We began the day with 32 knots and the wind never stopped rising to 40.7 knots around 8:00PM. What a pretty windy month!
All the birds were in the sheltered side away from the wind so it was easy to spot them. Before dusk we saw 10 Turnstones, 2 Western Sandpipers and 3or 4 Dunlins. They were not around a few days before. Exciting!
I even found a ladybug, a small one in the house. Another new species on this small rock
No whale watchers today …Thanks to the wind.
Clear skies. Light variable winds. Low West swell. Glassy this evening.
Tour Boats: 6
Chris brought out a group of visitors affiliated with Blyth Academy/International for a tour of the reserve and tower late this afternoon.
Great Race has a massive population of ladybugs. I first noticed them on my Fall shift, and I still find them all over the place. They are especially fond of hiding on firewood, behind door latches, and in the sedum (stonecrop). I also regularly find them inside my house, sometimes I’ll look down from my book in the evening and see one crawling on my shirt. I have no idea what the species is, or why they are so abundant, but if you know an entomologist who specializes in Ladybugs send them my way.
Earwig on the remote camera 5 housing at Race Rocks, November 16, 2007.P.B. photo
An interesting fact about these insect is that they are found on every continent except Antarctica. They have a pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomen. Short folded wings or forewings give the scientific order name “skin wings”– Dermaptera
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Sub-Phylum Hexapoda
Class Insecta
Sub-Class Pterygota
Order Dermaptera , (De Geer, 1773)
Family Forficulidae
Genus Forficula
Species auricularia
Common Name: European Earwig
| Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda at Race Rocks |
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomyand Image File |
 The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.
Garry Fletcher |