Seagull Stones and Census

Posted on Monday,November 9, 2020 by Mara & Kai

Weather Today:

Visibility 10 NM
Sky overcast
Wind 10-15 knots SW
Calm seas earlier in the day, rougher later on – swells 1-2m high

Visitors and traffic:

Some old equipment is being moved to land, so there have been a couple of runs back and forth to the college.
The usual 5 or so whale watching vessels daily, very few pleasure craft as the weather gets worse.

Ecological Notes:

We have been seeing whales every day, both humpbacks and orcas!
We thought the sea lions were beginning to move along for good but they came back – it has been interesting to observe how suddenly it can go from a couple hundred hauled out to perhaps only 50. They must leave in the night as we have yet to notice it as it happens.
Unfortunately we have another sea lion hanging around that has plastic around its neck.
While doing some work on the jetty today I (Kai) noticed an interesting pile of small stones piled up in a corner of the railing. We often see seagulls, especially the ones that look younger, playing with rocks of the same size. They are usually together in a group of 2-4 and they’ll take turns moving a rock around, holding it in their beak, and trying to take it away from each other. It seems plausible that the seagulls placed the rocks there, we haven’t seen other animals interacting with each other and objects this way.

Some photos from the last couple of days:

: An interesting piece of cartilage/bone, which looks to be part of a jaw.

: The stones mentioned above.

: The sea lion in the centre of this picture unfortunately has a thick plastic band stuck around its neck.

: An anchovy

Census:

65 Harbour Seals

457 California Sea Lions

737 Cormorants

4 Eagles

17 Geese

4 Oyster Catchers

13 Black Turnstone

3 Humpback Whales

221 Seagulls

184 Stellar Sea Lions

Plastic band removed from neck of Greater Victoria sea lion

Posted on Thursday,September 10, 2020 by Garry Fletcher

From The Goldstream Gazette A Marine Mammal Rescue Centre veterinarian removes a plastic packing band from the neck of a Stellar’s sea lion at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on Sept. 10. (Courtesy of Mara Radawetz)

Plastic band removed from neck of Greater Victoria sea lion

Entanglement injuries in seals and sea lions a regular occurrence at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

Sep. 10, 2020 12:00 a.m.
NEWS

A sea lion trapped in human garbage has a second chance at life thanks to the sharp eye of a lighthouse-dwelling ‘ecoguardian’ at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve near Metchosin.

Mara Radawetz and Kai Westby, who live in the island’s lighthouse tower and monitor the reserve on behalf of Pearson College, called in back-up support when Radawetz spotted a California sea lion with a plastic packing band tightly bound around its neck on Sept. 1.

Over the days that followed, the duo spotted the animal again and watched it expressing clear discomfort as a result of the appendage.

“We could see that it was suffering, he would continually scratch at the infected area on his neck,” Westby said. “It had cut through his skin and created a kind of swollen, wet wound.”

The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (MMRC), assisted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, responded to the call for help, but it would be a few days before the rescue could arrive by boat.

Fortunately, the rescue team arrived Sept. 10 and Radawetz was able to again spot the injured sea lion using a high-powered magnification lens from the top of the lighthouse, where the duo does a daily count of the island’s furry, feathered and blubbery visitors, which typically number in the thousands.

“Being able to have that eye in the sky was instrumental in being able to successfully help this animal,” Westby said.

With a bird’s eye view, the pair guided MMRC veterinarian Martin Haulena to an area where he could prepare a dart gun with a tranquillizer. Rescue staff aided from the water and land, watching as Haulena crawled over the rocks and got into position, successfully tranquillizing the sea lion.

A sea lion that had a plastic band removed from its neck at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve wakes up from sedation.(Courtesy of Mara Radawetz)

In addition to removing the plastic band, the vet installed a tracking device and took a blood sample.

Radawetz and Westby said they see a sea lion or harbour seal with an injury due to human impact roughly once a week – and many of those animals don’t have a happy ending.

