Tag Archives: elephant seal

Sunny Day + Census

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Weather:

  • Visibility 15 NM
  • Sky partly cloudy
  • Wind 0-5 knots N
  • Sea state calm

Boats/Visitors: None

Ecological:

  • Yesterday we saw a humpback whale pass through the straight roughly 1 NM away. Notably, this is only the second time that we have spotted a whale from Race Rocks without tourism vessels following close behind.
  • Not seen today in our census, there have been many black turnstones in the reserve this week (at least 10 at once).
  • Early this week we spotted what looked like a non-breeding adult willet. It seems as if it would be unusual to see one here so we are unsure if this is the correct ID. Without a photo it’s hard to be sure!

Census:

  • 9 elephant seals
  • 180 seagulls
  • 134 harbor seals
  • 112 sea lions
  • 11 cormorants
  • 6 oyster catchers
  • 2 adult bald eagles
  • The last pup left has been moving around the island, here it rests near the generator building.
  • Sea lions resting on an outcropping rock
  • We’ve been seeing these eagles around nearly every day.
  • The goose count rises, and so does the time we spend cleaning up after them!
  • Geese aggressively protecting their nest area
  • The invasion begins, slowly at first…

Business As Usual

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Weather:

  • Visibility 15 NM
  • Sky partly cloudy
  • Wind 30-40 knots N
  • Sea state: white caps, fast moving water, waves and swells up to 1 m

Visitors/Boats:

  • There have been no visitors to the island and no boats within the reserve

Ecological:

  • There is a new goose nest with one egg so far established in the middle of the island where the footpaths intersect
  • The young pup has seemed particularly inactive recently, and we have not seen her in the water for some time. Nick mentioned to us when he visited that she seems to have gained weight so we are not overly concerned. She spends most of her time near the jetty behind her favorite fence post.
  • The goose with an injured leg continues to limp around the island, but seems to be making do and there are no signs of deteriorating condition.
  • The eagle activity has been steady, aside from today with these strong winds
  • The seagulls are beginning to pull the grass and collect other debris for nesting, but no established nests so far.

Maintenance:

  • The generator is still out of commission, but we have been taking in a substantial amount of solar energy. Combined with the smaller generator contributing, our batteries have remained healthy. We are conserving water heavily until the new part arrives, as the desalination process requires a sizable amount of electricity.
  • Felted sea lion fur
  • Goose down clinging to rocks
  • Abandoned goose nest behind fuel shed
  • E103, “Erica” enjoying the sprinkle from a punctured fire hose
  • Keeping the solar panels clean

Bustling Wildlife

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Weather:

  • Visibility 10 NM this morning, 15+ NM this afternoon
  • Sky overcast in morning but clear this afternoon
  • Wind 20-30 knots NW-NE
  • Sea state: white caps (.25m), fast moving ripples

Visitors/Boats:

  • Greg and Nick on Monday
  • Greg and Nick on Tuesday
  • Greg and a technician for generator maintenance on Wednesday
  • Greg and Nick this afternoon (Thursday) 

Aside from this there have been very few vessels aside from commercial/shipping traffic. Today a couple of sailboats passed by despite the astounding wind gusts (all a fair distance away).

Ecological:

  • There have been 4 eagles in the reserve daily on average, both juvenile and adult. They typically perch on Rosedale Rock to our SE, but we have been spotting them on the webcam tower, crane, and diesel tank near the power building. The juvenile eagles seem to be more interested in Great Race Rock, while the adults tend to stick to the outcroppings. Occasionally they swoop over the reserve, prompting the seagulls to rise into the air to avoid becoming lunch!
  • The geese continue to protect their nests but no new eggs have been observed.
  • The elephant seals have settled to complete their moult, all in various stages. The remaining pup is still here, and spends most of its time on the jetty away from the others.
  • There is a sea lion with a significant head/neck wound that we have been seeing daily. It looks like it has been tagged by the Vancouver Aquarium, so we are wondering if it has been disentangled and tagged at the same time.
  • Yesterday we spotted a killdeer, a type of plover. We’ve never seen one here before!

