Weekly Census of Race Rock’s Megafauna

The wind blew about 10 knots from the north.  The barometer rose overnight from 1009 hPa to 1013 hPa as the sun set at 16:29, beginning to drop in the evening.  The sea was rippled.  The sky was mostly overcast with some breaks of sun and occasional light rain showers.  It hasn’t rained here during the day (possibly at all) in about two weeks.

There was one whale watching boat seen in the reserve today.  It spent a lot of time near the southern side Race Rocks, where the whale watching boats don’t usually go. Three small grey inflatable military boats sped around the edge of the reserve at 15:00, coming within less than a hundred meters of the islands.  After their circuit, they headed back towards the navy base.

Here are the results of the weekly census:

Steller Sea Lion: 263
California Sea Lion: 208
Harbour Seal: 7
Northern Elephant Seal: 5
Bald Eagle: 4 (2 adults, 2 juveniles)
Canada Goose: 9
Harlequin Duck: 3
Double Crested Cormorant: 44
Pelagic Cormorant: 147
Black Oystercatcher: 10
Gull: 396
Black Turnstone: 20
Rock Sandpiper: 3
Surfbird: 17
Fox Sparrow: 1

As always, there were variations in the numbers seen since last week.  There were fewer harbour seals.  I checked them throughout the day, the most I was able to see at one time were seven, scattered around the many small islands.  The tide was fairly high during the daylight hours, which tends to not be good hauling out conditions for the seals.  There were more smaller birds seen this week.  It was easier to spot smaller birds this week because of the lower wind speed.  I had a tough time distinguishing the rock sandpipers amongst the surfbirds.  While they look very similar, the surfbirds are a bit larger and have shorter bills.  See if you can tell the difference in the photos below.

 

Harlequin Ducks

The barometer continued to drop from 1018 hPa overnight to 1009 hPa this evening.  Throughout the day the wind hovered around 14 knots from the northeast.  The sea was fairly calm.

There were two whale watching boats seen in the reserve today.

Four harlequin ducks were swimming near the end of the jetty this morning, when I was testing the salinity of the water.

Humpback Whales

The wind blew at about 15 knots from the northeast for the daylight hours.  A swell with small whitecaps from the northeast died down at noon. The barometer dropped slightly from 1031 to 1029 hPa.  The sky was clear all day.

There were six whale watching boats seen in the reserve today.  The only other boat was the Race Rocks boat making a round trip to Pedder Bay at noon, for an Ecoguardian switchover.

Over the weekend, Jeff completed the installation of the new composting toilet in the Ecoguardian’s house.  It’s a big step up from the humanure system that was in place before.  The new waterless system has a unit in the basement, directly below the toilet, that decomposes the human waste and only needs to be emptied once a year.  An identical unit is going to be installed in the Marine Science Centre, once some minor wall demolition happens to accommodate unit in the basement.

At 14:00, there were two or three humpback whales within a few hundred metres of the northeast of Great Race Rocks.  They made their way to the south, diving for five minutes at a time and then resurfacing.  Two whale watching boats remained with them for about 45 minutes, sometimes very close to the whales.

A Mighty Wind’s a Blowin’ for Census Day

The barometer dropped all last night from 1015 hPa to 1002 hPa this morning, before it began to climb again towards 1008 by the end of the day.   The wind started from the northeast, but then switched to blow strongly from the southwest from mid morning onwards. The gusts reached 47 knots in the evening.

There were two whale watching boats seen in the reserve.

Once the fog lifted, the census was a bit easier to do. Then the wind blew up and most of the birds hunkered down on the leeward side of the island. I wasn’t able to positively identify all of the individual species of gull. Next week, I will strive to get an accurate breakdown of the number of glaucous-winged, thayer’s, california, western and heerman’s. There are a lot fewer gulls compared to last week, only 14% of the 3224 that were on the reserve last Thursday.

See the photos below for some of the noteworthy species and sights seen during today’s census.

Here are the results of the census:

Steller Sea Lion: 211

California Sea Lion: 404

Harbour Seal: 7

Northern Elephant Seal: 11

Bald Eagle: 1

Canada Goose: 24

Double Crested Cormorant: 14

Pelagic Cormorant: 56

Gull: 450

Black Oystercatcher: 18

Black Turnstone: 26

Surfbirds: 15

Dunlin: 4

Killdeer: 2

Savannah Sparrow: 2

Fox Sparrow: 1

A rainbow appeared as the fog was burning off this morning. Turbine Rock is in the foreground. The pot of gold is Church Point.

A rainbow appeared as the fog was burning off this morning. West Rock is in the foreground. The pot of gold is Church Point.

A savannah sparrow near the burial mounds by the marine science centre

A savannah sparrow near the burial mounds by the marine science centre

Another view of a savannah sparrow near the burial mounds by the marine science centre

Another view of a savannah sparrow

Black turnstone

Black turnstone

Black turnstone on the boardwalk by the crane

Black turnstones on the boardwalk by the crane

A male elephant seal barks and floats beside the jetty.