“We often see not only plastic entanglements but fishing line injuries on the sea lions and the harbour seals,” Radwetz said. The pair said they often see pinnipeds – seals, sea lions and walruses – that have swallowed a fish still on a fishing line, a meal that can cost the animal its life.

“It’s not always possible for us to help them,” Radawetz said.

While one lucky sea lion was able to swim free, Westby and Radawetz hope the incident resonates with people.

Westby added, “I really hope by sharing some of what we see here we can remind people that their actions have impacts and we are seeing those impacts here in Race Rock.”

In September 2019, a sea lion with almost identical injuries was rescued at the Race Rock Ecological Reserve. That animal had a plastic band embedded roughly two inches into its neck.

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August 31 – Weekly Census and Shift Change

Posted on Monday,August 31, 2020 by Nick Townley

Wind: W 2-15 knots
Sea State: calm
Visibility: 5-15 NM
Sky: partly cloudy in early morning, then clear
Temperature: 11-17 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 411.90 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

Census results recorded this morning at low tide for the mammals and throughout the day for the birds:
26 steller sea lions
110 california sea lions
1 sea otter
290 harbour seals
1 Canada goose
7 pelagic cormorants
1,232 california gulls
251 glaucous-winged gulls
98 gull chicks
2 black oystercatchers
7 black turnstones
1 song sparrow

There were a lot of eco tourism boats passing through the ecological reserve today. An outrigger canoeist paddled through the main channel in the mid morning and again in the early afternoon.

Tomorrow is my last day as the Ecoguardian. Mara and Kai are returning for a few months. I have enjoyed being back on this wonderful island for the past 17 days, learning on the edge where the land meets the sea meets sky. Race Rocks is a unique place that couldn’t exist without the work of Pearson students, staff, faculty, alumni and volunteers.

Here are some sights from around the island today:

: Song sparrow

: Three california sea lions on the boat ramp at low tide

: Pelagic cormorants

: Steller sea lion with flasher

: California sea lion with what appears to be a healing neck entanglement. There is an orange tag on its right front flipper which might be C7. The other digits aren’t legible. This tag might indicate the animal was rescued.

: Sea otter in the calm water by Middle Rocks

: Harbour seals on South Seal Rocks at low tide

: California gulls at low tide

: At first, I thought this harbour seal was a sea otter. It appears to be resting on a rock just below the surface.

: Male steller sea lion roaring at other sea lions

: A young gull with kelp

: This Canada goose was drinking out of the standing water near the east side of the house.

: Moon rising

: Sunset

August 30

Posted on Sunday,August 30, 2020 by Nick Townley

Wind: variable 1-18 knots
Sea State: calm in morning, rippled in afternoon
Visibility: 10-15 NM
Sky: clear, overcast and rain in evening
Temperature: 11-14 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 411.94 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

Here are some sights from around the island today:

: Steller and california sea lions swimming in the South Channel

: The entangled california sea lion spotted a few days ago is still hauled out on the South Islands.

: The sea otter is floating in the bull kelp.

: A zoomed in view of the otter’s feet and backside of head, floating in the bull kelp.

August 26 – Ring-Necked California Sea Lions

Posted on Wednesday,August 26, 2020 by Nick Townley

Wind: W 5-28 knots
Sea State: calm in morning, rippled in afternoon
Visibility: 0-10 NM
Sky: clear, fog in morning and evening
Temperature: 10-15 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 412.47 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

Two california sea lions were spotted today with ring-neck wounds. One appears to have fishing line wrapped around and cutting into its skin. The Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has been notified. Rescue Centre staff mentioned they were up in Powell River today successfully disentangling a young steller sea lion.

Here are a few photos from today:

: Foggy spiderweb in the window looking west

: This morning, I spotted a ring-necked california sea lion on the jetty.

: California sea lion rests on logs in the jetty bag.

: A glaucous-winged gull poses on the old Coast Guard sign with the water plant and lighthouse in the background.

: Steller sea lions appear to be in a heated discussion on South Seal Rocks.

: This evening, I spotted a california sea lion that appears to have fishing line wrapped around its neck. The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has been notified.

