A Steller Monday

Posted on Monday,March 18, 2024 by Kendra Luckow

What started out as a very foggy morning turned into a blue sky and sunshine kind of day with an unbelievable sunset!

Today’s Animal Notes:

A large male Steller sea lion has been hauled out on the rocks near the jetty all day and he make the makes the California sea lions look tiny in comparison!

A female elephant seal spent the morning sunbathing in the water behind the student house. I think this may be the same one that’s been hauling out on the South Island. She’s yet to come ashore here though.

I spotted 3 harbour porpoises just outside the reserve this morning, I see so many back home in Vancouver so I’m surprised that this was the first time I’ve seen them here.

I came across a giant pacific octopus at low tide (deceased unfortunately) but it made a great meal for a young gull and an even better learning opportunity for the students that are currently on the island!

Finished the night off by watching the sunset with the blonder of the two new otters as it floated off the rocks behind the student house. (No photos, just enjoyed the moment).

Facility Work:

Filled the cistern

Noted Vessel Traffic:

One ecotourism vessel
Two private vessels

Weather Events:

Monday, March 18:
- Sky: Foggy morning, clear blue sky until sunset
- Wind: High of ESE 11 knots, Low of SE 1 knot
- Sea: Glassy all day long
- Temperature: Low 7^oC, High 13^oC

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Sunny Saturday!

Posted on Saturday,March 16, 2024 by Kendra Luckow

Warmest day yet! Rather uneventful as far as animals go today (or so I thought), managed to get some facility work done – lots of cleaning. Just as I was watching the sunset a pod of transient killer whales passed by just outside the reserve. A beautiful and exciting day way to end a Saturday!

: Can you spot the camouflaged seal?

: Golden hour

: Transient orca

: Transient orca

: Mt Baker at sunset

: Sunset

Facility Work:

Cleaned solar panels
Cleaned windows of both houses inside and out
Chopped wood

Noted Vessel Traffic:

Ecotourism vessels
One recreational vessel came to check out the sea lions, kept a good distance away.

Weather Events:

Saturday, March 16:
- Sky: Clear, not a cloud in the sky
- Wind: High of E 19 knots, Low of SSW 3 knots
- Sea: Flat calm
- Temperature: Low 8^oC, High 13^oC

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

It’s Sea Lion Season!!

Posted on Monday,September 18, 2023 by Ann Nightingale

Hey, look who’s back! I’ve been on Race Rocks since Saturday for a quick relief stint and will be heading back to the “Big Island” on Tuesday. This is my first trip to Race in September, and it’s very different from trips earlier in the season.

We are just about at the peak of songbird migration on Vancouver Island, so I was optimistic that I might see or hear more birds going over. The few birds on the ground have almost all been Savannah Sparrows. There was one raven here on Sunday, but other than that, no passerines seen or heard–yet.

Savannah Sparrow

Seabird activity has been off the charts outside of the marine protected area with reports of many jaegers, shearwaters, and of course, gulls of several species. Within the Race Rocks limits, it has been variable. Upon arrival on Saturday, I estimated more than 8,000 gulls in view, most of them California Gulls. There have been good numbers of Heermann’s Gulls, especially youngsters. The number of Glaucous-winged Gulls–the ones that breed on Race Rocks–are lower now that most of the young have dispersed. Despite scouring the flocks, I was unable to detect any less common gulls or the terns that have been spotted nearby. However, eight Brown Pelicans were nearby. They must have blown out with the wind on Saturday night! Since the grand welcoming, the gulls have spread out more throughout the area, often following the Humpback Whales and Orca that are keeping the growing number of ecotourism boats in business.

Welcoming party

Brown Pelican in the kelp

Pigeon Guillemots, one of the most abundant species earlier in the year, have moved offshore. They will spend the winter in their pale gray and white plumage, a startling contrast to the sharp black and white with bright red feet that we see here in the summer. The shorebirds that rested here each evening in July and August are largely gone, with just a few Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, and Black Oystercatchers onsite along with a few other stragglers. There was one species I missed in August that put in an appearance. Two Wandering Tattlers were here on Sunday and one posed for photos on Monday.