A male elephant seal floats and barks beside the jetty.

Sandpiper-like birds: durlin, surfbird and black turnstone

Sandpiper-like birds: dunlin, surfbird and black turnstone. Can you identify them all?

A black turnstone and elephant seal share boat ramp

A black turnstone and elephant seal share the boat ramp

Black oystercatchers on the rocks by the surge channel

Black oystercatchers on the rocks by the surge channel

A steller sea lion with the brand "966R." The "R" signifies that it was branded in Rogue Reef, Oregon. I will add more information when I find out.

A steller sea lion with the brand “966R.” The “R” signifies that it was branded in Rogue Reef, Oregon. I will add more information when I find out.  [Updated information from Pat Gearin with the NOAA: The Steller was branded as a pup at Rogue Reef, Oregon in July 2011.  It is a male and so far we have 9 resights from this individual, all from BC.  In 2011, he was sighted at Pachena Point once, and in 2012 he was sighted at Carmanah 8 times.]

Another view of 966R

Another view of 966R

A branded california sea lion with the brand "U596." The "U" or "C" depending on which way you look at it,  means that the sea lion was captured in the Columbia River Area. It was branded in Astoria, Oregon.

A branded california sea lion with the brand “U596.” The “U” or “C” depending on which way you look at it, means that the sea lion was captured in the Columbia River Area. It was branded in Astoria, Oregon.  [Updated information from Matthew Tennis: U596 was branded on August 15, 2014 in Astoria. At that time he weighed ~193 kg. He was seen in Astoria for a few days following the branding and again in the middle of October. This is the first resight for this animal outside of Astoria. They have high site fidelity and being a relatively young animal, it is very possible he will be seen at Race Rocks for years to come.]

A group of steller and california sea lions get bashed by the waves on the south islands.

A group of steller and california sea lions get bashed by the wind and waves on the south islands.

The wind gusted to 47 knots from the south west during the late afternoon, whipping up big waves. The buoy that marks Rosedale Reef can be seen getting tossed around in the background.

The wind gusts reached 47 knots from the southwest during the late afternoon, whipping up big waves. The buoy that marks Rosedale Rock can be seen getting tossed around in the background.

lighthouse moonrise

The lighthouse with the moon rising behind

Sea Lion Thermoregulation

The barometer rose steadily throughout the day as a moderate westerly breeze whipped across the reserve. The clouds parted mid morning to bring an afternoon of sun and a high of 13.1 oC.

The solar panels weren’t the only things soaking up the sun’s rays. Sea lions were floating in small groups with one or all four flippers exposed to the air, using thermoregulation to their advantage. The sun warms the seal’s flippers, which are poorly insulated, then the warmed blood is pumped throughout their body.

One whale watching boat was seen in the reserve, after they spotted humpback whales surfacing a few kilometres to the east of the Race Rocks.

Courtney visited on the Second Nature to give a quick lesson on some of the mechanical systems on the island.

Maintenance tasks were performed today: running the generator, cleaning the solar panels, tracking down equipment and parts, figuring out how to use the equipment, vacuuming, flag care, and sweeping the paths.

Sea lions thermoregulating by sticking a fin out of the water.

Sea lions sticking flippers out of the water for thermoregulation.

Pinnipeds galore

There was a moderate breeze for most of the day.  The barometer dropped slightly throughout the day. There was a low cloud cover and occasional light rain.

There was only one whale watching boat seen in the reserve today.

Two juvenile bald eagles took the rocky perch on the South Islands that was occupied by the adult bald yesterday morning.  Occasionally one of the eagles would assert its authority over the gulls by flying around Great Race and sending the thousands of gulls skyward into a panic.

The pinnipeds are still occupying the reserve in large numbers.  Perhaps wanting solitude from the cacophony of sea lion barking, a lone california sea lion parked itself in the middle of the island for the whole day.

This afternoon, a group of five harlequin ducks were hanging out by the kelp beds to the west of the jetty.

It looks like I'm not the only one excited about the arrival of the new desalinator pump.  This California sea lion spent the whole day in the middle of the island.

It looks like someone else is also excited about the arrival of the new desalinator pump. This california sea lion spent the whole day in the middle of the island near the desalinator bunker.

A male elephant seal making a splash.

A male elephant seal making a splash.

Flake, the elephant seal, flaking out on the ramp near the tank room.

Flake, the elephant seal, flaking out on the ramp near the tank room with the lighthouse in the background.

A cuddle puddle of elephant seals. Notice the two tags on the seal in the foreground: 7688 and 7625.

A cuddle puddle of elephant seals on the boat ramp. Notice the two tags on the seal in the foreground: 7688 and 7625.

Clear Skies

As the daylight broke, the fog began to burn off near the entrance of Pedder Bay and to the west of Race Rocks. The wind rose slightly throughout the day to a medium breeze of 11 knots in the evening. Clear skies prevailed through the day as the barometer rose slightly.

