Gray on gray.

Posted on Thursday,September 25, 2014 by Anne Stewart

It was a bit of a gray day with some thick fog and even a few patches of sunlight, which made fog-bows. This is my made up word for the colourless, rainbow-like arches made by the sun in the fog. Winds were light and swung around out of the north, northeast and over to the east, with the northeast predominating, at about 5 knots. The barometer was fairly steady today and the forecast for tomorrow is for more of the same only more southeast, also with showers.

There were Dall’s Porpoise and Humpback Whales nearby late in the afternoon, which brought a few whale watching boats with a total of nine noted in the Ecological Reserve. The operator of the vessel King Salmon, of Great Pacific Adventures needs to review the regulations for operation in the Ecological Reserve.

The newcomers today were four Greater White-fronted Geese. This species nests in the arctic west of Hudson’s Bay and the western populations winter from here down to Mexico.

Greater White-fronted Geese were resting and recovering here today.

Today was the day, for the weekly census of megafauna and these are the results:
Steller’s Sea Lion 176
California Sea Lion 406
Elephant Seal 6
Harbour Seal 168
River Otter 2
Canada Goose 4
Greater White-fronted Goose 4
Double-Crested Cormorant 18
Pelagic Cormorant 8
Cormorant sp. 2
Black Oystercatcher 8
Black Turnstone 11,
Killdeer 2
Surfbird 28
Common Murre 4
Thayer’s Gull 113
Glaucous-winged Gull 22
Heerman’s Gull 6
California Gull 1
Western Gull 1
Gull spp. 256 (probably in similar proportions to above, unable to tell due to distance and fogged glass in the tower)

Fence maintenance takes quite a bit of time right now as new sea lions arrive for the winter and learn to stay away from the houses and off the jetty. They would probably prefer to be right here in the kitchen but that is a trade-off with having a guardian here. Fresh-water production and electrical generation continue to be a priority. Today was also the day for month-end report, house cleaning and packing. I am off to Scandinavia to share and learn more about Ocean Literacy. Thanks to all the PC Marine Science students who were willing to share their thoughts with the participants of the gathering at the University of Gothenberg.

Real Rain

Posted on Wednesday,September 24, 2014 by Anne Stewart

There was measurable rain last night and this morning for the first time in a long time, followed by fairly thick fog. Eventually the fog burned off and the northeast wind chased it out of the Strait. Although it is now blue sky above, it seems to be the donut hole with clouds all around, so expect more showers and outflow winds. The barometer started climbing out of the hole early this morning and kept climbing most of the day, until leveling off late afternoon. On the satellite, it looks like the first pineapple express of the season and we are in the lee of the Olympic Mountains.

Rain, sunshine and fog, with god-rays for good measure.

There was only one whale watching boat today ‘Gold Wing’, one recreational boat and a couple of commercial charter vessels.

The second of three first year Marine Science classes came for a field trip today. Their quest was similar to yesterday’s class; to make first-hand observations and enter their notes and drawings into their field journals and to add to their species lists. I added consumption of warm fruit crumble, with very Canadian maple syrup to their to do list and the students seemed to enjoy the whole process.

Students making discoveries.

Canadian student observing from the top of the tower.

Journal and camera at the ready for marine science observations.

Hang on to that journal. You will need to keep track of it for two years.

Class meeting at the ecoguardian house.

Second Nature departing with Courtney at the helm.

The California Sea Lions seem to be disturbed by the rain and spent the night making a lot of noise. In the morning most of them moved into the water when the rain started again. Could it be that there hasn’t been much rain where they have been? So far we have brands from the Channel Islands, Rogue Reef in southern Oregon and the Columbia River in northern Oregon.

We had some new arrivals today in the form of a flock of very tired Surfbirds. They slept most of the day. Their breeding grounds are in the mountains of the Yukon and in Alaska and they winter here on the coast.

Surfbirds arrived today and rested.

There were also a couple of Western Sandpipers flitting about today. They breed in western Alaska and are heading south, just passing through here. If they are looking for biofilm, Race Rocks is covered in it, even though with its’ high current and rocky substrate, it is the opposite of a mudflat, it has such a massive concentration of life that there is food for eveyone. I saw more Black Oystercatchers today than I have in a couple of weeks. They are one of my favourite birds.

Black Oystercatchers are very jazzy birds. They have the most spartan nests imaginable. The adult pairs are quite site fidel.