Repairs/Maintenance:

  • We filled the underground cistern with sea water to be desalinated (pumped using the fire pump and fire hoses).
  • To maximize our solar intake we have been keeping the solar panels as clean as possible (when they are covered in bird waste they create much less power). 
  • Juvenile eagle on diesel tank
  • Juvenile eagle on power building
  • The gang
  • Moulting elephant seal skin and fur
  • The gulls continue to arrive for nesting…
  • … and defend their territory fiercely!
  • a breeding pair of geese resting
  • This one has a sore leg from a fight!
  • The youngest nest
  • Tag of the latest arrived elephant seal
  • Pigeon Guillemot
  • Sea lion with healing entanglement wound
  • Killdeer (adorable!)
  • Juvenile bald eagle perched on the crane

First Days Back

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We are happy to be back on Race Rocks surrounded by the animals again. A big thanks to Nick for leaving things in excellent shape!

Weather:

  • Visibility: 10+ NM (Victoria Clear)
  • Wind: 10-15 knots NW
  • Water calm
  • Sky overcast

Visitors/Boats:

  • No visitors to the island since we arrived on Wednesday
  • One whale watching vessel yesterday with three people on board
  • Three jet skis passed through on Thursday evening

Ecological:

  • There are 10 elephant seals resting outside of the house this morning
  • One is the last remaining pup, as pointed out by Nick
  • The map of Goose nests that Nick left for us remains accurate, but there are many new eggs.
  • The seagulls are beginning to arrive and fight over nesting spots. We have observed them beginning to pull up tufts of grass and lay them down for nesting.
  • Yesterday evening we noticed an entangled sea lion from the jetty. It appears to have a plastic packing strap wrapped around its neck, similar to the one that we saw last year.
  • There are two mature eagles that have been periodically swooping over the reserve, causing quite a stir.
  • There are at least two pairs of oyster catchers preparing to nest. Yesterday we saw the pair which nested near the guest house last year defending the same rocky area.

April 13 and 14 – End of Shift

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Wind: yesterday variable 2-28 knots, today W 7-38 knots
Sea State: yesterday calm, today rippled in morning and up to 1 m chop in evening
Visibility: both days 15 NM
Sky: both days clear
Temperature: yesterday 7-13 °C, today 8-11 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 415.81 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

Today is my last full day on the island before the shift changeover. Tomorrow morning, Mara and Kai will arrive to take over as Ecoguardians. They were here last year from May to September.

I spent the past two days finishing up some tasks around the island and cleaning. I also took time to walk around the island and get a look at all of the incredible species, land and shoreline that make up this ecological reserve.

There were no boats in the ecological reserve.

See the photos below for some views from around the island.

  • The combination of clear water and low tide make it easy to see lots of colourful seaweeds, surfgrass, urchins and other intertidal species.
  • Two swallows were fluttering around the island yesterday. This one landed on the a cable on the winch long enough for me to take a photo.
  • At first I thought it was barn swallows, but then with the help of a field guide realized it’s a violet-green swallow.
  • The sun peering over the horizon at 6:20 this morning.
  • The lighthouse just after sunrise this morning. The moon, in its third quarter, can be seen to the south.
  • A thayer’s gull with a Canada goose egg in its beak.
  • Can you spot the juvenile elephant seal in the middle of the photo, amongst the group of california sea lions?
  • A beautiful sunset on the edge, where the land meets the sea meets the sky.

Tagged Elephant Seal Resight Histories

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The following resight histories were provided by Dr. Patrick Robinson, Director of Año Nuevo Reserve in California. The five elephant seals listed are presently at Race Rocks.

Animal: 48288, tags: GD019R-iu-So,GD018L-ol-So                  
Season 2017                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GD019 0 48288 297540 2017-02-01 AP         P UK   C. Casey
GD019 0 48288 298632 2017-02-09 BBS         W     B. McDonald
GD019 0 48288 298988 2017-02-11 BBS         W M   P. Morris
GD019 0 48288 299787 2017-02-15 BBSU         W M   P. Morris
GD019 0 48288 301742 2017-02-23 BBS GD019R-iu-So,GD018L-ol-So THIS IS THE SECOND 30C, THE FIRST ONE WAS WEIGHED AT NP W M 5 C. Nasr
Season 2019                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GD019 1 48288 330944 2018-04-19 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GD018 Observed by Laas Parnell    juv     other
GD019 2 48288 330943 2019-04-09 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GD018 Observed by Laas Parnell   juv     other
Season 2020                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GD019 3 48288 335337 2019-12-14 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GD018 Observed by Laas Parnell    juv     other
GD019 3 48288 335420 2019-12-29 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GD019R,GD018L-ol-So reported by Nick Townley (eco-guardian)  juv     other
GD019 3 48288 347129 2020-04-01 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GD018L-ol-So,GD019R-i Observed by Race Rocks ecoguardian Nick Townley and confirmed with photo. Seal is in great body condition but fur/skin is in poor condition. SA1 M   other
GD019 3 48288 347638 2020-04-12 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GD018,GD019 Observed by Nick Townley (Race Rocks Ecoguardian)  juv   0 other
                           