Maintenance tasks were performed throughout the day, giving me a chance to spend lots of time outside: painting, tidying, sweeping, cleaning the solar panels, and topping up the batteries with the generator.

There were ten boats in the seen in the reserve. Several whale watching boats passed by. The Juan De Fuce Warrior from Ogden Point Dive Centre spent a few hours with two groups of divers. Two boats from Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) Station in Sooke passed through Middle Channel at noon. A sailboat went against the current through Middle Channel at 15:30.

Divers from Ogden Point Dive Centre with curious California Sea Lions looking on

Divers from Ogden Point Dive Centre with curious sea lions looking on

sailors

A sailboat heads northeast by Middle Rock

Elephant seal

Flag at half mast with the sunset in the background

The Sun is Shining

There was a light breeze today, not getting higher than 5 knots. The barometer rose throughout the day. The clouds parted mid morning to produce a gloriously sunny rest of the day. The high this afternoon was 13.2 C.

Before Anne finished off her shift, she showed me how to perform a few more maintenance tasks: operate the boat winch, run the washing machine with rainwater, test water salinity and measure the fuel levels in the tanks.

Anne spotted a new tag on an elephant seal. The elephant seal that she mentioned in Wednesday’s log with the tag 7625, has a tag on his other flipper with the number 7688.

One recreational fishing boat passed by the jetty this morning. There were two whale watching boats noticed going through the reserve this afternoon.

There were at least two flashes of lightning seen in the west and loud claps of thunder at 19:00.

Elephant seals soaking up the sunshine.

Elephant seals soaking up the sunshine.

Tag 7688 on an elephant seal. I will get better photo evidence.

Tag 7688 on the flipper of an elephant seal. I will get better photo evidence.

The Pearson College sailboat Amatoana seen in the distance returning to Pedder Bay from a project week trip.

The Pearson College sailboat Amatoana seen in the distance returning to Pedder Bay from a project week trip.

A whale watching boat passes through the ecological reserve.

A whale watching boat passes through the ecological reserve.

The Vibraphone Vibrahome.

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.

 

Elephant seals occupy

The barometer climbed right out of its 996 hole today and there was glorious sunshine mixed with dark and nasty, west to southwest squalls. Some of the gloomier squalls also brought thunder and lightening. Band after band of bright and dark passed from the southwest. There was also a substantial groundswell. All of the weather drama made for a spectacular sunset.

Oct24 sky

Six brave whale watching boats were observed in the Ecological Reserve today and the folks in open boats must have had an interesting time during the big, mid-afternoon windstorm with a sudden and sodden downpour. I was out in the middle of it too, standing by, on the end of the jetty, waiting for a landing, but was too rough. It was gusting ~ 25 knots when I left the lighthouse to meet the boat and there were about 300 sealions hauled out in front of the science house.

There were also five adult Brown Pelicans on South Rock in the middle of this tempest’s blast. They can huddle down into a very low aerodynamic, face into the wind, posture and they didn’t get blown away.

The sealions retreated to the water during the deluge and have only now hauled out again en masse, three hours later. Many of the Stellers are in full molt now and some of them are looking quite scruffy. ‘Flake’ is the only Northern Elephant Sea of the ten blocking the jetty this morning that looks like he is still moulting. He may have a skin condition, as it is quite pink and raw looking.

The biggest of this crew is starting to “sprout” the big proboscis for which the adult males are famous. It looked to me like it was quite uncomfortable and kept awaking and thrashing around and garbling. They must feel really heavy on land after being at sea so much of their life.

Flake, (top left) and other Northern Elephant Seals have taken over the entrance to the boat shed and jetty.

Flake, (top left) and other Northern Elephant Seals have taken over the entrance to the boat shed and jetty.

 

The seal on the left kept awaking from sleep disturbed and the one on the right would grip him each time it happened. I wonder if it hurts having your nose grow that fast?

The seal on the left kept awaking from sleep disturbed and the one on the right would grip him each time it happened. I wonder if it hurts having your nose grow that fast?

Today was census day and the results are listed below. I missed the Harbour Seals due to the ferocity of oncoming squalls but will try to catch them tomorrow.

Steller Sealion 318

California Sealion 381

Northern Elephant Seal 10

Canada Goose 22

Greater White-fronted Goose 1

Harlequin Duck 5

Double-crested Cormorant 118

Pelagic Cormorant 19

Brown Pelican 5

Black Turnstone 9

Surfbird 5

Sanderling 3

Western Sandpiper 2

Dunlin 2

Black Oystercatcher 12

Killdeer 2

Glaucous-winged Gull 150

Thayer’s Gull 1200

California Gull 2

Western Gull 7

Heerman’s Gull 4

Gull sp. 50

Common Murre 3

Fox Sparrow 2

Dark-eyed Junco 1

Savannah Sparrow 15