: These two gull chicks are growing up so fast

August 22 – More Flashers

Posted on Saturday,August 22, 2020 by Nick Townley

Wind: W 9-12 knots
Sea State: calm in morning, rippled in afternoon
Visibility: 10-15 NM
Sky: clear
Temperature: 13-15 °C
Atmospheric CO2: 412.45 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

It rained heavily overnight, giving the windows and pathways a much needed cleaning of the built up bird poop. I have been able to collect run off water from the downspouts on the main house and energy building, which can be used in the pressure washer to clean paths and exterior walls.

This morning, two steller sea lions were spotted with flashers hooked to the left sides of their mouths. One appears to be the sea lion spotted over the past few days. The other has an identical flasher. The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has been updated, as this makes three different stellers with flashers hooked to their mouths in a week and a half.

Here are a few photos from today:

: A gaggle of Canada geese stopped by this morning to mow the tall grass.

: Two steller sea lions have similar red and silver fishing flashers hooked to the left sides of their mouths.

: This sea lion spent most of the day in this spot on the northern part of the island, near the jetty bay.

: This is most likely the same steller sea lion with a flasher that has been spotted for the past few days on the jetty and middle rock.

: Seven SCUBA divers were exploring in the water off the jetty early this afternoon.

: A 354m container ship bound for South Korea passes near the south end of the Ecological Reserve.

Blowing a Hooley

Posted on Wednesday,January 1, 2020 by Nick Townley

Wind: Yesterday 5-35 knots N to W; Today 25-35 knots W with gust of 44 knots
Sea State: up to 2.5 m waves
Visibility: 5-10 NM
Sky: overcast with clear patches today
Temperature: 7-12 C
Atmospheric CO2: 413.20 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

The forecasted gale warning materialized right on time on Tuesday evening. Overnight and throughout today, the westerly winds were between 25 to 35 knots with gusts as strong as 44 knots. There are lots of whistles and creaks in the 1960’s house. The storm also showed a few leaks in the various outbuildings. The strong winds brought clear skies and slightly warmer temperatures. For most of the day, rainbows were visible to the north, between Rocky Point and Victoria.

Yesterday, even though it was stormy, several hours were spent working outside on various maintenance and month end tasks around the island, which was made easier due to the animals and birds being less spread out as they hunkered down out of the wind.

Today, four branded sea lions were recorded and reported to researchers, who study sea lion ranges and lifespans.

The island’s population of elephant seals is currently at seven. One recently came back from a solo retreat on the West Rocks. The four non dominant males appear to be keeping their distance from each other at cardinal points of the island. The alpha male is hanging out in the middle of the island with the mother and pup. This morning, two of the beta males had fresh wounds on their backs, suggesting a possible disagreement with each other overnight. The elephant seal pup is continuing to nurse. Pups gain a whopping 4.5 kg per day from their 35 kg birth weight. Between all those pounds the pup is packing on and the rain, no wonder its coat is looking less wrinkled.

: When the skies were clear, the solar panels were producing 2kW of power, which is quite good for this time of year.

: This large male elephant seal was seen this morning by the jetty with numerous fresh puncture wounds on its back. Another male, who is about three quarters in size also has fresh wounds.

: The elephant seal family basking in the sun after a wet and windy night. Notice the mother has tucked itself under the bush, seemingly to get shelter from the strong westerly wind.

: Branded california sea lion

: Branded california sea lion

: Branded california sea lion

: Branded california sea lion

: This california sea lion appears to be the one that was spotted by the Pearson staff member Corey, on December 19. At that point its neck was entangled with rope. Now it does not appear to have any rope, but does have wounds. The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has been notified.

: Looking north from the house, a rainbow stretches from William Head to Victoria.

: Sea lions pack onto the jetty like sardines.

: The anemometer at the top of the lighthouse has been picking up some high numbers for wind speed. The number on the left is the speed in knots. 42.1 knots equals 78 km/h. The number on the right is the wind direction in degrees on the compass.

