Tag Archives: sea lion

Kayak Fleet Inspection

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Wind: 0-5 knots E; in the afternoon 15 knots W; early evening 28 knots W.
  • Sky: clear
  • Water: calm
  • Today’s high temperature of 17.1 c was a new observed record, beating last year’s mark of 14.7 C.

Another sunrise!

Ecological

  • Still unable to find any black oystercatcher nests. I think it’s probably too early for them to be laying any eggs though.
  • Discovered a new nesting pair of Canada Geese today.
  • 11 elephant seals on Great Race.
  • 5 on Middle Rock.
  • One elephant seal ventured out to the end of the jetty to look around.
  • Later an elephant seal went up to a Canada Goose nest and inspected the area. I think it was the same seal from the jetty.
  • Found a broken up Canada Goose egg not far from a different nest. Wonder who did that?
  • Found some cool bones on the rocks today, including a fin and some teeth.
  • A fleet of about 19 kayaks passed by the South Rocks this morning, and this spooked the sea lions who all ended up in the water.
  • While I suspect there was a stampede, I didn’t actually see it.
  • As the kayaks assembled in the SW portion of the reserve, a large group of sea lions swam towards the kayaks to investigate. Not something I have seen before!

Maintenance

  • Cleaned the solar panels.
  • Performed a distilled water volume estimate: 50-55 litres.
  • More goose work.

Boats

  • Two eco-tours came by today.
  • A couple of small fishing boats passed by.
  • One of the fishing boats looked like it was going too fast.
  • A sailboat passed by. One of the occupants gave the buoys a good long look.
  • Speaking of which, the “lost buoys” from yesterday reappeared this morning around the same time. Are they perhaps anchored there, and only appear at low tide?

Other

  • While lying in bed at 22:30 I heard two loud DND blasts.

Last Blast on Bloghorn

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Weather and Sea Conditions

North wind, 15 to 20 knots replaced the overnight southeaster and brought cool moist air and overcast skies for the morning today. In the afternoon light winds were variable and turned to light west by early evening. The barometer spent the day crawling out of the hole it was in and by 18:30 was around 1008 hPa. The sky cleared and brightened by evening. A strong wind warning is in effect. The marine forecast for central Juan de Fuca Strait calls for west wind to increase to west 20 to 30 knots early this evening and then drop to west 10 to 15 by early Friday morning. It is expected to be cloudy tomorrow with a 30 percent chance of showers or drizzle and a predicted UV index of 3, or moderate. Sea conditions were calm today once the overnight storm and morning wind chop settled down. As evening starts the wind is moving and the chop is starting again.

Vessel Observations

Three whale-watching operators were observed working in the protected area today and more passed close by through Race Passage heading out to the west and back. One sports fishing vessel was observed transiting the reserve today.

General and Ecological Observations

One Steller Sea Lion 319Y, branded on her left side, was observed hauling out on South Rocks today. She was marked as a young weaner at Rogue Reef in the very southern part of Oregon in 2013, so she is almost 3 years old.

The old male River Otter has taken to napping under the back staircase of the main house in the mornings now and one of the positive things about this new habit, is that it keeps the geese who were interested in nesting there away from the stairs.

This is the end of my shift, my last blast on the blog-horn and it is a little bittersweet to be leaving just as elephant seal show-time starts and spring develops more fully. I leave tomorrow and  want to wish the best to this wonderful Ecological Reserve, which was started by students and faculty at Pearson College. Those folks were brave enough to fight for this place, they had the fortitude and vision to found Race Rocks as a protected area. In BC, Ecological Reserve status is the highest level of protection given, by BC Parks. Fisheries and Oceans Canada protects the water area, as a Rockfish Conservation Area, so jurisdictionally that covers the sea bottom, islets (BC Parks) and the water (Fisheries and Oceans), and makes Race Rocks a de facto marine protected area (no caps).

Of course this is also a special Indigenous place with an intersection of cultures and a complex history of use and ownership by different families, groups and Nations. This is a unique, socio-ecological place to celebrate and protect. From its human history to its natural history, lets make sure that Race Rocks remains a marine protected area and is able to provide ecological education and research opportunities for future generations of British Columbians, as well as Pearson College.

Today was animal census day and the results are posted below.