I am preparing to attend an international workshop on ocean literacy, followed by the European Marine Science Educator’s Conference. Also trying to trouble-shoot the Davis wind direction data, which is reading greater than 360o. All the normal, potential problems seem fine, so it is still a mystery. Regular tasks like making power, making water, testing the seawater, taking photos of branded animals and generally fighting entropy, continue. Here is another photo for Garry of sea lions in the foreground and shipping in the not too distant background.

Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is located adjacent to a very busy shipping lane.

Sizzling September

Posted on Monday,September 15, 2014 by Anne Stewart

Summer continues on Race Rocks with light easterly winds switching around to westerly this evening. It is still clear but there are more clouds tonight than I have seen in a while. Overall the barometer has been slowly dropping since last Thursday yet still remains relatively high. Although there is a gale warning in effect for tomorrow, the winds will be westerlies, which usually means good weather, but may bring in the fog.

Killer Whales to the south and southwest of Race Rocks drew quite a few tour boats again today. A total of fourteen whale watching boats were observed in the reserve, all well behaved. There was no illegal fishing observed.

Another ring-necked, California Sea Lion was photographed today. It appears to be healing although no rehabilitation tags were observed on this animal and it was difficult to tell if the entanglement was still there or not.

This California Sea Lion appears to be recovering from a ring-neck injury. No tags to indicate rehabilitation.

Unlike some of the ring-neck sea lions this wound appears to be clean and healing.

Most of the sea lions hauled out at Race Rocks appear to be in good shape. Here is a photo of a well fed Steller’s Sea Lion.

A big male Steller’s Sea Lion is well fed and appears to be enjoying resting in the water.

The total number of Double Crested Cormorants and flock size, seems to go up everyday. Today I saw my first returning Surf Scoters flying in from the west. Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres and Heerman’s Gulls are very active around the edges of the reserve. The Heerman’s Gulls sometimes rest on the big rafts of bull kelp.

The Bull Kelp is on its’ way out and is epiphytized with red and green algae. Much of the area on the large blades have gone into zoospore production and the spore patches are clearly visible.

Bull kelp sporophylls are the lighter areas of the blades. This is where millions of zoospores are produced to make the microscopic over-wintering gametophytes.

This last large tidal series has ‘littered’ the tide lines with floating kelp, wood and debris. A dock with a braced super-structure heading out to sea with the tide in Race Passage was reported as a hazard to navigation.

A lot of maintenance work has been accomplished over the last few days. The Jetty exclusion zone is now working well. The science house perimeter is functional. The weed-eater is working well and the compost is mulched in with hay. Many little things are a bit cleaner and tidier than when they were found.

L86 was seen with the first new SRKW calf since 2012

Posted on Saturday,September 6, 2014 by Anne Stewart

The great weather with gentle outflow conditions continued for today but looks like we will be back to westerlies tomorrow and that may bring back the fog. The barometer slowly slid all day but is still relatively high.

There were only three tour boats today with the Bigg’s Killer Whales gone from this area and the Southern Resident Killer Whales in the Gulf Islands.

Several boaters were reported fishing illegally in the Race Rocks Close Conservation Area today. Juan de Fuca Warrior approached one of those boats and they pulled up and left the reserve. The people in the Juan de Fuca Warrior dropped off SCUBA divers just off of Great Race. I had to go on the VHF radio for the other two, both rentals from Pedder Bay Marina, other folks on the radio were supportive and eventually the poachers left.

Later when there were no fishers in the reserve, a Fisheries boat passed to the south and the Becher Bay Fisheries Patrol came through the reserve. Good to know that there are allies out there.

I completed the first part of the Glaucous-winged Gull mortality study today and didn’t have much time for any other substantial observations. Chris Blondeau came out with family visitors and delivered propane, food and other supplies. One thing we saw together was a California Sea Lion with and orange flipper tag on the left, front flipper and a ring around its neck or at least a mark from a line of some sort. It may have been healed but there was still an obvious mark. The orange tag means the individual had been at a rehabilitation centre in California, maybe the neck line was removed. Right now in California, many sea lions are having seizures and dying and some are being rehabilitated at Marine Mammal Centers, they are tagged on release too.. The illness is due to domoic acid poisoning from algal blooms.

Good news from off the rock but in the ‘hood’ today, as reported by the Center for Whale Research, L86 was seen with the first new calf in the Southern Resident Killer Whale population since 2012. That is really good news. right here is where they used to be captured for aquarium shows back in the day. Great to see that endangered population growing again.

