Air Breathing Animal Census of Race Rocks Jan 2012
Stellar Sea Lions: 30
Elephant Seals: 6-7
Harbour Seals: 50
Bald Eagles: 5-15
Brandt’s Cormorants: 50
Glaucous-Winged Gull: 100
Herring Gull: 30
Black Turnstones: 50
Song Sparrow: 6
Peregrine Flacon: 1
Killdeer: 4
Dunlin: 2
Sandpiper: 6
Harlequin Ducks: 20
Human: 1
Looks like X 948. The animal is in good shape up on the lawn near the student house but did get a bit too close to the island’s king, thus the blood… No worries though, just a scratch.
There are six E-seals on the island today. The big bull Misery, Bertha, a seemingly very pregnant large female with a distinct scar on her belly, and four youngsters resting uncomfortably on the rubble beach near the engine room.
The scruffy pup closest in the picture has a green hind flipper tag. The number appears to be #6355. I will look for info about from where and whence it cometh
Over 60 black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) are on the rocks on the south perimeter of the big island.Never have I seen a flock like this! Usually a person is lucky to see 10 together at a time. Along with the Haemas are about 40 Blackheaded Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala).
2 divers in the water at West Rock. An Italian student and her friend are out for 3 days, as is another guest who is a professional photographer. I will try and get some good pics of the seals from her…
New elephant seals show up almost daily. Today Mystery is hanging out with a large female, while the teenage male does his best to get out of the way of the Beachmaster. He has some surface wounds indicating his neglect in clearing the path for the big guy. I’ll post some pics tomorrow. I have several student coming for a visit and need to prep the house and launch the boat…
Erik was out yesterday to clean the underwater camera and remove and old fridge. Good to see this place getting cleaner, leaner and greener…
An enjoyable end to 2011 starting with the gale on Friday. Winds hit 50knots. I have noticed that cormorants are the last birds flying when the wind picks up. Today the islands of the reserve hold about 30 Stellars Sea Lions, 30 Harbour Seals, 2 elephants seals, 100 cormorants, 200 herring gulls, 15 oystercatchers, 20 turnstones, 10 Canada geese, a couple of sandpipers and sparrows, and one Homo sapiens sapiens. How is it that they can find food where they live but I am required to import it from the 4 corners of theglobe?
I am renaming the bull Elephant Seal Mistery rather than Misery as he was previously nicknamed. Misery doesn’t do this magnificent animal justice, plus I like him a lot; he brings me joy!
The big adult male elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is back from a few days excursion. Misery is looking sleek and healthy. The small female looks to be improving. The redness of her wounded eye is diminishing.
| Pelecanus occidentalis observed at Race Rocks |
I am getting used to my new island home, unpacking, and learning the daily routines. Yesterday saw 15 juvenile eagles in the reserve, along with near 16 black oystercatchers and about 20 turnstones. Seven pairs of Canada geese are mowing the lawn, and the small female elephant seal remains up by the light-tower.
The small female elephant seal had stayed up near the base of the tower until last night when the fog horn went off, she moved down to the path near the middle of the island. Misery came back to Great Race this morning. 
When he started approaching the female she moved away. She made it back up to the base of the tower again where Misery doesn’t seem to like to go, maybe too much of an incline for the fat bugger. Misery stayed by the engine room, likely in the females path if she tries to leave.
Yesterday there were three boats in the reserve: a dive boat in the morning and 2 eco tour boats in the afternoon.
The wind picked up today around noon reaching gusts of 60 knots from the west. The wind has stayed around 30 knots most of the afternoon.
This morning Misery and the small female elephant seal were back on Great Race. The female was up in the grass near the base of the tower with a fresh looking injury to her left eye.
Pam reported an incident between Misery and another individual on Middle Rock on the 18th where she could see Misery grab something in his jaws. Maybe it was this elephant seal that she had witnessed getting a beating. Misery has a history of aggressive, violent behaviour. Pam has several image captures and a description of the incident on her flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66339356@N00/6537477915/in/photostream/
The number of elephant seals on Middle Rock has been increasing, Pam has recently counted up to 8 elephant seals on Middle Rock.
Julia and Jake cleaning solar panels
Yesterday I left the island around noon to go to campus and returned around 16:00 hrs with Jake. Erik brought out Julia, Jeanie and Mark in Second Nature. I took Jeanie and Mark back to campus today around 15:00 hrs, it was great to have them out here for a visit. Julia and Jake will be staying out here for a few more days. They did a great job scrubbing the solar panels today and carried several containers of deionized water across the island to the battery room. I did some cleaning in the battery room this afternoon.
The eco tour vessel Five Star Fast Cat came into the reserve this morning around 10:30.
Misery left Great Race yesterday around noon, taking his time on the boat ramp while I waited to launch the whaler, and is back on Middle Rock with the ladies. There were around 10 Sealions on South Rocks today and over 40 cormorants observed on South Rocks, Middle Rocks and the SW side of Great Race.
Misery taking his time on the boat ramp