Seabirds at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area





SEABIRDS			AT RACE ROCKS

I have just added a new section to the log that allows you to see recent entries on seabirds.
Click on the dropdown menu at http://www.racerocks.ca/wp/ on Animals and Plants at Race Rocks

	Videos on the Birds of Race Rocks
	All the birds which have been recorded at Race Rocks have a seperate file in the Race Rocks Taxonomy. Follow the drop down menue with the cursor : Kingdom Animalia/Chordata/Vertebrata/Aves/Order.. then pick the genus and species. Or use the check-list below to access the files.
	THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT In December 1997, the first annual Christmas bird count took place at Race Rocks. The results of this and subsequent counts are logged here.
	Research on Nesting on the Islands
	*Population Monitoring: Using the OCEANQUEST GIS*
	A page with the rare occurances of Seabirds (such as the Brown Pelicans) can be found here.

*This section introduces the seabirds which nest at Race Rocks:*
Black Oystercatcher: Haematopus bachmani Up to six nests of oystercatchers occur on Great Race Rocks. The birds leave for a time in the fall and then return in late December, staying around the islands in flocks up to 30 in number. Nesting activity starts in March.
	Click the pictures for the Taxonomy File with more images of the birds.
Pigeon Guillemot: Cepphus columba In the water which moves up to 6 knots on the north side of Great Race Rocks, the guillemots will drift in small flocks on the surface, diving occasionally to feed. They often fly in to roost on the ridge of rock on the west side of the island. The parent birds often wait with food for an hour a short distance away from their nests. Aggregations of the birds can be seen in nesting time in the area of one of the presets on remote camera 5.
Glaucous-winged Gull: Larus glaucescens This species is the only species of gull that nests on Great Race Rock. From June to September, there could be over 150 nests on the island. The adults also overwinter at Race Rocks, but occasionally disappear from the islands for a few weeks. .
Pelagic Cormorant: Phalacrocorax pelagicus Cormorants build nests of algae on the cliff below the helicopter pad. In the winter, flocks of the Brandt's, Pelagic and Double Crested Cormorants frequent the islands.