Tag Archives: chick

Storm

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Storm conditions late in the evening
Here is the evolution of the wind coming from West through out the day

5:20 AM: 30 knots
6:05 AM: 32 knots
7:22 PM: 36 knots
8:07PM: 39.1knots
9:38PM: 45.8 knots
9:50PM: 44 knots
22:10: 43.3knots
22:30: 47.7knots
22:47: 50.6Knots

Reminder
6 force= 22-27 knots =39-49 kms/h = Strong breeze
7 force =28-33 knots=50-61 kms/h= Near gale
8 force=34-40 knots=62-74 km/h=Gale
9 force=41-47 knots=75-88 km/h=Strong gale
10 force=48-55 knots=89-102 km/h=Storm

It has been something to see the wind raising but as soon as it has been dark we couldn’t appreciate how big was the sea around the rocks …so we went to sleep.

During that day around 12 whale watchers came and we observed that the smallest gosling in the family of 5 was not swimming with the rest of the family but was wandering on the island limping a little bit (left leg)…later he manage to get accepted by the parents but stayed always behind the group of siblings (4). It is very difficult to spot those little oystercatchers … so I was pleased.

Chores done as usual

July 7th Chicks everywhere

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July 7th Tuesday: Chicks everywhere

No more rescue boats around anymore but a tourist plane flew by the island once.

Moderate West wind was between 14 knots to a maximum of 20 knots. No fog and still a little bit of a yellow haze in the sky.
We saw Floyd and Chunk swimming closed to the South islands

From the front window of the main house we could count around 20 chicks mainly under the parent’s wings but they grow pretty fast. The adults behavior is changing they become very active doing their job, protecting each other and the chicks feeding the young ones and going fishing. They are getting aggressive. We have to wear a helmet all the time but they know us and now they just make us know that they are ready to attack. There are still a few eggs not yet hatched but not so many.

July 1st to 3rd : Summer time

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July 1ST to 3rd: Summer time is here

If on the last day of June the wind was blowing up to 38.9 around 7:00 the 1st of July and the following days we had some light westerly wind increasing to 25 knots at the most in late afternoon. Water temperature has been steady above 12 Celsius and in Race Rocks no heavy hot days just the best …a light breeze above the houses.

The first of the month (Our Canada flag prouder than ever) has been a very busy day around Race Rocks. Fishing boats and whales watchers were attracted by a pod of orcas heading from ocean to Victoria and we could see them a mere half mile away from the rock on the South West side. All the boats were around and quickly disappeared following the whales.

At 5h00 in the morning, one after the other Floyd and Chunk, the 2 belching and dripping water Elephants Seals, came back from sea ready for a long sleepy day…but we were surprised, in the middle afternoon they gave us a real show. The 3 of them spent more than an hour playing like crazy in the shallow waters by the the jetty for the pleasure of a big whale watchers boat a little too close …but it was such a nice show! Some friends of us at the camera took pictures of the whole thing!

Divers came too and this time very closed to the shore maybe 15 meters! Some were snorkeling and 2 had bottles. They stayed not for long I would say 30mn.

Chicks are now everywhere to be seen…and the island get very noisy .
It ‘s just amazing to see how well protected those new ones are by the whole community. Even the eagles fly away.

Today for the first time in a week the generator has been on for a few hours

Guy had to look at the quantity of oil on the island, that is to say in the 2 houses (175 and 154 liters) the 3 drums (208 liters each), the 2 tanks –the big one (1120 liters) and the new smaller one (200 liters).

Yesterday, July 3rd. It was time for some groceries to buy. We have been surprised to see how hot it was in town and even at the college only a few miles away…We were really happy to come back a few hours later. We had a calm weather condition for the whole day, west winds from 0.11 knots to 23 knots in the end afternoon, very good visibility 10 miles at least.

Foggy day

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Friday 26th

Around 11pm between Thursday and Friday the foghorn began its song. Thanks to my wax plugs set .It did the job! For Guy no problem he was already asleep and never wake up…so. Anyway in the morning a fog curtain was lingering over the States coast but was getting closer every minute after sunset. At 5h30 the foghorn went on again. We were in a cottony atmosphere and it was like that in and out for the rest of the day.

In the morning it was so nice to watch from the window the geese family waking up one bird after the other.

Later we had to put the desalinator on and the filter was changed (every 15 days) the generator those days are working with the sun power: Nice!

Boats around: In the morning a zodiac came with 5 to 8 people…apparently nobody had a life jacket! Because of the foggy day we had a lot less whale watchers than usual. Actually a pretty foggy day and not a hot day on Race Rocks! The horn? We are getting used to

This morning we saw the first 2 seagull chicks; easy enough from our window close to the stairs. As usual pictures time  today is anytime: can you imagine chicks fed on small and long fish like smelts. Those birds are common but so interesting to observe. Right now males bring back straw to their nest again: maybe to make them stronger and bigger to welcome the babies…

As chores: I did an inventory in the pharmacy box and kitchen to get rid of out of date products.

Photos

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Newly hatched oystercatchers on the south side of the main island last

Newly hatched oystercatchers on the south side of the main island last

Rain gutters pre-cleaning

Rain gutters pre-cleaning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whale watchers near Middle Rock

Whale watchers near Middle Rock

Branded sea lion #8595

Branded California sealion #B101

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning the cable for underwater camera 2

Cleaning the cable for underwater camera 2

Young male elephant seal with bloody mouth

Young male elephant seal with bloody mouth

Orca dorsal fin and onlookers

Orca dorsal fin and onlookers

DSC_0574

Branded California sea lion #8595

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dead gulls. Seems to be a high number this year.

