Tag Archives: sealions

April 4th – Full Moon and Blood Moon

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The weather was much more subdued today with light winds and a morning switch in direction to the east, northeast and then back to westerlies at sunset. The sky was partially overcast but more sunny than cloudy with only the slightest of showers. The barometer continued its very slow and not very steady, decline that began on Thursday. The forecast is for more of the same. Today’s full moon was in total eclipse early this morning and although I was up at 5:00 AM, I did not see it, maybe that is because it was totally eclipsed ; – )?

Only two tour boats were noted within the Ecological Reserve today and they both kept their speed down and seemed to be very respectful of the wildlife. There was no fishing activity noted inside the Conservation Area.  A couple of Kayakers were paddling in the Ecological Reserve today and they were very close to the sea lions. They managed to make it past them without any disturbance, but the sea lions woke up after the kayakers passed. They were only concerned enough to do some neck craning and alert behaviour before falling back asleep.

Paddler passes close by sleeping sea lions.

Paddler passes close by sleeping sea lions.

The two kayaks regroup after getting by the sea lions on South Islands.

The two kayaks regroup after getting by the sea lions on South Islands.

Sea lions wake up and smell the kayakers. Looking alert but not too disturbed.

Sea lions wake up and smell the kayakers. Looking alert but not too disturbed.

Ecologically things were very much like the previous two days, the gulls are slowly becoming a little more territorial and parental looking. I saw two holding nesting material in their bills today and several pairs were doing a synchronous bill down dance that might demonstrate to the other how beautifully they will be able to regurgitate into any chicks they might produce together. I also witnessed some nasty bill holding that drew blood and descended into an outright wrestling match. I was not sure if these gulls were territorial competitors or mates but they were determined to not let go of each other. Gulls are supposed to mate for life so it makes me wonder, when I see the same gulls sitting poignantly all alone, on their spots, day after day. Is their mate missing in action or just late?

The Canada Geese are very broody and in some places are running the gulls off. Some geese are already incubating four to eight eggs per clutch.  I guess the crows know this and there is often a small murder of crows strutting around the nesting areas and also being chased off by the geese.

The Bald Eagles are here all day everyday right now and I watched one adult chase off another so there must be something good to eat. Is it gulls? The chase was quite spectacular with climbs and dives and at one point, upside-down flying in self defence. The defeated intruder headed over to Bentick Island.

It wasn’t sunny enough today to just go with solar power and I had to run the generator for a couple of hours in spite of having no extra draw on energy. I know the day is coming when there will be enough sunshine to go through a whole day, entirely on solar power.

Thirteen visitors came to the island today. Chris brought out a group of eight students and his son accompanied him with a school friend. Alex was deckhand again and brought his father who was visiting, along for the brief version of the Race Rocks tour. Alex’s Dad likes using the Race Rocks video cameras, so one more reason that I need to figure out how to get cameras #2 and #5, back up and running. The students will go back mid-day on Monday and are already earning their keep.

Chores were a mix of entropy fighting of  today. It was really nice to know that there is lots of water in the midst of churning compost and the usual tasks. I am still tidying up wood and very grateful to Alex and Virginie for all the firewood and lovely kindling. I also want to thank Nick for leaving the house so spick and span, very nice.

Feb 13-14 toilet and traffic

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composting toilet with steamy septic soup.

composting toilet with steamy septic soup.

Feb 13: Wind light becoming west 20 knots.  2 eco tour, 2 pleasure craft. Went off island in the morning to pick up guests.  Toilet in guest house has been running steady but liquid evaporation is going slowly.

Feb 14: Wind west 20 knots becoming calm and clear in the afternoon.  Male elephant seal was up in the jetty area in the morning. Took guest back to campus and ran some errands in town.  With the nice weather there was a lot more traffic in the reserve than there has been lately.  I was gone for a good part of the day but still saw 6 whale watching boats and 3 pleasure craft in the reserve when I returned.  There was some disturbance of the sealions, which exited into the water, caused by a few of the boats that were within the 100 meter marine mammal setback.

census

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morning light on the olympic peninsula, Washington.

Wind light in the morning, below 10 knots, but large swells rolling in throughout the day. At Trial and Discovery the wind was clocking at 30 knots SE, gusting over 40, which was creating the waves.  In the evening the wind changed direction and was gusting over 35 knots West.

