Tag Archives: DND blasting

Census and an Unexpected Trip

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 15-20 knots West
  • Water: 1′ chop
  • Sky: partly cloudy

Ecological

  • Conducted a census.
  1. Harbour Seals: 126
  2. California Sea Lions: 27
  3. Northern Sea Lions: 27
  4. Elephant Seals: 17 (12 on Great Race, 5 on Middle Rock)
  5. River Otter: 1
  6. Seagulls: 563
  7. Pigeon Guillemots: 54
  8. Black Turnstones: 51
  9. Canada Geese: 21
  10. Black Oystercatchers: 14
  11. Savannah Sparrows: 6
  12. Bald Eagles: 5 (4 immature, 1 adult)
  13. Rock Sandpipers: 4
  14. Cormorant: 2
  15. Surfbird: 1

Maintenance

  • Canada Goose themed work.

Boats

  • One eco-tour came by today.
  • Had a phone call from Kyle this morning to let me know that he would be picking me up around 13:00 for a First Nations cultural sensitivity workshop at Pearson College.
  • This was a surprise to me, but nice to get off the island for a few hours.
  • Always good to be reminded and educated on past and present issues.

POW and Middle Rock E-seals

Visitors

  • When Kyle arrived to pick me up he came ashore to take a look at a few things, and then admire the elephant seals.

Other

  • Two loud DND blasts around 12:50.

Kayak Fleet Inspection

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Wind: 0-5 knots E; in the afternoon 15 knots W; early evening 28 knots W.
  • Sky: clear
  • Water: calm
  • Today’s high temperature of 17.1 c was a new observed record, beating last year’s mark of 14.7 C.

Another sunrise!

Ecological

  • Still unable to find any black oystercatcher nests. I think it’s probably too early for them to be laying any eggs though.
  • Discovered a new nesting pair of Canada Geese today.
  • 11 elephant seals on Great Race.
  • 5 on Middle Rock.
  • One elephant seal ventured out to the end of the jetty to look around.
  • Later an elephant seal went up to a Canada Goose nest and inspected the area. I think it was the same seal from the jetty.
  • Found a broken up Canada Goose egg not far from a different nest. Wonder who did that?
  • Found some cool bones on the rocks today, including a fin and some teeth.
  • A fleet of about 19 kayaks passed by the South Rocks this morning, and this spooked the sea lions who all ended up in the water.
  • While I suspect there was a stampede, I didn’t actually see it.
  • As the kayaks assembled in the SW portion of the reserve, a large group of sea lions swam towards the kayaks to investigate. Not something I have seen before!

Maintenance

  • Cleaned the solar panels.
  • Performed a distilled water volume estimate: 50-55 litres.
  • More goose work.

Boats

  • Two eco-tours came by today.
  • A couple of small fishing boats passed by.
  • One of the fishing boats looked like it was going too fast.
  • A sailboat passed by. One of the occupants gave the buoys a good long look.
  • Speaking of which, the “lost buoys” from yesterday reappeared this morning around the same time. Are they perhaps anchored there, and only appear at low tide?

Other

  • While lying in bed at 22:30 I heard two loud DND blasts.

The Lost Buoys

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Wind: 5-10 SE
  • Sky: clear
  • Water: calm
  • Today’s high temperature of 16.7 C (62 F) was a new observed record, beating last year’s mark of 15.9 C.

Ecological

  • 9 elephant seals on Great Race today.
  • Still no sign of any black oystercatcher nests.

Maintenance

  • Cleaned the solar panels.
  • Confirmed part no. for the desalinator RO membrane.

Boats

  • The largest eco-tour that I have ever seen came by today.
  • Named the Orca Spirit II, it even showed up on the AIS Vessel Tracking website map!
  • When viewing the sea lions on the South Rocks, it kept the farthest distance I have ever seen an eco-tour keep. Good job!
  • The large POW boat came by later on, and spent a while viewing the elephant seals that were frolicking in the ramp near the jetty.

Other

  • 6 DND blasts today.
  • 2 around 10:00.
  • 2 around 11:00.
  • 2 around 13:30.
  • Spied a couple of lost buoys floating through Middle Channel this morning.

A DND blast

The Lost Buoys

The Lost Buoys

To Seek A Nest

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots SE, later up to 15 W
  • Sky: clear
  • Water: rippled

Ecological

  • Spent over an hour searching for Black Oystercatcher nests for the new webcam to focus on, yet I found nothing.
  • Found one abandoned Canada Goose nest, confirming yesterday’s suspicions.
  • The elephant seals continued their moulting, play-fighting, and ramp bathing.
  • About 9 on Great Race today, and 6 on Middle Rock.
  • Check out the e-seals in their flight squadron formation!

Elephant Seal flight squadron formation

Maintenance

  • More Canada Goose themed maintenance.
  • It is mutually unfortunate that they choose to nest so close to key areas.