2016- 14-Apr

River Otter 2

Sea Otter 1

Northern Elephant Seal 11

4Harbour Seal 170

Northern Sea Lion (Steller’s) 72

California Sea Lion 99

Canada Goose 22

Brandt (flying through) 350

Harlequin Duck 8

Surf Scoter 6

Common Merganser 1

Brandt’s Cormorant 2

Double-crested Cormorant 2

Pelagic Cormorant 14

Cormorant (not ID’d to species) 5

Bald Eagle (juvenile) 8

Bald Eagle (adult) 4

Killdeer 0

Black Oystercatcher12

Black Turnstone 54

Surfbird 5

Rock Sandpiper 2

Glaucous-winged Gull 560

Common Murres fly through 9

Rhinoceros Auklets flying 6

Pigeon Guillemot188

Northwestern Crow 2

Savannah Sparrow 2

Barn Swallows4

Chores and Visitors

Today was cleanup day in preparation for departure tomorrow. Other chores were routine and there were no visitors.

All the best goes out to Riley, Eco-guardian for the next six weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evergreen

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Weather and Sea Conditions

Light northwest winds backed and veered bringing waves of silver and leaden clouds. Showers were visible from far away, travelling with the wind and tied across the Strait with rainbows, tops of arcs obscured in cloud. In spite of being overcast and chilly, the high was 11o C, there were brief periods of intense sunshine and the UV index was very close to 4 (moderate). Accumulated solar energy was low, about half of what we have been receiving. Just before dusk there was an intense downpour accompanied by winds over the 30 knots. It was short-lived but may foretell of what the forecaster are calling for by late morning. The barometer remained fairly steady today at ~1015 hPa but is expected to drop with the passage of a low that will bring southeast winds and showers tomorrow. Sea conditions were rough at times out in the Strait today but generally there was just a light chop inshore.

Vessel Observations

No vessels were observed in the protected area today.

Ecological and General Observations

An influx of 14 more Canada Geese kept the established geese busy on their own wild goose chase today. There were many running and aerial chases and clashes. These seem to be new animals with different behaviours than the ones who have been so doggedly determined to nest here for the last six weeks.

Many flocks of 100 to 200 Brant were observed moving through the reserve from west to east and I wonder if these are still flocks that have travelled up the coastal flyway from California and Mexico.

Harlequin Ducks are rafting up in strings of birds and moving around more than they have since I arrived nearly six weeks ago. They are usually so site-fidel that you can almost predict where they will be.

Black Turnstones continue to be the most common shorebirds on Great Race. Seeing them forage everywhere on island is a good reminder that this is essentially an inter-tidal island. Their plumage is looking new and shiny, ready for their big northern migration.

The late spring elephant seal moult is definitely in full swing now and the animals are catching up on sleep and using stored blubber to see them through the moult. Sea Lions continue to haul out on South Rocks every morning. The male Californians are also well established on Great Race in the two haul-outs near the two houses.

Work was routine today and there were no human

visitors.

 

 

Re-runs

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Weather & Sea Conditions

Light, variable winds and overcast skies were the norm for most of today. The sun came out in the early evening but total accumulated sunlight levels were way down from the highs of last week. Of course this also meant a low UV index, which barely reached 2 today. The barometric pressure climbed steadily from a low of 1010 on Sunday, to over 1030 hPa today and tomorrow’s forecast calls for more sun and a moderate (5) UV index. Light winds are predicted to continue, rising to 15 knots Wednesday afternoon. Except for tidal rips and current driven standing waves, sea conditions were calm and rippled today.

Vessels

Six whale watching vessels were observed working in the protected area today. One of the larger yellow vessels took chances with safety and wildlife security, ignoring common sense and rules, by barging through the narrow, shallow passageway between the South Rocks sea lions haul-out and Great Race. They were lucky, they missed the shallow rocks and the sea lions were disturbed but did not stampede.

Why is it always the same company that pushes the limits? Not all of their operators take these kinds of risks but it certainly makes one pause and wonder: what kind of leadership allows this to happen repeatedly?

Very few sports fishing boats were seen today except in the distance at Constance Bank and Beechey Head. One was observed passing through the protected area (not fishing), near Rosedale Reef.

Ecological and General Observations

Ecologically it was the day of the goose. The time has come, (the Walrus said), for egg laying to start, whether nests are built and territories staked out, or not. There was a certain desperation and pandemonium amongst the geese today leading to much honking, numerous chases, physical battles between the males and general goose drama. They are here to stay, like the California Sea Lions.

