Tag Archives: Canada goose

Last Blast on Bloghorn

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Weather and Sea Conditions

North wind, 15 to 20 knots replaced the overnight southeaster and brought cool moist air and overcast skies for the morning today. In the afternoon light winds were variable and turned to light west by early evening. The barometer spent the day crawling out of the hole it was in and by 18:30 was around 1008 hPa. The sky cleared and brightened by evening. A strong wind warning is in effect. The marine forecast for central Juan de Fuca Strait calls for west wind to increase to west 20 to 30 knots early this evening and then drop to west 10 to 15 by early Friday morning. It is expected to be cloudy tomorrow with a 30 percent chance of showers or drizzle and a predicted UV index of 3, or moderate. Sea conditions were calm today once the overnight storm and morning wind chop settled down. As evening starts the wind is moving and the chop is starting again.

Vessel Observations

Three whale-watching operators were observed working in the protected area today and more passed close by through Race Passage heading out to the west and back. One sports fishing vessel was observed transiting the reserve today.

General and Ecological Observations

One Steller Sea Lion 319Y, branded on her left side, was observed hauling out on South Rocks today. She was marked as a young weaner at Rogue Reef in the very southern part of Oregon in 2013, so she is almost 3 years old.

The old male River Otter has taken to napping under the back staircase of the main house in the mornings now and one of the positive things about this new habit, is that it keeps the geese who were interested in nesting there away from the stairs.

This is the end of my shift, my last blast on the blog-horn and it is a little bittersweet to be leaving just as elephant seal show-time starts and spring develops more fully. I leave tomorrow and  want to wish the best to this wonderful Ecological Reserve, which was started by students and faculty at Pearson College. Those folks were brave enough to fight for this place, they had the fortitude and vision to found Race Rocks as a protected area. In BC, Ecological Reserve status is the highest level of protection given, by BC Parks. Fisheries and Oceans Canada protects the water area, as a Rockfish Conservation Area, so jurisdictionally that covers the sea bottom, islets (BC Parks) and the water (Fisheries and Oceans), and makes Race Rocks a de facto marine protected area (no caps).

Of course this is also a special Indigenous place with an intersection of cultures and a complex history of use and ownership by different families, groups and Nations. This is a unique, socio-ecological place to celebrate and protect. From its human history to its natural history, lets make sure that Race Rocks remains a marine protected area and is able to provide ecological education and research opportunities for future generations of British Columbians, as well as Pearson College.

Today was animal census day and the results are posted below.

2016- 14-Apr

River Otter 2

Sea Otter 1

Northern Elephant Seal 11

4Harbour Seal 170

Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 72

California Sea Lion 99

Canada Goose 22

Brandt (flying through) 350

Harlequin Duck 8

Surf Scoter 6

Common Merganser 1

Brandt’s Cormorant 2

Double-crested Cormorant 2

Pelagic Cormorant 14

Cormorant (not ID’d to species) 5

Bald Eagle (juvenile) 8

Bald Eagle (adult) 4

Killdeer 0

Black Oystercatcher12

Black Turnstone 54

Surfbird 5

Rock Sandpiper 2

Glaucous-winged Gull 560

Common Murres fly through 9

Rhinoceros Auklets flying 6

Pigeon Guillemot188

Northwestern Crow 2

Savannah Sparrow 2

Barn Swallows4

Chores and Visitors

Today was cleanup day in preparation for departure tomorrow. Other chores were routine and there were no visitors.

All the best goes out to Riley, Eco-guardian for the next six weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evergreen

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Weather and Sea Conditions

Light northwest winds backed and veered bringing waves of silver and leaden clouds. Showers were visible from far away, travelling with the wind and tied across the Strait with rainbows, tops of arcs obscured in cloud. In spite of being overcast and chilly, the high was 11o C, there were brief periods of intense sunshine and the UV index was very close to 4 (moderate). Accumulated solar energy was low, about half of what we have been receiving. Just before dusk there was an intense downpour accompanied by winds over the 30 knots. It was short-lived but may foretell of what the forecaster are calling for by late morning. The barometer remained fairly steady today at ~1015 hPa but is expected to drop with the passage of a low that will bring southeast winds and showers tomorrow. Sea conditions were rough at times out in the Strait today but generally there was just a light chop inshore.