Boats

  • Observed three eco-tours lined up to the north of the reserve. I suspect they had found whales?
  • Later they made their way through the reserve in customary fashion.
  • One dive boat was anchored just south of the South Rocks for a few hours.
  • Spied a funny looking barge with heavy duty vehicles on it. They looked like toys from my distance!
  • The Queen of Cumberland (BC Ferries) was out near Esquimalt, presumably doing some test runs, as she is currently undergoing a refit until April 21.

Other

  • 5 DND blasts today at Bentinck Island.
  • 2 medium blasts around 11:00.
  • 3 smaller ones between 13:30 and 14:00.

Green with Shades of Blue

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March 17 was a windy day on Race Rocks. The early morning east northeast wind  kept intensifying and it was blowing 25 – 30 knots northeast by noon. It kept up for the rest of the day. The barometric pressure started to drop from a high of 1026 hPa, in the afternoon. The forecast includes a gale warning, with the easterlies continuing under sunny skies for at least tomorrow.

One whale-watching vessel was observed working in the Protected Area today and several others were seen transiting the area. Sports-fishing boats were all outside the reserve.

The Nanoose Yarder, a tug, headed west through Race Passage with the fishing vessel, Arctic Fox II in tow. The Arctic Fox II was damaged by fire in Cowichan Bay last winter and looks like she will need some serious TLC before heading out again to troll for tuna, offshore. DND blasting continued.

The impression that the gull population was rising daily, returning en masse was not wrong. Nest site locations from last year are almost fully occupied. Pairs are standing close, pulling vegetation and starting to jockey for position with neighbours. No actual nest building has been observed yet. Canada Geese have been discouraged.

The idea that more California Sea Lions were showing up was backed up by more brands observed today and of course by the counts themselves.  Today was animal census day and results are posted below.

2016 17-Mar
River Otter 0
Northern Elephant Seal 0
Harbour Seal 131
Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 41
California Sea Lion 123
Canada Goose 0
Harlequin Duck 15
Surf Scoter 0
Common Merganser 0
Brandt’s Cormorant 40
Double-crested Cormorant ~100
Pelagic Cormorant 28
Cormorant ~50
Bald Eagle (juvenile) 9
Bald Eagle (adult) 3
Killdeer 2
Black Oystercatcher 26
Black Turnstone 42
Surfbird 2
Rock Sandpiper 0
Dunlin 0
Mew Gull 0
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs in nesting area) 486
Glaucous-winged Gull (+ Xs outside of nesting area) 229
Thayers Gulls 10
Calfiornia Gulls 6
Western Gull 1
Common Murres 1
Pigeon Guillemot 76
Northwestern Crow 2
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 0

 

Today was a catch-up day inside and chores were routine.

Arctic Fox Nanoose Yarder 2

 

 

 

 

 

A Quiet Day (Except for the Explosions)

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As predicted, winds were light today, starting in the southwest, then switching to west, 5 – 15 knots. Although it was sunny, there was a real nip in the air first thing. The barometric pressure continued its slow rise today, reaching 1025.5 before steadying. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for more sunshine and a low of 2o C, while and winds to switch to east, 20 – 25 knots.

Several whale watching boats visited the Ecological Reserve today, stopping by South Rocks to see the sea lions and eagles. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water. A few sports fishing boats passed close by and fished outside the Protected Area. There were more explosions from across Race Passage today and it was unusual that they continued after dark.

Images of sea lions sleeping on South Rock before and after an explosion can be seen below. Three branded sea lions were photographed today; two California Sea Lions #U68 (brand on posterior) and #8240 (brand on left side) and one Steller’s Sea Lion #42DY.I remember #8240 from last fall but had not noticed him until today during this shift. There appear to be more sea lions daily.Tomorrow is census day. At dawn this morning, Alex noticed a small seal, possibly a Northern Elephant Seal and a Sea Otter on the ramp.

Forage fish were active at the surface again today; guessing that they are herring are on their way back out to offshore habitat after spawning. The fish attract the fishers and by late morning there were three adults and 12 juvenile Bald Eagles in the Protected Area. They favour sitting in large groups on South and West Rocks but they also use Great Race in a more solitary way. The Canada Geese seem to be staying away and the large number of eagles may be deterring them from feeling comfortable on Great Race.

Harlequins continue to astound and inspire with their gorgeous plumage and amazing diving abilities. All three species of cormorant Pelagic, Brandt’s and Double Crested were busy in the Ecological Reserve today. It appears that they like to forage where there are convergences and upwelling. They dry their feathers, roosting in the wind and sun on the west end of Great Race, Turbine and Middle Rocks.

Chores were routine today.

 

Eagle Food

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There was nothing remarkable about the leaden morning with light and languid, north-northeast winds. Partially overcast skies cast a silvery pall over the Strait but bits of blue sky held promise for better things to come. The barometer held overnight at just above 1010 hPA and by mid-afternoon had dropped to 1008 As evening falls the barometer is holding at 1007. In the afternoon there was some sunshine but it was really a day dominated by cloud.

