  • Sky clear, a few fluffy white clouds on the horizon
  • Visibility 10 NM
  • Wind 20-25 knots W
  • Sea state: fast moving ripples, occasional white caps

Special Feature! Daniel who visited last Thursday has allowed us to share the information that he collected while he was here: Click Here to view his photos and recordings. There are some great shots of the oystercatcher chicks!

Visitors/ Marine Traffic:

  • On Monday Greg delivered water and fuel
  • Yesterday afternoon a large coastguard ship and smaller rib passed through. They looked like they were having a blast taking photos in front of Race Rocks.
  • A handful of whale watching boats in the reserve over the weekend. Interesting to note that they have altered their path and seem to be more interested in the farther outcroppings this season.
  • On Monday a large coastguard helicopter flew overhead

Ecological Observations: 

  • The last remaining goose nest under camera five hatched over the weekend and there are now 4 goslings. While we are hopeful that they will be able to survive, reflecting on the fate of the previous 5 we are doubtful that they will be able to compete and/or evade predators this late into the season.
  • There are now two large elephant seals! Another huge male appeared overnight yesterday. He is enjoying relaxing in the shade next to the guest house.
  • The seagulls have become much more aggressive towards us. Although we are careful to stay on the footpaths and not disturb the nesting birds, they take swooping passes at our heads and drop excrement from above.
  • The seagull behavior towards each other has also become much more territorial. They fight over nesting materials, food, and to maintain their nesting locations. The female seagulls stay near the nesting site, while the male seagulls fish or scavenge for food. The male seagulls regurgitate food for the female seagulls, much like the adults regurgitate food for their chicks.

Other Notes: There has been ammunition detonation on the department of defense land across the water today and yesterday. The location they are using is very close, and with every blast the geese and other birds startle and scramble for a few seconds before settling down again.

Eagle Visit, Watching For Injured Sea Lions

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Weather:

  • Visibility 10 NM
  • Sky overcast
  • Wind 5-10 knots SW
  • Sea state: calm
  • Temperature 21°C

Visitors/Marine Traffic:

  • Today Laura visited to do some surveying of intertidal species
  • Greg did not come to land, as the tide was very low (jetty not accessible)
  • Today we saw one whale watching vessel pass through very respectfully with the current. No animals were disrupted- well done!

Ecological:

  • The goose nests continue to change- a few new ones this week, and a few have been ransacked by seagulls.
  • No significant seagull changes- a few new nests scattered around the island.
  • This morning a juvenile eagle landed on the lawn! It had been chased out of the air by seagulls, and they continued to swoop overhead until the eagle managed to find an opening and fly away.
  • We have been contacted by a few different folks regarding a sea lion that was spotted in the San Juan Island area with a cross bow bolt in his face. We haven’t spotted this animal but there’s a chance that we may over the next few days. We have also been asked to keep an eye out for another sea lion with fishing gear entangled in his face.

Notes:

  • This afternoon there was blasting/ammunition detonation on the Department of National Defense land. There were only 3 blasts but the birds all lifted into the air, or in the case of the sea lions, fled into the water.

January 28 and 29

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Wind: yesterday 5-15 knots from N to NE, today 6-36 knots from E to W
Sea State: yesterday rippled, today rippled in the morning and up to 1 m chop beginning late morning
Visibility: yesterday and today between 5-15 NM
Sky: yesterday overcast, today rain in morning and sunny in afternoon
Temperature: yesterday 7-9 °C, today 8-12 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 414.67 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

The blasting at nearby Bentinck Island wrapped up this morning, after three days and about 25 blasts. The sea lions left the jetty completely this morning after a few loud blasts. It sounded louder this morning because the northerly wind, coming from the direction of Bentinck Island.

Since the power issues began last week, the Environment Canada weather station at the top of the tower has not been reporting the hourly weather conditions for Race Rocks Lightstation. Replacement communication equipment is being sent out, so hopefully the weather will be recorded again within the next few days.

Two eco tour boats were in the reserve over the past two days. The only visitors to the island were Greg and Alex, a Year 39 Pearson student, who came by yesterday to drop off jerry cans of gas for the back up generator. Alex was reminiscing about visiting Race Rocks and SCUBA diving as a student.

