Light winds. Clear skies.
Two Eagles this morning.
The Canada Geese have all left the reserve.
There are two elephant seals on the boat ramp.
Jamieson and Jer are out for the night
-Worked on SOPs
-Replaced boat ratchet winch
-Put the rest of the paving stones on the boat dolly
Sea lions on West Rock
The sea lions have been switching their haul-outs lately. Some days there have been almost no sea lions visible on the rocks. Recently i have been seeing them on West rock (above) which is not usual in my observations.
Most fishing boats pass by on the outside of the reserve but this one took the scenic route. Sea lions in the background on middle rock and one of the male elephant seals on the top of the rock.
California sea lion
There is one California sea lion that I have been seeing occasionally, it seems to keep to itself.
As observed with the Horned Larks last week, the southward migration of birds has begun. I was lucky enough to spot this Long-billed Dowitcher searching for food in the tufts of grass.
An unusual Long-billed Dowitcher in early winter plumage.
Another visitor the the reserve was a small pod of transient orca who created a scare surrounding some sea lions in the kelp bed. The orca thought otherwise of hunting the big carnivores in the tangle of the kelp bed and moved off toward William Head.
If you look close you can see a second small gray fin of a baby or juvenile.
The Sea Lions continue to dominate the environment. I had let them have their way and they surrounded the house and covered the yard. Eventually it became too much and I employed the electric fence to reclaim some territory.
The front yard became a popular haul-out.
Expressive vibrissae – Californian
A number of infrequent avian visitors have been popping by for a visit, or more likely a rest on their northward migrations. Two days ago a Greater White-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) spent the night, and the next night a Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) had replaced it. The black brand stayed two days and fed vigorously the whole time. I just discovered how rare these birds are with only 115,000 in the world.
I have noticed several pairs of Wandering Tattlers (Tringa incana) in the least few days
And another favourite the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Finally, the California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) have begun to arrive.
I managed to snap a picture of the plane as it headed W and then into Beecher Bay and it appears to be the same plane reported on Oct. 18. This time the plane dive bombed the island directly over the Main Keeper’s house and was only a couple hundred feet above sea level.Several California sea lions and the majority of the seabirds were disrupted and took flight or to the water.11:29:05
‘2009-10-15’, ‘California Sea Lion’, 2, ‘C467 344’, ‘Ryan’, ’09:43:35 ,
The seagull chicks are growing. I haven’t seen any new chicks in the last week or two, which leads me to believe that everyone has now hatched. None of the young have started to fly yet (as far as I have seen), but many of the chicks appear now to at least realise that the protrusions from their bodies may someday put them in the air. It is quite entertaining to watch the chicks hop up and down and flap their wings before falling on their heads! I haven’t seen our family of young geese now for a week or so. I suspect that they have outgrown the island and moved off. This week though we did have two stopovers from geese flocks. The first flock consisted of seven individuals while the second had twelve. Each flock landed for a few hours then left.Slash, as always, is still lazing around in the sun on the island. We did have Beatrice return a few weeks ago, but she only stayed for a day or two. I haven’t seen any more elephant seals these days. Four or five California sea lions have returned to the reserve. Several are currently hauled out on Middle Rock, and several more are hauled out on the northeast corner of Great Race Rock. Unfortunately, they appear to be quite the attraction for whale watching tourists.Many pigeon guillemots are still present across the island, as well as a number of black oystercatchers that can often be seen out on the jetty at night when I do the water sampling.Life underwater is also flourishing, as expected. Yesterday I did two dives off the north side of the island and saw the normal plethora of creatures. Many of my fellow divers also spotted a wolf eel lurking in the upper reef. I unfortunately, missed it.Pam has also reported seeing an otter skulking around too. I’ve been on and off the island in the last week quite a bit, so I guess I must have missed it. -Adam- ’21:27:09′,
September, 2003 : This past few months we have seen three California and Northern Sea lions with fishing flashers hanging from their mouths. These animals pursue fishing lures , probably especially when live bait is used. They swallow the bait, and take down the meter plus length of leader line before the flasher comes to their mouth. The individuals will be seen for several days trailing these flashers. It is not known whether they eventually shed the flasher or whether this leads to an untimely death. Although they can pick up a flasher in waters at some distance from their haulouts, it certainly makes sense to restrict fishing activity when marine mammals are in the vicinity of a fishing vessel.
California Sea Lion, note dry one on the left , wet one (black) on the right: photo G. Fletcher
DESCRIPTION:
California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Their color tends toward chocolate brown, although females are often a lighter golden brown. Males may reach 1,000 lbs. (more often 850 lbs.or 390 kg) and 7 feet (2.1 m) in length. Females grow to 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in length. They have a “dog-like” face, and around five years of age, males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male’s head often gets lighter with age. These members of the Otariid, or walking seal, family have external ear flaps and are equipped with large flippers which they use to “walk” on land. The trained “seals” in zoos and aquaria are usually California sea lions.
In 1970 , Trevor Anderson reported to David Hancock for the Journal article “California Sea Lion as a Regular Winter Visitant off the British Columbia Coast” that ” California Sea Lions had hauled out on rocks near the light every winter since 1966…. and a peak of population of 30 was reached in February, 1969.”
It is clear that the population of these animals has risen considerably over the years, and by 2007, up to 300 may haul out in the fall of the year. ( 500 in 2015)
They tend to move out of the dock area with the winter storms which bring swells from the North East. They also haul out mixed in with the Northern or Steller’s sealion.
RANGE/HABITAT:
Ecological Equivalents: a subspecies of california sea lion from the Galapagos Islands.