The high tide combined with NE swell meant the jetty was practically submerged a good part of the day.  Some logs and debris were thrown up and piled at the top of the jetty walkway.  I got the boat ramp cleared but will have wood to deal with tomorrow, the big log is about 26 feet long.

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debris left from the high tide and waves

Sealions were clinging to the small amount of rocks that were left with the tide and swells. Chunk came onto the main island, I couldnt see the other elephant seals anywhere, waves were washing over the West rocks where they had been resting.

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sealions on the South rocks

 

Census today: There was a higher than usual number of Black Oyster Catchers on the south side of the island.

California Sea lions: 8

Northern Sea Lions: 133

Harbour Seals: 2

Elephant Seals: 1

Cormorants: 79

Canada Geese: 2

Gulls: 300

Bald Eagle: 5

Harlequin Ducks: 4

Black Turnstone: 18

Dunlin: 4

Sparrow: 2

Green Winged Teals: 7

Black Oyster Catchers: 116

Surfbirds: 7

 

Kingfisher, teals, surf, chunk

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Lots of rain today. The barometer continued to fall this morning reaching a low of 985 hPa this afternoon. It was windy overnight and a west wind picked up this evening briefly gusting over 35 knots.   There have been swells coming in on both the NE and W sides of the island today along with high tides all morning that combined to submerge the jetty with waves and provide good surfing conditions for sea lions.

I spotted a infrequent visitor, a belted kingfisher perched on the crane.  There were also three green winged teals in the mud flats on the NE side of the island, I only ever see them when it rains a lot and there are fresh water puddles.

Sealions had good surfing conditions most of the day.  The images were taken off the south side of the island, reef break.

Before dusk Chunk (Zeke) came up the boat ramp onto the island, the first time he has come on the main island during my shift.  He has grown since last winter and has a stronger vocalization.

Shift change, census

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Wind NE 15-20 knots becoming N 10-15 knots in the afternoon. Sky cloudy with periods of rain.

Courtney brought me out this morning in Second Nature to start a 3 month winter shift. She brought Nick back after I was able to get a quick update on systems and supplies.

Census:
California Sea lions: 20
Northern Sea Lions: 155
Harbour Seals: 1
Elephant Seals: 7
Cormorants: 70
Canada Geese: 5
Gulls: 252
Bald Eagle: 1
Harlequin Ducks: 2
Black Turnstone: 2
Sparrow: 1

3 Branded northern sealions observed: 870R, 347Y, and 975? (last symbol not visible)

Spent most of the day moving in, unpacking and getting reacquainted. We brought two full propane tanks out in the morning. Running diesel this evening.

The house is clean and things look to be in order here. Thanks to Nick, Ann, Jeff, Julie, and Courtney for their work out here since my last shift.

Mystery Gull and Monster Mosh Pit

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The day started with light westerly winds that brought quite a bit of sunshine. Although the wind picked up a little, today’s weather and sea conditions seemed like a bit of a reprieve after the last week of big swells and high winds. The barometer rose all day but it looks like another southeaster coming tomorrow.

Four whale watching boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today. There was one sports fishing boat fishing in the Ecological Reserve just before sunset.

Sportsfisher trolling in front of Eco-guardian house late in the day.

Sport-fisher trolling in front of Eco-guardian house just before sunset.

I spotted a gull that was a total mystery. I have the question out for help in identification. Do you know what it is? An albino Thayer’s Gull? (This just in: Dick Cannings says that it is a very light, second year, Glaucous-winged Gull.) Sorry no mystery for Halloween.

Mystery gull visited Race Rocks. Jury still out on its identification.

Mystery gull visited Race Rocks. Jury still out on its identification. One possibility is an immature Iceland gull (gf)

There were at least five Humpback Whales spotted to the south and the west of Race Rocks today.

The Northern Elephant Seals continue to occupy the ramp from the jetty. This little guy has tag # 7625 and was tagged as a weanling at Ano Nuevo Island in 2013. So he will turn two this winter.

Northern Elephant Seal tagged as a weanling in the winter of 2013. This feisty little guy is out on land using gravity to help strengthen his bones and prepare him for hauling out for longer times as an adult.

