Pam Birley from England took this image on the remote camera 5 today. Almost yearly, she has spotted peregrines on Great Race Rocks using the remote control cameras .
Tag Archives: peregrine falcon
Gale Force Winds and Peregrine Falcon
Weather
- Visibility: 10 miles
- Wind: 0-5 knots NW in the morning
- By 11:10 up to 25 knots West
- By 11:25 33 knots, 11:55 40 knots West
- Post 12:00 steady at 30-35 knots West
- Late afternoon into darkness 15-20 knots West
- Sky: mix of sun and cloud
- Water: 2′ chop
Ecological
- 4 elephant seals on Great Race.
- They were very playful today.
- Pam Birley spotted a Peregrine falcon with the webcam!
- She took these 4 photos for us!
Maintenance
- Back flushed the desalinator.
- Ran the desalinator.
- Uploaded June Seawater data to the website.
Boats
- Did not see any boats in the reserve.
Back Online
Saturday evening as the storm was subsiding, the communication lines went dead out here at Race Rocks. After trying all the normal fixes on my side, I was informed via cellphone that the problem lay at Pearson College. The College had lost power from some internal breakdown, and so no internet or phone line was being sent my way over the air. Once things were up and running again this morning, I was able to reestablish connection to the internet and phone lines.
Rather than submitting a log entry for each missed day, I will simply provide a summary of each day’s main events. And pictures as always!
Saturday 15 October 2016-Fierce Storm
- Day began at 7:00 with winds of 15-20 knots NE.
- 9:45 30 knots East
- 13:00 35 knots East
- 13:30 45 knots East
- 14:30 50~ knots East!
- 15:20 45 knots East, communications down.
- 16:50 communications returned.
- 17:00 30 knots East
- Around 18:30 communications down for good.
- 19:00 15 knots West
- 20:30 30 knots South-West
- One month remaining in my shift.
Sunday 16 October 2016-Pelican
- 7:00 Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 10-15 knots East
- Sky: overcast
- Water: 1′ chop
- Saw a single brown pelican today!
- Failed to get a picture though.
- Branded California sea lion 8465.
- 8 elephant seals on Great Race today.
- A small group of California sea lions began sleeping on top of the e-seals.
- To my surprise the elephant seals don’t seem to mind.
Monday 17 October 2016-Peregrine Falcon!
- 7:00 Weather
- Visibility: 5 miles
- Wind: 0-5 knots East
- Sky: overcast
- Water: calm
- In the early evening a pigeon flew into a window, presumably breaking its neck.
- Immediately a Peregrine falcon swooped down to inspect its prey.
- I assume the falcon was the reason the pigeon hit the window at such a speed.
- The falcon then flew way up into the sky, before returning to make off with the meal.
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- Steaming sea lions!
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- Raptor and prey
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- Peregrine falcon and the heavens!
Tuesday 18 October 2016-Bio-mimicry Visitors (and Alex!)
- 7:00 Weather
- Visibility: 15 miles
- Wind: 0 knots
- Sky: clear
- Water: calm
- A rainstorm appeared from about 10:00-12:00.
- A rather sunny afternoon!
- Kyle came out with Alex Fletcher and a biology group.
- The 6 visitors were studying bio-mimicry.
- How can humans improve our technology by copying successful animals?
- The organization that they are involved with is one of our donors.
- They were very interested in the sea lions, seals, and birds.
- 11 elephant seals on Great Race.
- Saw 3 brown pelicans; this time got a photo!
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- Brown Pelicans
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- Visitors
Peregrine Falcon Back for Annual Visit
I received this e-mail and images this afternoon from our viewer in England, Pam Birley. She took them using the remote camera 5 and writes: “I watched this bird for about an hour today !!! I think it may be a juvenile Pacific Coast Peregrine Falcon. According to Sibley they are darker feathered with mustache merging on head to form a dark helmet.
See Peregrine Falcons in the Race Rocks Taxonomy
See all the posts on Peregrine falcons observed at Race Rocks
High Seas and Mystery Birds
There was a large sea running today with at least a one-meter swell surging up the ramp and over the smaller islets. This was in turn reflected by a dramatic sky constantly changing with everything from downpours to brilliant sunshine, rainbows and some rumbling thunder thrown in for good measure. The barometer tentatively climbed to above 1010h Pa and the forecast is calling for continuing drama tomorrow including lightning and a strong wind warning.