California sea lions are found from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. They breed mainly on offshore islands from southern California’s Channel Islands south to Mexico, although a few pups have been born on Año Nuevo and the Farallon Islands in central California. There is a distinct population of California sea lions at the Galapagos Islands.
We keep track of the branded sealions at Race Rocks: two links: https://www.racerocks.ca/race-rocks-animals-plants/marine-mammal-tracking/
Records of Sea Lion brands: You can see the Ecoguardian’s notes and images of the branded sea lions in the log for 2011-2013 etc. here.
Previous photos and observations of tracking devices prior to 2011 can be seen in this linked file:
BREEDING
Sea lions do not pup at Race Rocks, it is strictly a winter haulout colony. Most pups are born on the outer coast to the South in June or July and weigh 13-20 lbs. (6-9 kg). They nurse for at least 5-6 months and sometimes over a year. Mothers recognize pups on crowded rookeries through smell, sight, and vocalizations. Pups also learn to recognize the vocalizations of their mothers. Breeding takes place a few weeks after birth. Males patrol territories and bark almost continuously during the breeding season. Gestation lasts about 50 weeks and lactation 5 to 12 months. The longevity is estimated to be around 17 years.
SUBSPECIES
Three subspecies are recognized: Zalophus californianus californianus (Lesson, 1828), Zalophus californianus wollebaeki (Sivertsen, 1953) and Zalophus californianus japonicus (Peters, 1866), each living in a clearly separate range. According to Rice (1998), the differences between these types justifies classification as separate species: Zalophus californianus, Zalophus wollebaeki and Zalophus japonicus
See this link to several archived videos of marine mammals. In particular note the effect of DND blasting on the colonies.
FEEDING HABITS
California sea lions are opportunistic feeders and eat such things as squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, anchovy and whiting. The California sea lion competes with the Northern Sea Lion Eumetopias jubata for habitat and food.
NOTES
rafting sealions
California sea lions are very social animals, and groups often rest closely packed together at favored haul-out sites on land, or float together on the ocean’s surface in “rafts.” They are sometimes seen porpoising, or jumping out of the water, presumably to speed up their swimming. Sea lions have also been seen “surfing” breaking waves.
The males are probably the most vocal of all mammals, and let out a loud incessant honking bark to protect over their territories. They are faithful to their territories, and to their harems of up to 15 females. Sea Lions swim up to 25mph which makes them one of the fastest aquatic carnivores.
Sea lions are known to damage fishing gear and steal or destroy fish in the nets. As a result a lot of California sea lions drown in nets and they are frequently shot at by commercial fishers. September, 2003 : This past few months we have seen three California and Northern Sea lions with fishing flashers hanging from their mouths. These animals pursue fishing lures , probably especially when live bait is used. They swallow the bait, and take down the meter plus length of leader line before the flasher comes to their mouth. The individuals will be seen for several days trailing these flashers. It is not known whether they eventually shed the flasher or whether this leads to an untimely death. Although they can pick up a flasher in waters at some distance from their haulouts, it certainly makes sense to restrict fishing activity when marine mammals are in the vicinity of a fishing vessel. This video shows a sea lion with a flasher in his mouth.
Sea lions are preyed upon by killer whales. Sea lions are known to have such diseases as pneumonia, caused by a parasitic lungworm, and a bacterial infection called leptospirosis, which affects their livers and kidneys.
Other problems for California sealions involve humans. Sea lions have been found illegally shot and also caught in drift or gill nets and other marine debris. However, their population is growing steadily, and California sea lions can be seen in many coastal spots.
At Race Rocks they can become a problem in the fall when they arrive in large numbers. We have to put up electric fencing to keep them from damaging the infrastructure on the island as they will crush pipes and instruments.
In the fall of 2011, the California sea lions were especially attracted up near the house in mid September . They all departed when an earthquake struck the north end of Vancouver island.
The Californian Sea lion was once killed in great numbers for their blubber which could be made into oil, and the rest would be made into dog food. Today the seal lion is protected by international treaty which has led to a positive shift in their populations.
California Sea Lion underwater by Ryan Murphy Oct 2011
Unusual Events:
This unusual event involving a red-tailed hawk and a sea lion was observed in October 2003.
INJURIES:
Sea lions bear the brunt of many actions by humans, many which could be avoided with more caution in driving boats through congregations of the mammals.
Fishers should bear some responsibility for the many instances of fishing flashers attached to hooks inside.
When the sea lions are present in great numbers, we are always seeing individuals with entanglements, usually in the plastic hoops that fishers use for net bundles, Posts at this tag show many examples of injuries and entanglements.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Pinnipedia
Family Otariidae
Genus Zalophus
Species californianus
Common Name: California Sea Lion
Other Members of the Class Mammalia at Race Rocks.
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 11.1 ºC »» Min. 6.9 ºC »» Reset 6.9 ºC »» Rain 0.4 mm
MARINE LIFE: Fog most of the day, so thick at times the vis. down to less than 200 metres. Birds still numerous but not as active. There is a California Sea Lion on the boat dock that seems to have a serious injury to the hind flippers-wonder if it was an encounter with one of the transient Orca that has been in the area lately. Have seen the Orca grab seal and sea lions by the tail and fling them so an injury such as this could easily occur. Injured and sick seals and sea lions tend to haul out away from the rest of their group.The 6 geese here again today.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 7 Ecotour boats and 4 pleasurecraft. We did make a quick trip to Pedder Bay when the fog was not so thick but the return trip was in fog so dense that we needed the help of Chris in 2nd Nature with radar which unfortunately was ‘acting up’ had it not been for the fog horn we would have been lost in the fog! Maybe the large vessels don’t need the fog horns but the local boaters certainly do.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:47 PM
Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Original by Caroline Mwaniki (PC yr. 27)