Wandering Tattler

The population that has exploded since I was last here are the sea lions. California and Steller’s stacked like cordwood all around the outskirts of Great Race and the surrounding islands. It is quite clear that they would be at the door if it weren’t for a perimeter fence that (mostly) keeps them to the outer portion of the island. The work of a September ecoguardian is largely to keep the buildings and equipment zone sea lion free!

Sea lions aplenty!

The days are getting shorter, and it feels like the winds are getting stronger. Winter is coming!

More photos from the last few days:

: Pelagic Cormorant

: Least Sandpiper

: Black Turnstones and Surfbirds

: Surfbird

: Whale watchers

: Pelagic Cormorants

: Sanderling and Least Sandpiper

: California sea lions

July 22 and 23 – End of Shift

Posted on Sunday,July 23, 2023 by Nick Townley

Weather for July 22:
Wind: W 11 to 34 knots
Visibility: <1-15 NM
Sky: Foggy in morning, Partly Cloudy after 09:00
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 2′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-18 C

Weather for July 23:
Wind: W 12 to 32 knots
Visibility: <1-15 NM
Sky: Fog patches in the morning, Partly Cloudy after noon
Sea: up to 1′ chop in morning, up to 3′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-16 C

Maintenance:
I did the routine tasks of cleaning the solar panels and house windows, topping up the water in the 24 deep cycle batteries, fixing the electric fence, sampling the salinity and temperature of the seawater, and running the desalinator with solar power to produce freshwater.

End of Shift:
I have enjoyed reacquainting myself with Race Rocks over the past two and a half weeks. The solar power was a sufficient source of energy each day to charge the batteries, power the island, and produce freshwater from the desalinator. I got out in the station boat, which is always a highlight to see the island from the perspective of a sea lion. Most importantly, for the second summer in a row I learned to live harmoniously with the very territorial nesting gulls.

This is my sixth shift I have done as Ecoguardian over the past nine years, for a total of almost nine months. My shifts have ranged from two weeks to four months. I have visited here in ten months of the year, with the exception of June and September.

Tomorrow I am heading home to Vancouver to get ready for two weeks in the Northwest Territories, where I will be canoeing in Nahanni National Park Reserve.

I look forward to returning to Race Rocks sometime soon to explore the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of this amazing place.

Photo highlights from the past two days:

: Wispy evening clouds over Olympic National Park, in Washington.

: 30 sea lions on Middle Rocks on July 23. They are mostly Steller sea lions with a few California sea lions mixed in there. The numbers of sea lions have been climbing steadily over the past few days.

: Two harbour seal mothers and their pups

: A mother harbour seal and her pup hauled out on South Seal Rocks

: Pigeon guillemot with an eel

: Gull chicks

: Gull chicks

: This photo of a bird’s-eye view of the island was taken by Nick Townley on March 25, 2022, when he flew over Race Rocks in a Coast Guard helicopter on a return trip from a relief lightkeeper shift up the coast at Pachena Point. Derek, the Ecoguardian, and Greg, the Seafront Coordinator, are on the jetty with the boat Second Nature.

: This photo was taken by Nick Townley from a Coast Guard helicopter on March 25, 2022. All the islands of Race Rocks can be seen looking from the west. From left to right the island are: West Rocks, North Rocks, Turbine Rock, Middle Rocks, Great Race Rocks, South Seal Rocks, and South Islands.