Northern Elephant Seal tagged as a weanling in the winter of 2013. This feisty little guy is out on land using gravity to help strengthen his bones and prepare him for hauling out for longer times as an adult.

 

The sealion count is up dramatically from last week with 980 individuals, 447 Stellers and 433 Californians. It took me so long to count them that I am going to have to finish the census tomorrow and that will give me a chance to recount, if I start earlier. It is a bit like trying to count people in a mosh pit. The photos really help fine tune the numbers.

These sealions are keeping each other warm and catching up on their sleep.

These sealions are keeping each other warm and catching up on their sleep.

 

There were quite a few visitors today including two veterinarians Martin and Joe who are part of a collaborative, international team that is (amongst other things) disentangling sealions.  They completed reconnaissance for a possible rescue here. If you have been following the blog you will know that there are at least six ring-necked sealions here with plastic strapping and three more with fishing gear. Entanglement is definitely a human caused issue, hard to deny that one. Both Garry the Ecological Reserve Warden and Chris head of operations at Pearson College were here as well as my colleague Courtney, a contractor and two former students.

My tasks today were focused on cleanup (some of the outside windows on the guardian house), the bathroom, the basement and on sorting and cataloguing images. If someone had told me how time consuming that job is, I wouldn’t have taken so many photos.

Last Week at the Race

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The day started with a red sunrise even though it was overcast and blowing east-northeast 15knots.

Red sky in the morning.

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.

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.

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.

Disentanglement candidate lying just outside science-house living room window.

Another ring-necked Steller Sealion hanging out beside the science-house.

Another ring-necked Steller Sealion hanging out beside the science-house.

A different view of the same animal resting above.

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.

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.

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.

 

 

The Vibraphone Vibrahome.

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I am learning more about the musicality of this house during storms. During my first storm here, the house whistled. Last night a weather alert was posted at 7:00 and by 7:15 the wind rose, going from 12 knots to over 50 knots in 45 minutes. The west-west-southwest direction was just right to set off a vibration, every time it went over 45 knots. When it went over 50, the desk would hum along with the deeper vibration of the house. Today was a beautiful day with a few northeast showers in the morning and a switch to clear westerlies for the afternoon. All day, the barometer climbed out of its low of 987 hPa. The next thing forecast to hit us, is the tail end of Hurricane Ana, so I will be watching the barometer and wind speed again and listening for a new musical experience.

The whale watchers are still plying their trade and five tour boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today.

There were Humpback Whales just off of Rosedale Reef all day and more further to the south getting close to the shipping lane.

There are now 14 Northern Elephant Seals on the ramp and next to the boat shed.

Northern Elephant Seals keeping each other warm on the ramp.

Northern Elephant Seals keeping each other warm on the ramp.

‘Flake’ was joined at the side of the boathouse by two other little ones the same size and one a tiny bit bigger that is tagged, #7625.

Today was the first time I spotted this tag and I have been looking very carefully.

Today was the first time I spotted this tag and I have been looking very carefully.

Number 7625 on the right and 'Flake' on the left, a little warmer today with the pile up.

Number 7625 on the right and ‘Flake’ on the left, a little warmer today with the pile up.

‘Gat’ (#5850-6967) has lost his right flipper tag, which reinforces the point Lisa Schwarz is making about assumptions about mortality that are based on tag loss. So ‘Gat’ is reduced to #5850 now.

Last week this animal, called 'Gat' had two tags, a left set and a right set. It has lost the right tag(s).

Last week this animal, called ‘Gat’ had two tags, a left set and a right set. It has lost the right tag(s).

I think this is where the #6967 tag was attached before.

I think this is where the #6967 tag was attached before.

 

I did a Steller’s Sealion count today because they have shifted around and I was curious if their numbers had changed. There were a total of 340 hauled out in the afternoon, which is close to Thursday’s count of 318. The difference is that 194 of them were jammed onto Middle Rock, with waves sweeping the edges of the crowd.

I finished collecting rainwater for doing laundry at the end of my shift, coming up this week and started ticking off the things that have been on the to do list for too long. I took some photographs, deleted almost as many and spent a good chunk of the day sorting data and images. Doing the seawater sample was a little less daunting today with simple splashes versus sweeping waves on the jetty.

