Tag Archives: rare species

Larus spp. (hybrid) A Hybrid Gull ?? The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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On October 27, 2007, we received from Pam Birley from Great Britain these pictures of an unidentified gull which she had just photographed using the remote camera 5 at Race Rocks.

David Allinson has helped us with the identification:” In short, the bird is not identifiable to species…most likely a hybrid gull also with partial hypermelanism (high melanism – darker than normal plumage and/or an example of some other complex colour abnormality which has caused its legs and bill to be darker (carotenism) — caused by either genetic defect, environmental factors, and/or stress during development or moult). This bird is most likely a Glaucous-winged with Western Gull genes (or a Western Gull with Glaucous-winged genes!). However, the head seems proportionately small which suggests possibility of some other lineage (Thayer’s or perhaps Herring).

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species spp.? (hybrid)
Common Name: Western Gull-type hybrid ?

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The 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. October 2007-Pam Birley and David Allinson

Ceramaster arcticus: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Our thanks to The Royal British Columbia Museum for providing this photo taken by Brent Cooke.

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Family Goniasteridae
Genus Ceremaster
Species arcticus (Verrill 1909)
Common Name:
Ceramaster arcticus (Verrill 1909) (Goniasteridae)

 

From the information Phil Lambert submitted to  Syesis, 11:61–64 (1978)

Ceramaster arcticus (Verrill 1909) (Goniasteridae)
British Columbia: Race Rocks, Victoria, 9 m, one specimen (BCPM 973-251-34);

Winter Inlet, Pearse Island, 23 rn, one specimen (BCPM 974-224-43);
Work Channel, 31 m, two specimens (BCPM 974391-6);
northwest of Queen Charlotte Islands, 119 m, one specimen (NMC 1733).

Previously known from Bering Sea to St. Paul Harbour, Kodiak Island, Alaska (57*461N, 152*27W) (Fisher 1911), littoral zone to 186 rn (D’yakonov 1950). The specimen from Race Rocks (48*18’N, 123,36’W) extends the known range 2180 km southward.

References :
Philip Lambert, New geographic and bathymetric records for some northeast Pacific asteroids (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) Syesis, 11:61–64 (1978)

Royal British Columbia Museum Collection data. 

Catalogue Number: 973-00251-034
Collector’s Field Number:
Scientific Name: Ceramaster arcticus

Collection Event

Collection Date(YYYY-MM-DD): 1973-09-18

Geographic Place

Location Name: Victoria; Race Rocks
Location Description: passage between lighthouse and small islets in the lee of the rock
Province/State: British Columbia
Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The 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

Christmas Bird Count 2001

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2001-12-24′, ’16:00:20′, ‘Yesterday Angus Matthews took Alan MacLeod, Andrew Harcombe, and Ron Satterfield out in the Pearson College boat, 2nd Nature for the annual Sooke Christmas bird count. The trip was postponed from the 22nd because of the 40knt. north winds. Following is a list of the birds seen between the Pearson College dock and Race Rocks- most of the sightings were in the area around Race Rocks. The highlight was the lone Iceland Gull, a very rare bird in this area! The first sighting of this bird for the trio of bird counters! Pacific Loon 14 Common Loon 1 Horned Grebe 1 Double Crested Cormorant 80 Brandt”s Cormorant 60 Pelagic Cormorant 12 Harlequin Duck 2 Surf Scoter 30 Bufflehead 60 Hooded Merganser 5 Bald Eagle 4 adult,2 immature Black Oyster Catcher 16 Black Turnstone 6 Surfbird 6 Rock Sandpiper 9 Mew Gull 15 Herring Gull 8 Thayers Gull 530 Western Gull 1 Glaucous Winged Gull 720 Common Murre 40 Pigeon Guillemot 8 Marbled Murrelet 6 Belted Kingfisher 1 Eurasian Starling 8 Common Flicker 1 You may check out the file on the Christmas Count with pictures at: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/seabirds/xmascount/xmascount2001.htm Thank you Angus,Alan,Ron and Andrew, maybe it wasn”t blowing 40knots from the north but it was still a cold bumpy trip with 20 knots from the north east!’, ‘Carol or Mike S’, ’16:00:54 ,

Christmas Bird Count

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Monday, December 24, 2001
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max 8.0C — Min 4.9C — Reset 6.7C — Rain 0.0
Merry Christmas To One And All!!!
MARINE LIFE: Yesterday Angus Matthews took Alan MacLeod, Andrew Harcombe, and Ron Satterfield out in the Pearson College boat, 2nd Nature for the annual Sooke Christmas bird count. The trip was postponed from the 22nd because of the 40 knt. north winds. Following is a list of the birds seen between the Pearson College dock and Race Rocks- most of the sightings were in the area around Race Rocks. The highlight was the lone Iceland Gull, a very rare bird in this area! The first sighting of this bird for the trio of bird counters!
Pacific Loon 14
Common Loon 1
Horned Greb 1
Double Crested Cormorant 80
Brandt’s Cormorant 60
Pelagic Cormorant 12
Harlequin Duck 2
Surf Scoter 30
Bufflehead 60
Hooded Merganser 5
Bald Eagle 4 adult,2 immature
Black Oyster Catcher 16
Black Turnstone 6
Surfbird 6
Rock Sandpiper 9
Mew Gull 15
Herring Gull 8
Thayers Gull 530
Western Gull 1
Glaucous Winged Gull 720
Common Murre 40
Pigeon Guillemot 8
Marbled Murrelet 6
Belted Kingfisher 1
Eurasian Starling 8
Common Flicker 1
You may check out the file on the Christmas Count with pictures at:https://www.racerocks.ca/2001/12/24/9651/
Thank you Angus, Alan, Ron and Andrew, maybe it wasn’t blowing 40knots from the north but it was still a cold bumpy trip with 20 knots from the north east!
HUMAN INTERACTION:11:30 am 1 Whale Watcher Boat
12:15 1 Rib with 2 divers (burrrr)
14:30 Discovery Launch (2 passengers)
Thank You Jane and Chris for holding the ‘fort’ so we could visit with family and restock the pantry.posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:11 PM

Callorhinus ursinus : Northern fur seal- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Veretebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Clade Pinnipedia
Family Otaridae
Genus Callorhinus
Species ursinus
Common Name: Alaskan Fur Seal