                           
Animal: 49134, tags: GE103R-ou,GE135R-il-si                  
Season 2018                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GE103 0 49134 313030 2018-02-05 NP0N   With G7644, Card # 548, but not her original pup. It was raised jointly by G9454 and G7644 after G7644 lost her own pup. P     P. Morris
GE103 0 49134 313518 2018-02-06 NP0N   Is with female 9454 but female 7644 is squabbling with her trying to reach the pup. This is a separate pup from the one marked 76 on LSh. Also has 2 blotches on top of its shoulders, P     P. Morris
GE103 0 49134 314153 2018-02-09 NP1   nursing from female 9454 but 7644 was near P     P. Robinson
GE103 0 49134 314987 2018-02-13 NP0   With Female G7644, Card # 548. It remains to be seen if this is the same pup that is marked 644 L and blotches on top of its shoulder. 6 is backwards, mark almost on ventral side P     T. Keates
GE103 0 49134 315582 2018-02-15 NP0   looks like it could be with either G7466 or G9454 P     R. Holser
GE103 0 49134 316021 2018-02-17 NPG0   This is FOR SURE the pup of 9454 and not 7644. The pup of 7644 is 76. This is one of my study pups that has been adopted by 7644. W     J. Linossier
GE103 0 49134 316052 2018-02-19 NP GE103R-ou One of Juliette Linossier’s study animals W     C. Casey
GE103 0 49134 316341 2018-02-20 NP0S       also 644 L W F   P. Morris
GE103 0 49134 316497 2018-02-22 NP GE103L-ou-So   also has 476? on belly W     T. Keates
GE103 0 49134 316665 2018-02-23 NP GE103R-ou-Si     Noticed marks on L and R, but could not read them. W     R. Cuthbertson
GE103 0 49134 316693 2018-02-23 NP GE135R-il-si,GE103L-ou-si Juiliette study animal. genetic sample AF00375791 database has disagreement on placement of GE103 also 476 on the right and the 6 is backwards W F 25 L. Johansen
Season 2019                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GE103 0 49134 318448 2018-04-17 BBSL GE135R,GE103L-ou-Si     W   100 Robinson class
GE103 0 49134 318974 2018-04-17 BMB GE103L-ou-Si,GE135R-il-Si Cathy Debier 4x blubber biopsy original tag location for GE103 was incorrect W F 100 P. Robinson
Season 2020                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GE103 2 49134 334454 2019-09-07 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GE103L-ou Observed by Mara Radawetz @ Race Rocks Colony Confirmed by photograph. Seal looks healthy and in good body condition juv     other
GE103 2 49134 334574 2019-10-01 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GE103 reported by Laas Parnell    juv     other
GE103 2 49134 334575 2019-10-11 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GE103       juv F   other
GE103 2 49134 346669 2020-03-23 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GE103L-ou,GE135R-il reported by Nick Townley and confirmed with photo juv   0 other
GE103 2 49134 347639 2020-04-12 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GE103,GE135 Observed by Nick Townley (Race Rocks Ecoguardian)  juv   0 other
                           
Animal: 52226, tags:                        
Season 2020                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
    52226 346670 2020-03-23 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada PT563,PT562 reported by Nick Townley and confirmed with photo ad F 0 other
Season 2021                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
    52226 347640 2020-04-12 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada PT562,PT563 Observed by Nick Townley (Race Rocks Ecoguardian) ad F 100 other
                           
Animal: 50727, tags: GE779R-iu-so,GG512L-ol-si                  
Season 2019                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GE779 0 50727 329337 2019-02-20 NP3         P     C. Casey
GE779 0 50727 329365 2019-02-23 NP3         W     M. Emard
GE779 0 50727 329392 2019-02-23 NP3 GE779R-iu-so       W     P. Robinson
GE779 0 50727 329711 2019-02-24 NPG3         W     E Levy
Season 2020                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GE779 0 50727 330651 2019-03-12 NPD GG512L-ol-si,GE779R-iu-so     W M 99 P.Robinson
GE779 1 50727 347641 2020-04-12 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GG512R,GE779L Observed by Nick Townley (Race Rocks Ecoguardian)  juv     other
                           