Vessel Observations

No vessels were observed in the protected area today.

Ecological and General Observations

An influx of 14 more Canada Geese kept the established geese busy on their own wild goose chase today. There were many running and aerial chases and clashes. These seem to be new animals with different behaviours than the ones who have been so doggedly determined to nest here for the last six weeks.

Many flocks of 100 to 200 Brant were observed moving through the reserve from west to east and I wonder if these are still flocks that have travelled up the coastal flyway from California and Mexico.

Harlequin Ducks are rafting up in strings of birds and moving around more than they have since I arrived nearly six weeks ago. They are usually so site-fidel that you can almost predict where they will be.

Black Turnstones continue to be the most common shorebirds on Great Race. Seeing them forage everywhere on island is a good reminder that this is essentially an inter-tidal island. Their plumage is looking new and shiny, ready for their big northern migration.

The late spring elephant seal moult is definitely in full swing now and the animals are catching up on sleep and using stored blubber to see them through the moult. Sea Lions continue to haul out on South Rocks every morning. The male Californians are also well established on Great Race in the two haul-outs near the two houses.

Work was routine today and there were no human

visitors.

 

 

Fog in the Morning

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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

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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.

Wild Goose Chase

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Weather & Sea Conditions

At dawn, the west wind was already blowing 30 knots and gusting. Although it dropped to 20 – 25 knots at times, the west wind continued to bring dramatic clouds and showers along with brief glimpses of sunshine and rainbows, throughout the day. The marine forecasters call for the wind to back to southwest and they estimate that the SW wind will diminish to 10 -15 knots, late overnight and drop to light, early Tuesday morning. Showers and the mix of sun and cloud are predicted to continue. Seas were rough today to the west and out in the Strait, while the entrance to Pedder Bay and the eastern horizon remained a little calmer in the lee.

Vessels

No vessels were observed in the protected area or passing nearby, today.

Ecological and General Observations

Canada Geese are more and more insistent that they belong on Great Race and two pairs are actively nesting now. Even if the eco-guardian were to spend 24/7 chasing off geese, it would be ineffective as they are incredibly persistent, very strong and have a certain goose cunning that harkens back beyond the etymology of ‘wild goose chase’. Without the large numbers of geese that were present last year and the crushing effects of dozens elephant seal dozers, the grass does appear to remain a little longer, but then it has been a wet spring.

Beulah, the large female Norther Elephant Seal staying in the garden, went for a dip this morning and on her return she seemed to enjoy ‘frolicking’ in the long grass, head down undulating through the greenery. She also found a clean place to sleep, next to an old, lighthouse heritage, rockery bed. After watching the elephant seals purposefully destroy the tulips last year, I picked a bouquet when she moved into that part of the garden and they are brightening my world on the little desk in the house.

More and more adult male California Sea Lions are hauling out on Great Race, This afternoon there were ~50 on the south side and a dozen more on the west side. Younger animals and Steller’s continue to haul on South Rocks. Yesterday evening, I discovered a new (to me) den for the old, male River Otter. I knew that there was an otter spot nearby due to the telltale ‘calling cards’ left outside the den area but it took a while to find it. He is barely visible and very protected, sleeping under one of the big boulders just northeast of the compost.

The Bald Eagles continue to spend the day in the Ecological Reserve; most active early and late, chasing gulls. There is a lot of evidence of piscivory on the island, but some of the remnants are hard to pin on any particular predator. The gulls here eat a lot of small forage fish like herring and marine invertebrates like chitons but there are also remains that look more like either River Otter or Bald Eagle leftovers (see images).

A Turkey Vulture stopped and rested near camera 5 today. I was hooked up to a staff meeting by conference call or I would have gone outside to photograph it. I did get a photo through the window, before it was swept away by the west wind. Black Turnstones continue to be present in high numbers, resting and fattening up before their northward migration.

Chores & Visitors

Chores today were routine and there were no visitors.