 

Autumn Storm

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The sunrise this morning was a brilliant band of red, silhouetting Mt Baker and foretelling of the blustery day to come. A true autumn storm arrived, with a north wind sustaining 20 – 25 knots (up the tower), most of the day. Air temperature was a little cooler than the sea surface temperature of 11.3oC today. There was also heavy rain and a falling barometer in front of the low. It is at 987.5 now ~ 5PM and it is still looking for the bottom. The forecast is for more of the same.

I keep expecting the whale watching industry to shut down for the season, but no, even today there were half a dozen visits to the Ecological Reserve. Ocean Magic surprised me as she came out from behind the north-west “hill” and flew past my living room window: definitely travelling at more than 7 knots through the Reserve. As yesterday, there were also open boats, with ruddy faces looking out from under hoods and hats. The temperature this afternoon reached a high of 10.5oC but with all that water falling from the sky and wind pushing it around, it didn’t look that comfortable just sitting in an open vessel.

A dozen Northern Elephant Seals have moved in and today they were lined up like hydrodynamic sausages, in front of the boat shed doors. ‘Gat’ (#5850-6967) is right in the middle of the pile and ‘Flake’ sleeps alone behind the boat-shed. There are at least two females and at least five sub-adult males. Sealions did not haul out on Great Race in the usual numbers today perhaps it was more comfortable on Middle Rock. There were still Humpback Whales just south of Rosedale Reef but most of the birds seemed to be hunkered down on the rocks. The Black Turnstones seem almost giddy with all the freshwater and are busy taking baths in the bigger puddles

Collecting the water sample was a bit wild today: first I had to get by the elephant seals and then the whole jetty was awash with the big waves that were rolling in. Quite exciting and successful. It was also a great day for collecting rainwater, looking on the bright side of the dark. This was the first day out here that I just took it easy. I lit a fire and read a book. Starting to think of home and my own hearth as my stay draws to a close. This is my last week at Race Rocks until spring.

Musical Rocks at the Race

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It was another north-easterly day, with an ocean swell running up and down the islets of the Race. Although it was mostly overcast in the morning, periods of sunshine dominated and it was a pleasant, autumn day. The barometer continued to climb until about noon and then slipped back down, but not as far as yesterday’s low. The marine forecast is for variable winds in the morning and west Wednesday evening with periods of rain during the day.

In the pinniped world of Race Rocks, haul-outs are shifting around like musical chairs. Steller Sea lions are now abundant on North Rock, which in September was the exclusive domain of Harbour Seals. There is a small Harbour Seal hauling out in the jetty bay now and most of the California Sea Lions have moved to the south and west side of Great Race. Middle Rock, which had ten Elephant Seals, a few weeks ago, now has over one hundred Steller Sea Lions and five of the Elephant Seals have moved back onto Great Race. They arrived all wet and big-eyed this morning and moved in for all day slumbering. All of these pinnipeds make interesting sounds, music to their ears, I am sure, and they all distinctly different. More on that another day.

It is quite delightful what you can see out your kitchen window here. I looked out while doing dishes this evening and saw two large Humpback Whales to the south, just outside the Ecological Reserve near Rosedale Reef. There were no boats around, just the two of them blowing and diving, circling around in the same area, taking fairly short dives and showing their big flukes in a beautiful display of might and grace. The dishes were quickly superseded with the spotting scope and binoculars. A sport fishing boat approached, slowed and stopped a respectful distance away and just sat there taking it all in, for a long time. When they left the scene, they did so slowly, giving the whales a wide berth. I believe that this sort of respect insures a better viewing experience as well as protecting the whales. Earlier in the day, I stopped for tea and was just heading for my book when I looked out the kitchen window and saw this plain, medium-sized shorebird foraging with the Canada Geese. It was a Dunlin in winter plumage.

Dunlin?Dunlin?3

Routine maintenance was augmented with getting the Underwater Video Camera (Camera #2 on this web-site) hooked up to the Internet and starting winter preparations such as getting the furnace running. I had hoped to join the marine science class by boat for their kelp forest adventure but the swell and wind waves were a bit too large to launch and retrieve the boat.