Animal: 48066, tags: GC887R-iu-So                    
Season 2017                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GC887 0 48066 298641 2017-02-09 BMC         P     B. McDonald
GC887 0 48066 298732 2017-02-10 BMS         W     T. Barclay
GC887 0 48066 298955 2017-02-11 BMC         P     P. Morris
GC887 0 48066 299024 2017-02-12 BMS         P     M. Voisinet
GC887 0 48066 300206 2017-02-21 BMN         W     T. Russell
GC887 0 48066 300244 2017-02-21 BMC         W     E Levy
GC887 0 48066 300257 2017-02-21 BMC GC887R-iu-So     W     R. Holser
GC887 0 48066 300557 2017-02-22 BMC         W     P. Morris
GC887 0 48066 302743 2017-03-10 BBNS GC887R       W     P. Morris
Season 2019                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GC887 2 48066 330772 2019-03-26 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GC887R-iu-So Also reported present at Race Rocks in December 2017 and December 2018. juv M   other
Season 2020                        
OrigTag Age AnimalID ResightID Date Area Tags Read Comment TagComm MarkComm Age Sex Mlt Observer
GC887 3 48066 335252 2019-12-07 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GC887       juv M   other
GC887 3 48066 347642 2020-04-12 Race Rocks, B.C. Canada GC887R Observed by Nick Townley (Race Rocks Ecoguardian)  M   other

April 11 and 12 – Weekly Census

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Wind: yesterday W-S 0-32 knots, today W-SE 2-17 knots
Sea State: both days calm
Visibility: yesterday 10-15 NM, today 15 NM
Sky: yesterday partly cloudy then clear from mid morning, today clear
Temperature: yesterday 8-14 °C, today 7-14 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 416.33 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

The lawn in front of the house got busier this morning with nine elephant seals, two more than yesterday. A tenth seal, the pup, was near the jetty. The two new arrivals have green tags on their tail flippers. One is a male tagged C887. The other is a juvenile tagged G512 on the right flipper and E779 on the right. I will update the information on age and past sightings when I hear back from the researchers. The green tags signify the elephant seals were tagged at Año Nuevo, south of San Francisco.

[UPDATED April 13: I heard back from Dr. Patrick Robinson, the researcher from Año Nuevo Reserve. The elephant seal with green tags E779 and G512 was tagged as a pup in February 2019, where he was born at Año Nuevo. This is the first time the male juvenile has been spotted outside of Año Nuevo, where he was last seen as a weaner in March, 2019. The elephant seal with the green tag C887 is a juvenile male that was born at Año Nuevo in February 2017. He has been seen at Race Rocks in the month of December in 2017, 2018 and 2019.]

There was one boat seen in the ecological reserve on each of the past two days, a pleasure boat yesterday and a sailboat today.

Census results observed this afternoon at low tide:
10 elephant seals (1 female pup, 1 female juvenile, 1 juvenile, 2 sub adult males, 5 female adults)
16 steller sea lions
91 california sea lions
1 sea otter
72 harbour seals
5 bald eagles (2 juveniles, 3 adults)
16 Canada geese
1 black brant goose
99 gulls (mostly thayer’s)
17 pelagic cormorants
4 brandt’s cormorants
5 double-crested cormorants
6 black oystercatchers
24 pigeon guillemots
7 harlequin ducks
2 surfbirds
5 black turnstones

  • Two eagles on Turbine Rock and a colourful sailboat passing through Race Passage.
  • Newly arrived juvenile elephant seal tagged G512 and E779
  • Green tags G512 and E779 on the juvenile elephant seal.
  • Newly arrived sub adult male elephant seal tagged C887
  • Green tag C887 on the sub adult male elephant seal
  • Black brant goose
  • Four elephant seals waiting for the water to come to them
  • Newly arrived juvenile seal exploring the boardwalk
  • A view from the top of the lighthouse this afternoon of the clear water of the east bay. A group of sea lions can be seen on the rocks.
  • These lucky gulls won of the goose egg hunt

April 9 and 10

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Wind: yesterday W 0-26 knots, today W 11-38 knots
Sea State: both days calm in am and up to 1 m chop in pm
Visibility: yesterday 15 NM, today 0-15 NM
Sky: yesterday clear, today fog from 7:00-8:00 then clear
Temperature: yesterday 7-9 °C, today 7-10 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 417.85 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

The youngest elephant seal pup came back ashore, on the east side of the island. She is easy to identify from the scar below her right eye. She spent the evening and night on the southeast side of the house, where she spent several weeks in February and March once she weaned from her mother. Today she had moved around to haul out on the boat ramp and swim in the sheltered water by the jetty.