Conservation Message

If you are a commercial boater or if you use docks and harbours, you may be interested in two really excellent booklets on Green Boating and Displacement Hull Fuel Efficiency put together by the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation. Their Green Boating Guide covers good marine practices in seven main areas: wildlife protection, habitat protection, waste discharge, fluid handling, solid waste, fuel efficiency, and cleaners. The Fuel Efficiency Guide covers ways to reduce fuel consumption through both operational and design measures. Another way to look at savings on fuel is that it also reduces carbon dioxide pollution to the atmosphere. CO2 is not only a greenhouse gas, ~ 40% of it ends up in the ocean causing the shift in basic chemistry which is called ocean acidification, global warming’s evil twin.

There is a real shift in attitude happening amongst boaters of all types, as more and more people realize that we have to profoundly change our basic routines and behaviours in order to have a sustainable ‘blue’ future. I call it investing in green and keeping it clean for a blue economy. If you use social media please use the hashtag #green4blue to connect with other people going green for a blue future. Check out the booklets here for great ideas on how you can make a positive difference on the water.

http://www.bucksuzuki.org/images/uploads/docs/GBGweb2012.pdf

http://www.bucksuzuki.org/images/uploads/docs/FEGweb2012.pdf

Aussi disponible en français http://www.bucksuzuki.org/publications/

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See Otter

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Last night the westerly rose to 40 knots with stronger gusts, after dark. In the morning, it settled to a steady 25 to 30 knots and maintained that early evening when it rose again. The west wind and sunshine dominated the weather here today. The barometer stayed high between 1017 and 1019 hPa until early evening when it started to fall. There is a strong wind warning in effect and westerlies of 20 to 30 knots are expected to diminish to west 5 to 15 late overnight then become light near noon Sunday. The UV index climbed over 4 (moderate) today and should drop with cloud cover and showers predicted for tomorrow.

There were no whale watching or sports fishing vessels observed in the protected area today. The blustery winds and choppy, rough seas were a deterrent and there were whales elsewhere. A tug called Service X, about 35 – 40 feet long, was observed travelling west through Race Passage. It was plunging and taking waves over the wheelhouse as it made headway towards the west coast. One float plane flying fairly low at ~250 to  300′ passed over the island from west to east.

In the Ecological Reserve many of the animals were seeking shelter from the winds. A lone male, Sea Otter came close enough to be photographed and he appears to be in fine form. It may the same individual who was here for the last couple of years. He was seen once in the early morning about a week ago and then yesterday during the census, I spotted him drifting near the few, old Bull Kelp that survived the winter near Turbine Rock.

The eagles continue to chase the gulls and keep them flighty. I didn’t get a good count, but estimated early in the day that there were at least, twice the numbers of gulls counted in yesterday’s census. I will try to get a high count at some point during the week. Two of the juvenile eagles were also observed battling several times today, knocking each other out of the air and tussling on the ground. Chasing off geese is starting to be a losing effort. There are at least two nests now.

Chores were focussed on cleaning and the ever constant battle of the fly today. There were no visitors.

 

 

 

Eagles Use Foghorn Daily

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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

 

 

 

Eco-Guardian Outreach

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Weather Information

It was a beautiful day, calm with lots of sunshine until the fog and fog wind came in from the west in the late afternoon. The westerly rose quickly to 30 knots, gusting to 35 knots as the light faded. There is a gale warning in effect and although it is supposed to come down to 10 – 15 overnight the westerly is expected to rise again late Friday afternoon. The forecast calls for sunny skies with some fog patches. Today the UV Index was just over 4 (moderate) and tomorrow it is expected go higher, to 5 (moderate). Today the barometric pressure went up, from 1016 to 1018 HPa, then back down to 1016 HPa.

Vessel Observations

I picked up Riley this morning in the whaler and then spent most of the day ashore returning in the late afternoon with Alex just before the fog and wind. I was not here most of the day to observe vessels. Second Nature made a visit and delivered 4 barrels of fuel in the morning. On return in the late afternoon, there was one ‘sportsfishing’ vessel trolling in the area closed to fishing. It was enveloped in fog soon after our return.