July 17-21 and Weekly Census

Posted on Friday,July 21, 2023 by Nick Townley

Weather for July 17:
Wind: W 14 to 34 knots
Visibility: <1-15 NM
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 3′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 13-17 C

Weather for July 18:
Wind: W 9 to 25 knots
Visibility: 15 NM
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 2′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 11-14 C

Weather for July 19:
Wind: W 6 to 27 knots
Visibility: 15 NM
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 1′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-17 C

Weather for July 20:
Wind: W 21 to 40 knots
Visibility: <1-15 NM
Sky: Foggy in early morning, Partly Cloudy after 10:00
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 4′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-20 C

Weather for July 21:
Wind: W 19 to 40 knots
Visibility: 5-15 NM
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Sea: rippled in morning, up to 3′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 12-14 C

Maintenance:
I did the routine tasks of cleaning the solar panels and house windows, topping up the water in the 24 deep cycle batteries, fixing the electric fence, tidying, testing the salinity and temperature of the seawater, maintaining the freshwater system, and running the desalinator with solar power to produce fresh water.

Visitors:
I drove the Race Rocks station boat to pick up a friend, who came for the night of July 18. Brad had visited Race Rocks before when we both worked for many summers on campus as coordinators for PSYL (Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership).

Weekly Census observed on July 20:
Steller sea lion: 14
California sea lion: 1
harbour seal: 124
cormorant: 5
black oystercatcher: 24 adults, 2 chicks
pigeon guillemot: 162
glaucous-winged gull: 396 adults, 147 chicks
surfbird: 30
black turnstones: 87
western sandpiper: 4

Photo highlights from the past five days:

: Periwinkle shells piled up in the Jetty Bay

: View of Race Rocks from the station boat approaching on the return trip from Pedder Bay

: View of Race Rocks from the station boat approaching on the return trip from Pedder Bay

: Pigeon guillemot with a freshly caught eel meal

: Another pigeon guillemot with a freshly caught sculpin fish meal

: A Canadian Navy warship heads south towards Puget Sound, with the volcano Komo Kushan (Mt Baker) in the background.

: A lone California sea lion hauled out on the south side of the island

: Male Steller sea lions gather on Middle Rock

July 9 and 10

Posted on Monday,July 10, 2023 by Nick Townley

Weather for July 9:
Wind: W 20-41 knots
Visibility: 15 NM
Sky: Clear
Sea: 1’ chop in morning, up to 3′ chop in afternoon
Air temperature: 10-14 C

Weather for July 10:
Wind: W 14 and 36 knots
Visibility: 15 NM
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Sea: 1’ chop in morning, up to 3′ chop in evening
Air temperature: 11-15 C

The sea lions seem to be making a return. Four male Steller sea lions were gathered on Middle Rock today. One California sea lion was on the end of the jetty this morning.

Here are some photos from the past two days:

: Blustery evening

: A lone California sea lion on the end of the jetty

: A bazaar of pigeon guillemots on the north side of the island

: Elephant seal traffic jam on the boat ramp

: Three Steller sea lions on Middle Rock

: Camoflague gull chicks

: Gull chicks in the grass

Foggy day for an Animal Census

Posted on Wednesday,May 17, 2023 by Jillian Brown

The first foggy day in a couple weeks today!

With 6 new solar panels installed along with replacements to wiring that had corroded with the salty air this week, it seems the fog is barely affected our power supply which is amazing!

A couple DND blasts at Noon through the fog made even fewer animals around the reserve today.

Birds

Harlequin duck 5
Bald eagle adult 2
Glaucous winged Gulls 527
Cormorants 31
Pigeon Guillemots 176
Oyster catcher 10
- Oyster catcher eggs 7 (3 in two nests and 1 in a third)
Savannah Sparrow 1
Canada Goose 14
Barn Swallow 1
Crow 3

Mammals

Steller sea lion 10
Harbour seal 63
California sea lion 17
Elephant seal sub adult male 2
Elephant seal adult female 2
Elephant seal pups 3

: Three elephant seals snuggled up

: Glaucous winged gulls on the tank shed

: Canada goose washing at sunrise

: Oyster catcher at sunrise in the fog

: Harbour Seals in the fog

: Glaucous winged gulls

: California sea lions on the rocks by the jetty.