A new sub adult male elephant seal has joined the other elephant seals. He is a bit smaller than the other sub adult male that joined the last week.

Yesterday there were two visitors, Guy and Corey, in the college boat Second Nature. There were no other boats in the ecological reserve.

  • The youngest elephant seal pup spent yesterday evening and night by the south east side of the house.
  • A view to the south
  • Newly arrived sub adult male elephant seal
  • Pup practicing swimming in the jetty bay
  • Canada geese in flight
The fog signal sounded for an hour this morning, before the sky cleared. It hasn’t sounded for almost two months. The fog signal is (3) 60 s, which means three blasts sound and repeat every minute. The more detailed version is blast 2 s; sil. 3 s; blast 2 s; sil. 3 s; blast 2 s; sil. 48 s.

April 7 and 8

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Wind: yesterday W 0-34 knots, today E in am SE in pm 0-16 knots
Sea State: both days calm
Visibility: yesterday 10-15 NM, today 15 NM
Sky: yesterday partly cloudy in morning, clear onwards, today clear
Temperature: yesterday 8-11 °C, today 6-13 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 415.60 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

A sea otter spent most of yesterday afternoon in the South Channel between South Islands and South Seal Rocks. It ate clams, cleaned itself and rested on the rocks. When it dove underwater to grab some more food, I approached to get a closer view from an indent in rocks on South Seal Rocks. See the 16 second video below.

The last elephant seal pup appears to have left today. She was swimming in the jetty bay for most of the day. When I went out in the boat this afternoon, she was floating by the rocks to the north of the jetty bay. When I returned, she wasn’t there anymore or on the land. All three surviving pups left the island within a week of being three months old. The two others haven’t returned. Presumably, they are off feeding themselves after teaching themselves to swim over the past two months, since they weaned from their mothers.

I moved four wheelbarrows of the remainder of this winter’s supply of wood from the cupboards beside the Energy Building to the basement of the house. That wood should last for any cool or damp days of the spring or fall. I fixed some loose boards on the winch deck and boardwalk. Over the winter, the sea lions were rough on that deck.

A single blast was heard yesterday morning just after 11:00, coming from the demolition training area at Rocky Point.

One pleasure boat was seen in the ecological reserve this evening. The Race Rocks station boat was out this afternoon for a quick trip to Pearson College to pick up groceries.

  • Just a few big chunks of fir and skin around her middle remain to moult. T562/T653 is almost done.
  • Sea otter swimming in South Channel in the clear water, as seen from the lantern room of the tower
  • Deconstructed shore crab
  • Watching a sea otter from the south side of the island yesterday evening. See the video below.
  • The full moon rising yesterday evening just after sunset
  • When I headed out in the boat in the late afternoon, the youngest elephant seal pup was floating in the water by the rocks, near a resting california sea lion.
  • The view of the ecological reserve coming out of Pedder Bay, passing Bentinck Island.
A video of a sea otter cleaning itself on the south end of the island. A california sea lion pops up twice.

April 5 and 6 – Orcas

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Wind: yesterday variable 0-17 knots, today variable 0-22 knots
Sea State: both days rippled
Visibility: both days 15 NM
Sky: yesterday partly cloudy, today clear
Temperature: both days 5-10 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 416.03 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

Yesterday morning, I noticed a pod of at least six orcas on the western edge of the ecological reserve. They swam east through Middle Channel, passing just north of the main island. What a treat it was for me to watch them from the front porch. See the photos below.

The older of the two female pups has been gone for the whole day. She left the island at some point early this morning. It’s been 14 days since the oldest of the three surviving pups left the island. Perhaps the pup who left today is following the strict schedule, as she is 14 day younger than the male pup who left 14 days ago.

Today, there were three boats in the ecological reserve: two pleasure craft and one local whale watching boat with two people on board.

  • This gull managed to snatch an egg from a goose nest
  • The large dorsal fin of a male orca and a smaller female.
  • A younger male orca swims by two california sea lions.
  • Orcas swimming by a juvenile bald eagle. The shorelines of Esquimalt and Victoria are in the background.
  • The older of the female pups was resting on this spot above the goose nest for two days, before she went for a swim at some point this morning. Notice the calendula flower in her mouth.
  • This tulip, surrounded by grape hyacinth is taking its time to blossom.
  • Blue bells are starting to appear in a few place.
  • The juvenile elephant seal scared away the goose from this nest with two eggs. The goose came back after the seal left.