Chores completed included simple things like fixing the hoses so they could be used without losing water like paper bags, adding peat moss to the compost and wetting it down so it won’t blow away immediately. The solar panels got an extra special fresh water cleaning today and I worked a bit on the jetty fence and science house perimeter.

Killer Whales and Sport-fishers to the West

Posted on Thursday,September 4, 2014 by Anne Stewart

Another glorious day on the rock with good visibility, calm waters and a clear sky. The barometer rose gradually until noon and then dropped slightly. Barely perceptible outflow winds kept the fog out at sea and it looks like a similar forecast for Friday.

There was a lot of activity in the Reserve today with whale watching boats stopping by to see the sea lions en-route, back and forth between Victoria and the two pods of transient (aka Bigg’s) Killer Whales off to the west. The smaller pod had four individuals and passed close to the reserve heading west spending the day between Becher Bay and Beachy Head. A second larger pod was reported from further west near Otter Point by days’ end. A total of 37 tour boats were noted in the reserve and many more passed by at speed outside of the boundaries. They keep constant contact with the whales during the day and pass off to each other, on leaving the area.

A couple of recreational boats spent time in the reserve today, one photographing sea lions for several hours and the other jigging. The conservation area is bounded by the 40 meter contour, and no jigging is allowed. Jigging targets territorial fish such as rockfish and lingcod although you can catch coho that way too. The Conservation Area is enforced by DFO and is there to protect long-lived, territorial fish like rockfish and lingcod, so that their offspring can disperse to other areas with the currents. A Marine Protected area like Race Rocks becomes a source of recruitment of young fish to nearby areas that don’t have protection and this ultimately makes the fishing more sustainable.

It was census day today.
Biggs’ Killer Whales 4
Steller’s Sea Lions 243 (7 brands noted)
California Sea Lions 334 (7 completed brands noted, 1 incomplete)
Total sea lions both species = 577
Harbour Seals 142
Elephant Seal 1 (pup)
Savannah Sparrows 8 (seemed to fly off to the south across the Strait after visiting)
Double-crested Cormorants 11
Pelagic Cormorants 4
Black Turnstones 7
Sandpipers 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Glaucous-winged Gulls 99 (4 chicks still begging)
Heerman’s Gulls 5
California Gull 1
Black Oystercatchers 7
The Pigeon Guillemots were not spotted today so I assume that the chicks finally fledged and have headed off to sea. I will miss them. It is fun to watch them ride the currents and carry crazy-looking fish to their young.

There were no visitors today, although both Second Nature and Hyaku made multiple trips within a stone’s throw of the jetty, as part of student orientation week.

What’s your number?

Posted on Sunday,August 31, 2014 by Anne Stewart

It was a day without fog at Race Rocks and as the westerlies continue, some serious clouds can be seen piling up on far horizons. The barometer rose all day, which bodes well for tomorrow but there may be a few needed showers.

It was a busy day on the water with 26 whale watching boats visiting the reserve. From the expressions on the tourists’ faces, they seemed to enjoy watching the sea lions. All the skippers were respectful except for two travelling together who did not heed the go-slow zone.

There were so many recreational fishing boats that I could only keep track of the ones who were in contravention of the DFO Rockfish Conservation Area closure which runs around the reserve at a 40m depth. Many of those fishing inside the boundary were in rental boats but some of the other speed boats were doing what they do best…speeding. The Pedder Bay Marina is really good about talking to folks who rent from them and informing them about the conservation area.

I looked for tagged and branded sea lions again today and can report another nine California Sea Lions and four Stellers’ Sea Lions bringing the total number of branded individuals sighted up to 29. Eventually we will know a bit more about their stories from those numbers they carry. There are also two Stellers with neck rings cutting into their flesh and one with a flasher hanging out of its’ mouth. There are individual Harbour Seals, as well as both species of sea lions with major wounds. Speaking of wounds, there were two new, (to me), very small Elephant Seals on the ramp today, probably young of the year, judging from the size.

A few Pigeon Guillemots are still carrying into fish into the large boulder area by the jetty. The chicks must leave for sea at night as I haven’t seen any on the water and most are probably fledged by now. Each day, there are more Pelagic and Double Crested Cormorants roosting on the southwest side of the island.

The desalinator worked for a couple of hours during the sunshine today, making fresh water thanks to the solar panels.

Month end inventory was conducted today with measurements taken of all the fuel, fresh water, and equipment run times recorded.