Five commercial whale-watching vessels were observed working in the Ecological Reserve today. Three were seen working in behind (south side) South Rocks and they were travelling very slowly and cautiously. Sea conditions were calm. The sea lions did not appear too disturbed by their presence. A few younger animals close to the water went in but it would be difficult to determine cause. On that note, military blasting continued as planned, from late morning to mid afternoon. Interceptor vessels and red flags warned boaters off. The sea lions and birds did not seem to react.

The wild goose chase continued and progress is happening. By early afternoon, most of the geese had retreated to the military zone to graze on the large lawn there. One pair staking out an area by camera 5 were more persistent, but eventually left for greener pastures. A couple of pairs of gulls were seen doing some of the broody things they do when nest building but as it is early yet, they are probably just practicing for the big day when they actually start to build a nest. The Pigeon Guillemots continue to flock here in the morning and leave in the afternoon as noted by Riley. Many were practicing walking on land today and in the water they worked the ebb flow through the rocks taking a ride and then flyew back upstream for another one.

A partially decomposed Northern Elephant Seal pup and part of its skull was located not far from the octopus in the boulders beach east of the Ecoguardian’s house. From the size, it appeared to have been a very young pup, if not premature, at death. The octopus was bigger. The plentiful, rich food sources are starting to explain the large number of eagles here daily.

A branded Stellers Sea Lions was photographed today 319Y and 4332 was observed. A California Sea Lion with a number on its rump and an X anterior to that was observed but the number was not verified nor was a successful photo taken.

 

There were no visitors and chores were routine today.

 

 

Fire Extinguisher Return

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots NE
  • Water: rippled
  • Sky: clear

Ecological

  • Chunk and Chuckles still on Great Race.
  • Chuckles had some fresh wounds on his back that were weeping fluids.
  • Saw a California sea lion branded with 8240.
  • Saw a Sea Slater (Ligia Pallasii) crawling in the muck near the jetty today.

Maintenance

  • Found all the “loaner” fire extinguishers and collected them up.
  • Loaded said fire extinguishers and a box of recycling into the maintenance boat when Jeff and his assistant came by.
  • Checked the water level in the cistern; things are good.

Boats

  • Jeff came by to pick up some items. He did not disembark.

Other

  • Heard six DND blasts today. They came in pairs, each pair progressively bigger, from loud, to house shaking. 10:03, 10:05, 10:55, 10:57, 11:41, and 11:43.

Birds and Boats

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots NE
  • Water: rippled
  • Sky: clear
Sunset

Sunset

Ecological

  • Chunk and Chuckles still on Great Race.
  • Saw a northern sea lion branded with 354Y.
  • Saw a northern sea lion with a cooker cutter shark scar.
  • Noticed at least 50 harbour seals out on the south islands today.
  • Saw a common merganser wash itself on a rock close to shore. Apparently it is quite uncommon to see them at Race Rocks. Later some harlequin ducks swam nearby.
  • Saw a jellyfish floating around near the jetty. Not sure what variety it was.
  • Noticed some grape hyacinth for the first time today. By my estimate there are least 6 different species of flowers now in bloom out here.

Bald Eagles and Snowy Mountains

Maintenance

  • Stacked firewood until there was no remaining space. Will have to restart stacking once some of the stores have been burnt up to create space.

Boats

  • Jeff and his two Belgian volunteers came by with food supplies this morning. Eggs, milk, and bread. Surprised the Belgians didn’t bring me any Jupiler.
  • Quite a bit of traffic today out in the straight. Documented the more interesting looking ones with photographs.
  • One fishing boat went through the middle channel of the reserve.

Other

  • Heard 5 DND blasts today from Bentinck Island. A small one at 12:47, and then 4 medium blasts at 12:50, 12:55, 15:04, and 15:06. The animals didn’t make too much of a fuss.

One of today's DND blasts

New Weaner on Great Race

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 10-15 knots E, later up to 48.6 knots W
  • 48 knots falls into the “storm” category. Only “violent storm” and “hurricane” are higher on the scale. The house is shuddering.
  • Water: 2′ chop, later at least 5′
  • Sky: overcast and some rain

Large waves 1

Ecological

  • The mother elephant seal on Great Race was gone this morning, making the fourth pup a weaner. He is much smaller than the previous weaner was, and over on Middle Rock the mother is still with her pup, who was born approximately 8 days before, and is quite larger. All this makes me think the mother has left prematurely?
  • In the morning Chunk spent some time chasing the weaner, but he was too slow to catch him and he gave up, later heading over to Middle Rock.
  • Chuckles showed up on Great Race afterwards and has been watching the weaner.
  • At one point I found the weaner chewing on a wire cord underneath the big old yellow diesel tank by the Energy Building.
  • Today was the first day that I saw a great blue heron at Race Rocks! Not a first in general though, or for Race Rocks.
  • Pam Birley also noticed the heron and she took some photos with the webcam.

Maintenance

  • Stacked some firewood.

Other

  • Heard one small DND blast at 10:30.