There were 18 visits by commercial whale watchers noted, within the Ecological Reserve . Again it was a pleasure watching the respectful operators move slowly with the currents in the Ecological Reserve, keeping a sharp lookout for the hundreds of animals in the water and giving their guests the best views of the wildlife. Most (94%) of the skippers were respectful of the guidelines that the industry itself came up with for sustainable use of the Ecological Reserve. I took photos of the one that wasn’t.
Other than the usual cast of characters, Great Race was treated to a visit by a very swift Peregrine Falcon, which was hunting young gulls. I didn’t see it take one but found another of the “turtleneck” mystery mortalities first thing this morning. Still betting on the River Otters for that modus operandi.
I photographed a shorebird that I wasn’t sure of the identification today. I posted a photo here and one on twitter and received a tweet almost immediately. Dick Cannings of Bird Studies Canada knew right away that this is a Ruddy Turnstone. I have only seen them from below (in the boat), in breeding plumage, in mixed flocks with Black Turnstones at Baeria Rocks Ecological Reserve and never in the vegetation, from above here at Race Rocks. That is my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Of course it is a Ruddy Turnstone, what else could it be?
Ruddy Turnstone looking for insects in the vegetation.
No visitors today and chores were either routine or fighting entropy.
Peregrine, Eagles and Wind
The wind gusts reached 39 knots from the west this morning. The general wind trend throughout the day was between 11 and 32 knots from the west, with slight fluctuations to the north and south. The barometer generally went down from 1001 hPa to 997 hPa, with a few dips upwards as the sun broke through the clouds.
The approaching Arctic blast of cold weather will bring a chance that the thermometer might drop from 7oC to below 0oC tonight for the first time in a while. Heating coils and warm thoughts have been deployed around the buildings to prevent pipes from freezing.
There was one whale watching boat seen in the reserve at 12:30. A couple boats gathered to view humpback whales to the east of the reserve in the mid afternoon.
There were a couple of bald eagles around for most of the day, one adult and one juvenile. At 10:00 in the morning, a peregrine falcon was chasing after the juvenile eagle over the north of Great Race and Middle Channel. The size difference of the eagle and peregrine took me by surprise. I had never seen the much smaller peregrine next to a bald eagle. This might be the same peregrine that Pam Birley has seen over the past week. It had dark chest feathers, which indicates it is a juvenile peregrine falcon.
The desalinator worked hard today to make about 800 litres of fresh water. With a maximum output of 1.5 litres per minute, the desalinator is a very energy intensive way to create water. Although, when the water is heated and added to a mix of leaves, spices and herbs, it makes great tea. A necessity for Race Rocks.
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- A tanker heads westward, a couple kilometres from the shores of Race Rocks.
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- A bald eagle perches on the northwest of Great Race, between flying circuits of the reserve.
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- The flag flaps in the west wind, with gulls in the background having taken flight en masse because of an eagle fly by.
Birds and Sea Lion Brands
The wind was calm, not rising above 10 knots. It blew from the northeast, swinging around to the south in the middle of the day, and settling on the east at night. The barometer dropped from 1020 hPa to 1009 hPa, with a few short rises throughout the day. The temperature reached a high of 10.8oC, at the ground station.
There was one whale watching boat seen in the reserve, just before sunset.
Pam Birley, the dedicated webcam viewer from the UK, spotted a peregrine falcon again this morning. She was able to capture a photo of the peregrine from Camera 1, see below. Pam thinks it’s a young one, because it has dark brown chest feathers.
I wasn’t able to spot the peregrine, but I saw two branded steller sea lions. See the photos below of brands 205Y and 405Y. The steller sea lion branded 405Y was born in 2013, at Rogue Reef, Oregon. The steller sea lion branded 205Y is a female born in 2004 at St. George’s Reef, California. The sea lion is well known to Pat Gearin, from the NOAA. Pat emailed me with some details about the sea lion: “She is an unusual animal because she has not returned to CA to have her pups but instead has settled at Carroll Island, WA where she has had at least two pups over the last 4 years. I think the animal next to her in your first photo may be her juvenile which is still nursing. Steller’s sometimes nurse their pups for over 2 years.”
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- A peregrine falcon on the northwest side of Race Rocks. This photo was captured this morning on Camera 1 by Pam Birley, from the UK.
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- Three harlequin ducks stand by the shore, near the jetty.