During the time ashore today, I worked with a group of grade 7 students from the Victoria school district. These students are taking a year-long marine studies program and were very lucky to be able to spend most of today’s school day, studying plankton, marine invertebrates, algae, birds, physical oceanography and marine ecology in the lab and on the foreshore at Pearson College. Thanks to Project Wild, Kelly Nordin and Kathryn Cook, Monterey Middle School parents and Laura Verhegge for making this great learning experience happen.

Ecological Observations

There are still Northern Elephant Seals on Middle Rock and it will be interesting to see how many during tomorrow’s animal census. The Steller’s Sea Lions were sound asleep on South Rock as the fog rolled in late afternoon.

The eagles and gulls continued their deadly game of chase. One goose nest was found with three freshly laid eggs, in front of the student house. This nest is the first of the season.

Solar energy was high and contributed significantly to the island’s power needs, today.

 

One50Canada Photo Shoot

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Wind: 0-10 knots N
  • Sky: sunny
  • Water: calm

The Sunset

Ecological

  • Seagulls woke me up at 6:00, something that never happened in February.
  • Had an easier time shooing away the Canada Geese today.
  • The river otter was out exploring and rolling around. It delighted the visitors.

A pair of seagulls

Maintenance

  • I helped Chris and Kyle install the new wifi “distributor” at the top of the tower.
  • Later I tidied up the extra cord, searched for outdoor rated Cat5 (unsuccessfully) and measured out the distance required for the future permanent cord. Twenty-five feet if you’re interested!
  • Cleaned the solar panels.

Boats

  • Two eco-tours came by at around 11:00.
  • Second Nature docked on the jetty at 11:00 and departed at 13:00.

Visitors

  • Chris came by in Second Nature with Kyle (a new dock hand) and a group of three from the One50Canada project.
  • Their names are Martin Gregus, Martin Gregus Jr. and Elena Gregusova.
  • The two Martin’s are trying to make the largest documented collection of photos and information about what Canada is like in the years around 2017, her 150th year of independence. The final project will include a massive coffee table book.
  • They were interested in all aspects of the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.
  • They took photographs of and asked questions about the mammals, birds, lighthouse, other buildings, vintage Coast Guard equipment, First Nations rock formations, etc.
  • If you are interested in learning more about the One50Canada Society, check out their website at: http://www.one50canada.ca/index.html

The One50Canada family

Sunny Day Back on the Rock

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Log Entry by Riley Strother

Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Sky: sunny
  • The mercury hit 11C today (which is over 50F!) so you know it was a warm day.

Ecological

  • Spent 30 minutes in the morning chasing the Canada Geese off the island. I did so by walking around the perimeter of the island, and every time I completed a loop the original pair would have returned, necessitating a further loop to invariably chase away some other returned pair.
  • Eventually I only had to walk about once per hour to scare off any geese that had returned. By the evening there only remained one persistent pair near the Students’ House.
  • As Anne has noted, there are lots of gulls and they take to the sky at the slightest swoop of an eagle.
  • It looked to me as though there were 4 elephant seals hauled out on Middle Rock.
  • Several times today the sea lions seemed agitated by the boats that perhaps got a bit too close. They generally chose to bark rather than stampede though.
  • I saw the river otter in the afternoon, my favourite Race Rocks character. It’s good to be back. Thornton W. Burgess should write a book about him/her.
Agitated Sea Lions

Oft’ agitated Sea Lions

Maintenance

  • Cleaned the solar panels.
  • Settled back in to the house for my short stay.

Boats

  • As befits a beautiful statutory holiday, there were many boats about today.
  • Anne dropped me off in the Whaler in the morning.
  • Five eco-tours came through the reserve to look at the sea lions.
  • The Prince of Whales came by two times. The first time they appeared to be speeding through the SW part of the reserve to join up with the catamaran.
  • The large Eagle Wings catamaran came by twice.
  • An unidentified black eco-tour came by in the late afternoon.
  • One pleasure craft with a family on board passed through the South Channel, which is definitely too close to the sea lions.
  • Two fishing boats came by. The first one seemed too close to the sea lions. The second one appeared to be going too fast.
  • The Pacific Scout pilot vessel passed to the north of the reserve.
  • The Sir Wilfred Laurier patrol vessel passed to the south of the reserve.

Other

  • Got a phone call from a wrong number; someone asking for Mike. That seems rather unusual.