Annual Christmas Bird Count

Posted on Saturday,December 28, 2019 by Nick Townley

Wind: Yesterday 5-10 knots W; Today 5-20 knots NE
Sea State: up to 1 m chop
Visibility: 10 NM
Sky: overcast with rain this afternoon
Temperature: 7 C
Atmospheric CO2: 412.60 ppm (recorded by NOAA at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii)

December 28 is the annual Christmas Bird Count, which happens in thousands of locations across North America. It has been happening for twenty-two years at Race Rocks. This morning with the northeast wind and dropping pressure, the planned visit by the local bird enthusiasts was called off. But fear not, citizen science provailed. For an hour and half this morning, I searched for birds of all feathers as I walked around the island and looked out from the top of the lighthouse. I used binoculars, a spotting scope and the zoom lens on the camera to check out the shoreline, water and the rocky islets of the ecological reserve. I was able to spot 12 species of birds, some of which were not present when I did the weekly census two days ago. Here are the results and photos of the bird count:

25 bald eagles (5 juvenile, 20 adults)
1 fox sparrow
4 canada geese
2 ravens
6 harlequin ducks
208 double-crested cormorants
59 pelagic cormorants
281 thayer’s gulls (on the rocks and in the water)
48 mew gulls (near Turbine Rock and North Rocks)
18 surfbirds
42 black turnstones
4 black oystercatchers

Photos of some of the birds seen today:

: Six of the 25 eagles seen in the reserve this morning

: Bald eagle on the high point of the island near camera 5

: Six harlequin ducks near the southwest corner of the island

: Fox sparrow in the middle of the island

: Double-crested and pelagic cormorants

: Three black oystercatchers on the south side of the island, near the energy building

: A colony of Thayer’s gulls on southeast side of the island

: Thayer’s gulls on the southwest corner of the island

: 18 surfbirds near the surge channel just west of the energy building

In the past two days, I have seen two entangled sea lions. Yesterday morning, I noticed a large steller sea lion with a small rope around its neck. The rope appeared to be cutting into the underside of the animal’s neck. A short while later, I noticed a california sea lion with a cut on its neck from what appears to be a plastic strap wrapped around it. The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre and Department of Fisheries and Oceans have been notified. If the sea lions remain at Race Rocks, it might be possible for a rescue to occur. Both animals were seen again today. See the entangled sea lion and marine mammal rescue tags for past occurrences that were written about in the Log. Two other california sea lions were seen that appear to have healing wounds from something that was previously wrapped around their necks. The animals don’t appear to have tags on their flippers to signify they have been rescued.

The Canadian flag was looking a bit tattered, so I replaced it today.

Just before sunset today, there were four eco tour boats in the reserve. The boats were all close to each other, which usually means something interesting is nearby. Sure enough, a pod of five or six orcas were passing westward. They travelled along the north side of the ecological reserve, just south of Bentinck Island and the Department of National Defence base.

Here are some photos from the past two days:

: An entangled steller sea lion with a small rope or plastic strap around its neck. It has been on the island for at least the past two days.

: The california sea lion in the middle of the photo has a plastic strap around its neck. It has been on the island for at least the past two days.

: A young steller sea lion nursing

: Newly raised Canadian flag

: The dorsal fins of three orca seen passing through the north side of the ecological reserve. Four eco tour boats were nearby.

Finally, an Elephant Seal

Posted on Friday,November 16, 2018 by Laas Parnell

Weather

Visibility: 15 Miles
Wind: 0-15 SW
Sky: Partly Cloudy
Water: Choppy under a metre

Boats/Visitors

Not much visitors lately and not as many ecotours either, there are still a few out there though

Maintenance

A lot fo running the desalinator and pressure washing lately, trying to get some of the algae and lichen off the buildings and walkways

Ecological

Slightly less sea lions than last week
One little female elephant seal and possibly a bug guy out on one of the rocks but I can’t get a good enough look at him
A couple ravens flying around this morning
two entangles sea lions, I am in contact with marine rescue to see if its possible to get out here to help them before the sea lions leave

Entangled Sea Lions

Posted on Sunday,November 4, 2018 by Laas Parnell