Everything else seemed to proceed as usual; sea lions and seals slept. Beulah crushed the beds where I picked tulips yesterday and then moved over behind the boat-shed. The river otter continues to use his two story, rock, otter spot and ‘decorates’ the walkway with evidence of his fish predation. The gulls seemed more settled and there seemed to be fewer marauding eagles. Black Oystercatchers are all in pairs in the same areas where they nested last year, through most of the day. The Pigeon Guillemots spent more of the day ashore and were still here in the late afternoon. The Harlequins were busy fuelling up for their move to the mountains.

A true sign of spring, the bull kelp could be seen reaching the surface at low tide. Soon there will be beds of kelp around each rock making it easier for the skippers to see the underwater hazards that are compounded by ‘the race’. The Sea Otter made a brief appearance and appeared to be itchy. Maybe he was just doing his daily ritual of grooming to keep his fur impeccable and impenetrable to the ocean’s cold.

Chores were routine today. There were no visitors.

Sunny Day Back on the Rock

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Log Entry by Riley Strother

Weather

  • Visibility: 15+ miles
  • Sky: sunny
  • The mercury hit 11C today (which is over 50F!) so you know it was a warm day.

Ecological

  • Spent 30 minutes in the morning chasing the Canada Geese off the island. I did so by walking around the perimeter of the island, and every time I completed a loop the original pair would have returned, necessitating a further loop to invariably chase away some other returned pair.
  • Eventually I only had to walk about once per hour to scare off any geese that had returned. By the evening there only remained one persistent pair near the Students’ House.
  • As Anne has noted, there are lots of gulls and they take to the sky at the slightest swoop of an eagle.
  • It looked to me as though there were 4 elephant seals hauled out on Middle Rock.
  • Several times today the sea lions seemed agitated by the boats that perhaps got a bit too close. They generally chose to bark rather than stampede though.
  • I saw the river otter in the afternoon, my favourite Race Rocks character. It’s good to be back. Thornton W. Burgess should write a book about him/her.
Agitated Sea Lions

Oft’ agitated Sea Lions

Maintenance

  • Cleaned the solar panels.
  • Settled back in to the house for my short stay.

Boats

  • As befits a beautiful statutory holiday, there were many boats about today.
  • Anne dropped me off in the Whaler in the morning.
  • Five eco-tours came through the reserve to look at the sea lions.
  • The Prince of Whales came by two times. The first time they appeared to be speeding through the SW part of the reserve to join up with the catamaran.
  • The large Eagle Wings catamaran came by twice.
  • An unidentified black eco-tour came by in the late afternoon.
  • One pleasure craft with a family on board passed through the South Channel, which is definitely too close to the sea lions.
  • Two fishing boats came by. The first one seemed too close to the sea lions. The second one appeared to be going too fast.
  • The Pacific Scout pilot vessel passed to the north of the reserve.
  • The Sir Wilfred Laurier patrol vessel passed to the south of the reserve.

Other

  • Got a phone call from a wrong number; someone asking for Mike. That seems rather unusual.

Beulah Rolls Over

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Winds were light and variable today under cloudy skies with occasional showers. Tomorrow has a similar forecast, partly cloudy, 40% chance of showers with the strong west wind warning continued. The barometric pressure reached 1020 hPa in the early hours of the morning and then dropped to 1012 by dusk. The wind materialized with rain after dark, gusting over 30 from the west.

Only two whale-watching vessels were seen today and neither was in the reserve. To the northeast of Victoria, J-pod (Resident Killer Whales), a Minke Whale and Transients (Bigg’s Killer Whales) were a draw for the whale watching fleet.  Two sports fishing vessels cruised through slowly.

Nothing to much report ecologically today other than spring is progressing rapidly. The female Northern Elephant Seal (Beulah) made the huge effort of rolling over today. That was it for activity there. Bald Eagles continue to fish and hunt birds in the reserve. The River Otter showed himself again today, near the derrick and within a meter of a small gaggle of geese. The River Otter was busy rubbing his scent gIands all over the grass there and then went into the sea and swam off in the direction of North Rock. From the scat, it looks like a fish diet, lots of scales and medium sized fish bones. I continue efforts to persuade the geese to nest on Vancouver Island. Seals, sea lions and cormorants rest, roost and dry out on the rocks. Glaucous-winged gulls, Black Oystercatchers and Pigeon Guillemots all make preparations for parenthood.