My other task was to try and stake out a small territory on the jetty so that I can come and go and do the sampling. The elephant seals are no problem, they just sleep as you pass, or open one eye. Keeping the more belligerent California sea lions off the jetty seems to be a losing battle and has made getting out to the end of the jetty to sample seawater, extra challenging.

Angry birds

Posted on Sunday,May 18, 2014 by Courtney Edwards

Clear skies. Moderate to strong West wind. Force 5.
The barometer has levelled out around 1007.0 hPa. The forecast is for the moderate to strong West winds to continue.
Big tides and currents these past few days: Low tide is 0.3m and high tide is 2.3m today, and the current is running -6.1kn and +5.6kn.

17 tour boats
6 recreational boats
3 boats fishing on the edge of the reserve

There could be two Cackling geese on the island, or it might just be two small, scruffy Canada Geese, it’s pretty hard to tell. I saw a Canada goose attack a Gull today and break the Gulls wing. I also saw a Gull chase a Canada Goose away from its nest. Lots of antagonistic birds with all this nesting. Judging by the disaster that I have to wash off the solar panels every day, the Gulls are capitalizing on these low tides and catching lots of small fish. I find entire fish skeletons and lots of scales among all the poop on the solar panels. The Elephant seals spent most of the day in the water by the jetty. There are 5 super fat and healthy-looking California Sea lions hanging out on/making a mess of the jetty. I saw the river otter sneak up from the water by the crane and hang out under the crane deck. I think it has a hole/home somewhere under the walkway between the crane deck and the tank shed. I have only ever seen a single otter, but I wonder if it is two and I just never see them together.

I will go as far to say that two recreational fishing boats almost wrecked on the South seal rocks today, but they probably don’t even know how close they came to doom. Two rental boats from Pedder Bay marina came ripping East to West between Great Race and the South seal rocks (which is about a 30m gap). It was pretty close to max flood with the water moving at about 5kn. By sheer luck, they both made it past the rock slab of the South Seal rocks, but I heard one of the boats bottom out on a rock turning around the South-West corner of great race. Thankfully that made him turn away from Great Race because he was headed straight for a very shallow, very sold rock that sits just below the surface. I reported it to the Pedder Bay Marina since they have asked that we contact them when their rental boats are in the reserve. Boating tip from Race Rocks: if there is a patch of ocean that looks like a river, with standing waves and whirlpools, go around it not through it.

-started spring cleaning the Keeper’s house
-pulled nails and tacks from walls, puttied, and did some paint touch ups in the Keeper’s house
-painted upstairs door frames in Keeper’s house

Animal Census

Posted on Tuesday,May 13, 2014 by Courtney Edwards

Clear skies, variable light to no wind. Force 0.
Barometer is falling. Forecast is for light to moderate Easterlies.

9 tour boats
2 recreational fishing boats passed through

Animal Census
Steller Sea lion: 24
California Sea lion: 8
Elephant Seal:30
Harbour Seal: 111
Eagle: 3
Canada Goose: 39 adults, 8 goslings
Gull: 180
Oyster Catcher: 10
White Fronted Goose: 1
Pigeon Guillemots: 34

This is the highest number of Elephant seals we have ever counted in the reserve. This morning there were 2 juvenile eagles, and one adult. I have found 3 Oyster Catcher nests: one by the Keeper’s House, one on the bluff West of the jetty, and one on the rocks by the energy building. The Cackling goose is gone. I took the boat past the West bluffs yesterday on my way home and there is no sign of Pigeon Guillemot nesting yet.

Continue reading →

Sea Lion Notes from Race Rocks

Posted on Saturday,December 28, 2013 by Garry Fletcher

ER Warden’s Report by G. Fletcher.

On December 28, 2013 I was out at Race Rocks doing the Christmas Bird Count. While there I made several observations concerning the Northern and California Sea lions. There are only a few California sea lions left after the heavy influx of the fall. The number of Northerns on the South island is still fairly high ( over 100)

On the November 28 log there were still 479 Stellars and 555 Californias. This image taken in the fall, shows how much they came up near the houses where there wasn’t an electric fence to repel them:

The vegetation of the areas on both sides of the island were heavily impacted by the sea lions this fall. In the following images those areas that are now brown are normally green.

North East of Ecoguardian’s residence

South of the Marine Education House

I observed from the tower an unusual behaviour shown in the image below. It is not unusual in that the California Sea Lions are rafting. What is unusual is that Northern sea lions flank them on both sides without having their fins raised out of the water.