: A couple playing elephant seals

: Yawning elephant seal

: Glaucous winged gull

: Small vessel going by in the fog

: Pigeon Guillemots

: A pair of Oyster Catchers by their nest on the Northern point.

: Stellar sea lions out on middle rock before the DND blasting.

: 2 of the 3 crows that landed on the helicopter pad.

: 2 female and a male California sea lion.

: Canada Goose.

: Playing California sea lions

: Swimming steller sea lion

: The two largest of the steller sea lions having a territory dispute.

: Oyster catcher

: Spill response vessel going by to the north in the fog.

: young Elephant seal

: sub adult elephant seal

: Sunrise through the fog.

: Elephant Seals playing

: Female california sea lion

: Elephant seals playing

: sleepy oyster catcher

: Elephant seals in the front yard

: Oyster Catcher eggs.

: Fog rainbow and gulls.

: Harbor seal and a canada goose

: Female

Visitors:

Race Rocks Challenge participants
3 contractors installing and maintaining solar panels
44 Marine Science students visited to write their exam
4 Pearson College Second year students came for a visit before the school year ends.

Facility Work:

Fixed Compost
Taped off Oyster Catcher nests and made map
Cleaned house
Filled water in batteries
Emptied and cleaned composting toilet
Cleaned windows and solar panels
Mopped basement
Organized and cleaned tool drawers
Fixed and rebuilt sections of Electric fence
Cleaned lighthouse

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Animal Census with a couple quick Terns

Posted on Wednesday,May 10, 2023 by Jillian Brown

Birds

Harlequin duck 5
Bald eagle adult 2
Bald eagle juvenile 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Glaucous winged Gulls 685
Cormorants 72
Pigeon Guillemots 327
Oyster catcher 10
Savannah Sparrow 6
Canada Goose 14
Raven 2
Caspian Tern 2
Barn Swallow 2

Mammals

Steller sea lion 16
Harbour seal 79
California sea lion 32
Elephant seal sub adult male 2
Elephant seal adult female 3
Elephant seal pups 3

: 2 Caspian Terns

: Sub – adult elephant seals

: Sub- adult elephant seals

: young elephant seal in the water next to jeetty.

: Mix of california sea lions and steller sea lions in the morning light.

: Juvenile bald ealge

: oyster catcher

: savannah sparrow

: barn swallow

: barn swallow

: Canada Goose

: California sea lion

: Glaucous winged gull in front of the moon

: one of the many large flocks of Pigeon guillemots

: more pigeon guillemots

: Ruddy turnstone

: Harbor seals in the bull kelp

: Another of the large flocks of pigeon guillemots

: pigeon guillemots

: 2 adult bald eagles on the south rocks

: female harlequin duck

: male harlequin duck

: Glaucous winged gulls

: young elephant seal conversing

Visitors:

Mollie – future Ecoguardian

Facility Work:

Chopped and stacked remaining fire wood
Deep Cleaning of Kitchen and sorting through house hold items
3 coats Stained Kitchen table
Sharpened Axe
Mounted 2 large Elephant Seal winter coat sheds for future visitors and students to touch and see.
Set up Hose system from Science house up to solar panels so we no longer have to haul a 5 gallon bucket up a ladder
Cleaned solar panels
Addled Canada Goose Eggs and mapped out nests
Cleaned windows

** All wildlife photos taken at the furthest distance possible, and may be cropped to improve detail! **

Weather – Current:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/current.php?id=72

Weather – Past:

http://www.victoriaweather.ca/station.php?

Peregrine Falcon During Animal Census

Posted on Thursday,May 4, 2023 by Jillian Brown

It was a very quick moment but a peregrine falcon flew by, low along the rocks of the east shore and swooped across the north by the crane and jetty. I lost sight of it quick and was unable to snap a photo, but I was a beautiful moment to witness.

Adult Bald Eagles were catching fish today and fighting over them in the sky.