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- Four harlequin ducks swimming eastward from Race Rocks.
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- Two california sea lions stand guard by the jetty.
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- This steller sea lion, branded 405Y, was born in 2013, at Rogue Reef, Oregon. This is the first time it has been seen on Race Rocks.
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- The steller sea lion on the centre right of the photo was branded 205Y as a pup in 2004, at St. George’s Reef, California.
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- One juvenile bald eagle takes flight from the South Islands, as the other maintains its perch. The steller sea lion with the brand 205Y can be seen in the lower right.
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- Seven black oystercatchers huddle up on one leg, near the southwest corner of Race Rocks.
Eagles, waves and engine troubles
The barometer continued to rise today, from 1019 hPa to 1024 hPa. The wind blew from the west and southwest between 14 and 34 knots. The sky was mostly clear, with occasional brief showers and rainbows. There was a large swell coming in from the west.
There were no boats seen in the reserve today.
There were four bald eagles seen in the reserve this morning. Large groups of gulls got to practice their evasive manoeuvres as the eagles flew overhead. Our UK camera viewer, Pam Birley, spotted a peregrine falcon on the helicopter pad at 15:20.
I was unsuccessful in running the monthly check on the fire pump and refill of the salt water cistern, but not for lack of trying. I strung all the hoses from the jetty to the underground cistern, only to find that neither engine was willing to start and pump. I will continue to tinker with those engines. On the up side, I got to practice unrolling and rolling all the hoses.
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- A california sea lion soaking up the sun and waves.
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- South Seal Rock is overrun with sea lions and waves.
Last Week at the Race
The day started with a red sunrise even though it was overcast and blowing east-northeast 15knots.
Red sky in the morning.
That wind continued all day, as the barometer fell and now as I write this blog, I see that there is a strong wind warning in effect for central Juan de Fuca Strait. I will find out what sort of sounds this vibrahome makes in the east wind. No autumn leaves here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igbpx26YE3k
Yes, there were whale watchers today and three were observed in the Ecological Reserve. The humpbacks are still around and of course, the pinnipeds here on Race Rocks. I was glad to see the sailing vessel Jack Mathews heading for the safety of Pedder Bay, as the last whale watchers sped off towards Constance Bank. Those students are on a sailing project week and came quite close to Race Rocks during their morning sail.
The last whale watching boat of the day taken through the front window.
There are now 16 Northern Elephant Seals on the ramp and sealion numbers and distribution are similar to the last few days.
Northern Elephant Seals are the champion divers of the Pinniped world. We have a lot to learn from them when it comes to navigation, diving and fasting. Fascinating animals.
I have been keeping an eye out for the Steller Sealion disentanglement candidates and saw two of them about 20 meters away from the science house today.
Disentanglement candidate lying just outside science-house living room window.
Another ring-necked Steller Sealion hanging out beside the science-house.
A different view of the same animal resting above.
A third ring-necked Steller Sealion, one that was branded as a pup at Rogue Reef, Oregon (#946R) was over on Middle Rock today and when I went to look for it I saw a beautiful young Peregrine Falcon.
It was amazing to watch this young Peregrine Falcon flying with such incredible expertise.
The Peregrine Falcon killed an adult California Gull and the ravens, who probably follow the Peregrine around, managed to eat most of it.
Gull killed by Peregrine Falcon and eaten by ravens. Spooky Halloween stuff.
The gull kill was very different from the other gull mortalities on the island. I photo documented over fifty gull mortalities when I first arrived. Today’s gull was partially plucked, while the other birds were not plucked and often had their heads pulled inside out (like taking off a turtleneck). I am quite convinced that the latter is the also spooky, handiwork of the river otters.
Although it is only Monday and I don’t leave until Friday, I am cleaning up for the next eco-guardian and packing up some of the recycling left here by what seems like, generations of eco-guardians (probably not). I finished going through all the photos and completed the first draft of my sealion brand spreadsheets. I had no idea when I started how much work it was going to be. The usual chores of washing the solar panels, taking the seawater samples and running the generator make a nice break from the computer work.
Photos from the past of couple weeks
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- california with plastic around its neck
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- 5454
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- branded Northern sea lion
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- Chunk. Scars from Misery
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- California sea lions
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- sunrise
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- sunset
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- from Dec 6 cold snap
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- flag at half mast for Nelson Mandela
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- river otter with some snow on its nose
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- peregrine and gull
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- sunset