See the photos below for sights from the past two days:

DND Blasting

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Wind: yesterday 0-10 knots from E, today 0-46 knots from NE to E
Sea State: yesterday rippled, today rippled in the morning and up to 2 m chop in the late afternoon and evening
Visibility: yesterday and today between 10-15 NM
Sky: yesterday sun, today mostly sunny with rain in evening
Temperature: both days 6-10 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 412.96 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

For most of the past two days it has been sunny with calm winds. A storm warning is materializing this evening that is bringing rain and strong winds of up to 45 knots from the east.

Today, the Department of National Defence was conducting blasting training at nearby Bentinck Island. I heard ten blasts today that shook Race Rocks. See the photo and video below.

Video clips of two blasts that occurred this morning. It takes a few seconds for the sound to reach the island and the sea lions to react. The sounds of gulls and bald eagles can also be heard.

Weekly Census

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Wind: yesterday 8-33 knots S to W, today 2-24 knots W to NE
Sea State: rippled
Visibility: 10-15 NM
Sky: both days mixture of sun and clouds
Temperature: yesterday 3 to 8 °C, today 2 to 4 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 412.63 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

The snow is melting quickly, bringing puddles and mud.

The one day old elephant seal pup appears to be doing well and nursing a lot. It’s moving around and wiggling more than the other two did in their first couple days. The alpha male has been mating numerous times with the mother of the oldest pup.

In the early afternoon, I wandered around the island and peered out from the top of the tower to count the mammals and birds. There were some notable omissions in this fourth week of conducting the census. I didn’t see any geese today. The only sign of the honking birds was a lot of poop and tracks in the snow. I also did not see any black oystercatchers. It is possible the birds were scared off by the loud explosions. The Armed Forces were blasting yesterday and today at the Department of National Defence land-based demolition range on Bentinck Island, the closest land to Race Rocks. Directly after each blast, I witnessed sea lions stampeding into the water and birds taking flight. According to a 2017 article On the firing line with the navy, in the Victoria newspaper Times Colonist, the detonation range is used for training members of the Canadian Navy on how to use explosives. The navy has apparently made efforts to lessen the effects on marine life.

Results of the weekly megafauna and bird census:
10 elephant seals (4 females, 4 males, 2 pups)
200 steller sea lions
242 california sea lions
107 harbour seals
8 bald eagles (7 adult, 1 juvenile)
56 brandt’s cormorants
124 pelagic cormorants
43 double-crested cormorants
178 Thayer’s gulls
12 harlequin ducks
9 black turnstones
1 snow bunting

Blasting

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 Miles
  • Wind: 5-15
  • Sky: Partly Cloudy
  • Water: Flat Calm

Boats/Visitors

  • Quite a bit of boat traffic, many ecotours, fishing boats and sailboats
  • Guy came by, we junked out the generator room a bit and he gave me a training session on the winch, soon I should be able to take the whaler out by myself

Maintenance

  • Had to repair the fence a couple times today, hope to extend the fence all the way to the helicopter pad as soon as I get more stick and pegs

Ecological

  • The Geese were around today
  • no elephant seals in sight
  • the blasting from the DND base was scaring the sea lions
  • also there were quite a few killdeer puttering around

Feb 2nd

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Weather

  • Visibility:15 Miles
  • Wind: 10-30 NW
  • Sky: Cloudy
  • Water: Choppy, under a metre

Boats/Visitors

  • Kyle stopped by to give some Pearson College students a quick tour

Ecological

  • The first pups mom left last night, the pup seems to be doing well, no other elephant seals have really bothered her

Notes

  • DND was blasting today, shook the house pretty good

First of November

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 Miles
  • Wind:  15-25 NW
  • Sky: cloudy this morning, cleared up a bit in the afternoon
  • Water: some waves, no more than a metre

Boats/Visitors

  • had some ecotours cruise by today

Ecological

  • some sea lions, 2 elephant seals and plenty of humpbacks around

Notes

  • DnD was blasting today