Pearson College divers, under the supervision of Laura Verhegge, visited this afternoon in Second Nature. They did a dive with three groups of divers, during the flood, in the back eddy by the jetty. Some of the students were ‘over the moon’ about their experience and really enjoyed the colours and rich sea life. They wanted to continue exploring even when it was time to go. Others were in ‘a little over their head’ and glad to be back on board. Great leadership and teamwork brought out the best in everyone. A very small sea lion appeared to enjoy having students to investigate and some of the students noticed.

No photos today, sorry, technical problems with camera.

 

Boat Mania

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles (except foggy towards Victoria in the A.M.)
  • Wind: 0-10 knots South
  • Water: rippled
  • Sky: sunny

Golden Sunset

Ecological

Cormorants and Sea Lions

Maintenance

  • Cleaned the solar panels.
  • Provided two canoeists with duct tape to help repair their broken paddle.

Boats

  • As befits a very lovely Saturday, there were numerous boats in or near the reserve all day.
  • A diving boat was out at Middle Rock and it seemed as though they sent down some divers.
  • Two sailboats passed through the SW corner of the reserve.
  • One fishing boat passed through Middle Channel.
  • The very large catamaran eco-tour was back.
  • A couple of young lads in a canoe came up the ramp. I sent them on their way, but not before a rest and some help with their broken paddle.

Visitors

  • The aforementioned canoeists were on shore near the ramp for a little while as they rested and fixed their paddle.

Canoeists

Very Large Eco-Tour Catamaran

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 5-10 knots NE
  • Water: rippled
  • Sky: overcast

Ecological

  • Chunk and Chuckles are still on Great Race. I’m not even sure they are going off island at night these days.
  • There was a lone harbour seal hauled out on a rock near the derrick most of the day.
  • Saw some bald eagles gnawing away at the dead elephant seal pup.

Maintenance

  • Cleared logs off of the ramp.
  • Began making a list of things to do by the end of the month.

Boats

  • The Sir Wilfred Laurier patrol vessel was out in the straight this morning. Quite a fine looking ship!
  • One pleasure craft with a family on board stopped by to view the sea lions. They seemed to be too close.
  • Two eco-tours came by this afternoon. The first one was the largest boat that I have ever seen in the reserve. The second one appeared to be too close to the sea lions, and a few of them made haste for the water.

Powerful DND Blasting and Bald Eagle

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 miles
  • Wind: 20-25 knots NE
  • Water: 2′ chop
  • Sky: overcast

Ecological

  • The newest female elephant seal was gone this morning.
  • Chunk mated with the current mother on Great Race today. Unlike the other times I have seen him initiate mating, the female did not fight back or try to get away. She seemed okay with it, and her pup lay beside her as it happened.
  • Chuckles spent the day on the south-east corner of Great Race.
  • Status quo on Middle Rock with the mum and pup.
  • Lady left the island at 3:30, just after the 5th and 6th DND blasts.
  • Watched a bald eagle tear away at weaner’s head for over half an hour at dusk. This was the first time I had seen an eagle approach the corpse. Fascinating.

Maintenance

  • Mopped up the remaining water in the Energy Building.
  • Stacked more firewood in the water shed.
  • Cleared logs and debris off the ramp three times.

Other

  • There were 6 very powerful DND blasts today coming from Bentinck Island. They came in three pairs, each pair spaced out from the other. I was outside for the first two and they hurt my ears. I was inside for the final four, and they shook the house considerably.
  • After when I walked around the island, I noticed that nearly all the birds and sea lions had disappeared. There was only 1 sea lion on Great Race, and he appeared to be injured, which would explain why he was the only one who stayed. There were about 10 sea lions left on South Island, and 20 Harbour Seals. No cormorants. The blasting must have scared the rest off.
Smoke from blasting

Smoke from blasting.

Sea Lion Jumping

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Weather

  • Visibility: 10 miles
  • Wind: 15-25 knots NE
  • Water: 2′ chop
  • Sky: overcast in the morning, raining after noon.

Ecological

  • Observed several sea lions surfing and jumping arcs in the water by the South Seal Rocks in the afternoon.
  • Chunk and Chuckles were both on Great Race today.
  • The new female has moved to the bottom of the lighthouse stairs. She needs a better name.
  • The fourth mum and pup, and the grieving mother, are still together along the path.
  • Mum and pup still visible on Middle Rock.
  • Chunk went into the water at 17:00.

Maintenance

  • Stacked the collected driftwood by the tank hut to store for future firewood processing.
  • Cleared logs off the ramp once.

Other

  • An ambulance helicopter flew over the islands at about 13:00.

Ambulance Helicopter