Dead gulls. Seems to be a high number this year.

Black Oystercatcher near the jetty

Black Oystercatcher near the jetty

Juvenile Black Oystercatcher on the north side of the main island

Juvenile Black Oystercatcher on the north side of the main island

 

Strong Wind, DND, Coast Guard, Elephant seals, and Oystercatchers

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30 knot winds at North Race

30 knot winds at North Race

The wind since Sunday evening has been very strong and even reached over 50 knots on Monday just before midnight. The photo shows North Race during a 30 knot wind. As the wind carries the water in the photo, it also sprayed the house windows which now are in sorely need of a clean.

 

During the winds, the Coast Guard paid a vist.

Coast Guard Helicopter passing by

Coast Guard helicopter passing by a quick visit to the island, hovering over the helicopter pad for several seconds without landing and then taking off again. It looked like it was having trouble with its stability in the wind.

Another noise-maker for the past two weeks have been the blasts on DND. There have been as many as 5 or 6 per day on severals days since my arrival June 24.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juvenile female elephant seal

Juvenile female elephant seal

A new female visitor came to the island Wednesday night. I noticed a juvenile elephant seal

Tuesday evening resting near the fire hose box. She was gone the following day but returned at around 22:30 when I ran into her with Chunk and Misery in the shallow water near the jetty while taking a water sample. Something that has been interesting upon her arrival is that Chunk and Misery have both changed their regular resting spots. Possibly just a coincidence, Misery has always been the one closest to the female.

Parent oystercatcher with chick

Parent oystercatcher with chick

On a bird note, the new oystercatchers have left the nest. The two have been exploring the jetty and surrounding area accompanied by two adults who become very vocal when any danger is in sight. The eggs on the opposite side of the island have yet to hatch.

 

The fog is lifting!

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View looking to North Race

Today was my first view of the mainland for the past couple of days excluding a few glimpses here and there.The past week has brought constant fog and winds of 20-40 knots which means boat traffic has been minimal. (At least as far as I can see!)

 

Newborn Black Oystercatcher

Today though, the sun has come out and with that yet another newborn. The Black Oystercatchers  (Haematopus bachmani) are hatching. These birds live mainly in the intertidal zone. Where the chick is shown in the photo below is where it just hatched and effectively camouflages itself. Quite a difference from its nest to that of the gulls’.

On another note, the elephant seals are spending more time wading in the water and are holding their breath for longer periods. I was startled the other day when I looked near the jetty to see one limp underwater only to realize it was snoozing and would come up for air every few minutes.

Glaucous-winged gull juvenile

 

And finally, an updated picture of one of the three infant gulls in past posts. It has become more difficult to get pictures of all three because they are more mobile now.

 

 

 

 

New and old faces

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Glaucous-winged Gull with chicks

The past few days have seen a good deal of development with the wildlife on the reserve. Newborn gulls and elephant seals are still competing for the spotlight. The picture below of the gulls are the same three that Mike posted as newborns on his last post (June 29th) and luckily they have indeed been thriving since.

 

Hatching glaucous -winged gull chick

A few more are born each day and they can take hours to fully hatch.

 

 

 

 

 

Elephant seal with green tag #5086

Yesterday we had two new visiting elephant seals. One had a green tag which implies that it was tagged by a team in California, on an eco-reserve in Ano Nuevo. March 10th, Alex posted a photo of an elephant seal that had been tagged twice. This appears to be the same one (minus one of its tags). She’s done a beautiful job of moulting.

 

 

 

 

Mike’s Last Day

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I am off for the summer and Julie will be taking over, keeping a watchful eye over the animals and encouraging the public to maintain respect for the their well-being by motoring slowly within the reserve and maintaining a comfortable distance.

Same three gull chicks taken earlier

The big news of the last few days is the birth of numerous Glaucous-winged Gull chicks. They look adorable for the first few weeks with their leopard spots! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the parent can find enough food for them to thrive.

 

Newborn Glaucous-winged Gull June 29, 2012

These two pictures of the chicks were taken 24 hours apart. In the first you can see the egg-tooth of the emerging chick.

 

 

 

Mad Momma

The Gull parents are quite protective. I have had my hat knocked off and felt their warm white rain a few times… Last night I got splashed in the eye, much to my discomfort and annoyance. I’m sure there is a poetic justice to the experience though; at least from the Gull’s perspective!

Census, birds and mammals

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Sea lion populations have stabilized in terms of numbers. With just ~250 California’s and ~150 Steller’s. Ever since the earthquake on 09/09/11 (which was not felt by me here), the sea lions have moved up from “the arena” and East bay on Great Race to surround three sides of the Keeper’s residence. They have blocked 2 of 3 entrances! They can be shooed away, but return during the night. The cool winds and overcast days permit them to sleep comfortably during the day only to be particularly raucous during the night. The transition between Glaucous winged gulls and their winter replacements the Thayer’s gulls has begun. Some Heermann’s gulls are present now as well. It appears at least one oystercatcher clutch was successful as an adult pair and their two fledged chicks are still present on Great Race.