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Tropical Storm Matthew affected our recently planned eco-tour to RIMS - it canceled the trip! We have rescheduled the trip to April 2011. The new dates for the next RIMS eco-tour are set for April 30 to May 7, 2011.
Because of the change, we now have a few spaces open for the ecotour.
Contact DCP at
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This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or check out our RIMS eco-tour page under Get Involved or click here to learn more about our research trips to RIMS.
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The last session was not in the cards – even though the day presented no wind and clear visibility to the bottom from above the water! Our departure for the airport was in the morning.
This was a very successful trip with 7 hours of MVA data collected. There are 24 dolphins – 13 males and 11 females ranging in age from 1 to 30+ years. Carmella, Gracie and Mika are pregnant and due sometime in the summer. There was much play and many rake marks, which means we’ll have some really good sketches to use when processing our video ID logs for these data.
John will be creating a summary video from our trip and I’ll post the link to that video in a field report later this month on the DCP web site. He was able to capture some really cool video of the underwater world and the critters who call it home.
The DCP 2011 summer interns and I will be processing these data during the coming months. Stay tuned to the Dolphin Gazette for updates as we log the tapes and process details for our research. Also, Bill and I are arranging the dates for DCP’s visit to RIMS & AKR in 2012. We have a couple of new plans for our next season to Roatan … stay tuned and we’ll keep you informed in the coming months.
As with each visit, DCP extends a big thank you to the Galindo family and the staff at AKR and RIMS for making our stay so successful.
Cheers
Kathleen |
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Friday began with overcast skies but spectacular underwater visibility, again. The divers on our team (Bill, Ron, Madison & John) took the early trip to Mary’s Place for a morning of diving. Lisa helped me with data collection in the morning. I was able to collect 40 min of observations before Ronnie’s interest in my fins and Marg’s interest in my arms and shoulders meant it was time to get out. It seems I was a bit of a toy this morning!
I planned for a second observation session and was able to get 20 min in with all but Hector, Paya, Ritchie and Bill before a downpour greeted us. Lisa and I waited another 20 min to see if I could get back in but it was not to be. Still, the second session brought a lack of interest in me and the MVA and more socializing among the dolphins. They were quite vocal – lots of whistles and clicks.
Our team had their second dolphin swim at noon and the dolphins were just as playful with them as earlier in the week. Bill (DCP team member, not the dolphin) played the sea grass game with the dolphins. Ron said it seemed as though Bill was conducting an orchestra – moving the sea grass blade back and forth with dolphin heads diligently following his hand!
The afternoon was filled with dolphin discussions – behavior and sound meanings and also with rinsing and packing gear for our flights tomorrow. I’ll check flight times to see if I might be able to squeeze in a last session …
Cheers
Kathleen & the DCP RIMS 2011 team |
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The mantra for this morning’s session in the observation notes related to the indecipherable mumbling I made through my snorkel. The session was lively and the weather the best of the week with spectacular underwater visibility! But, it was also characterized by Hector’s intensive interest in my fins! He would not leave them alone. I found myself inadvertently telling him to stop through my snorkel. Dolphins, like humans, seem unable to translate snorkel mumbles because he never did lose interest in my fins. I focused on other dolphins and their socializing – much buzzing, whistles, and social activity. I was able to record ~45 min beginning at 6:30 AM.
Our team had a dolphin dive to join at 8:00 AM. They were joining four other guests, a dive master, a trainer and Hector and Paya for a dive to 45 ft (~15 m). Hector paid no attention to their fins … maybe his favorite color is green!
I was able to collect another hour of video in two sessions: a short 15 min swim with Ken, Anthony and French and a 40 min session with all but the adult males. During the former, Maury buzzed and bubbled at the three young males and then sped away. They responded in kind. Very exciting happenings!
The afternoon was spent with data transcription (slates to pages) and review of a bit of video. Ron, Madison and Lisa joined the zip-line trip and slid through the trees at high speed. John took “crab-cam” (aka “tide-pool cam”) over to video the mangroves and tide-pool critters. He received a bit more sun … but then we all have today!
Tomorrow is our last day of data collection, unless I can sneak in a session at 6:30 AM Sat.
Cheers
Kathleen & the DCP RIMS 2011 team
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Our evening was punctuated by rain squalls that did not really lessen in number or scope until about 7 AM. So, we did not have a data collection session at 6:30 AM but rather waited until mid-morning to catch a few sessions with dolphins in the back area pools while programs were ongoing in the lagoon. I was able to record 8 minutes with Han and Hector and get some really clear views of their sides. Hector does not present his right side to me, though.
The second session was with Maury, Fiona (pictured checking us out before entry), Margarita and Bailey. John got in at the same time and we both recorded for 30 min! Thankfully, he was their toy during this session and my fins remained mostly unscathed.
We also recorded another tandem create training session with Teri. It was very neat to watch (record) Marg and Bailey work together to create new behaviors.
Our afternoon was spent on data analysis – reviewing the videotapes from today and Monday. I also started the sketches for ID purposes.
The divers on our DCP RIMS 2011 team did the morning dive to visit the wreck “Odyssey”. Apparently, in the last couple of years it was tweaked on its sides by a few storms. This vessel lies in 110 feet (~32 m) of water, so you can imagine the strength of the storm! Bill was our diehard diver and did three dives today – the second two to different reefs.
Our evening finished off with a BBQ and a display of crab races and a fire dance.
Tomorrow will bring us another early morning data collection session … assuming the rains hold off and the visibility is good. We’ve lucked out so far and I hope it holds!
Cheers
Kathleen & the DCP RIMS 2011 team
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Today, my fingers and toes were wrinkled after much time in the water! The morning session was 30 min long but with EXCEPTIONALLY good underwater visibility! It was 5-6 m but very clear. And, there were dolphins greeting me as I entered the water. In fact, they almost barred my entry because they were so close. French loved my fins today and spent ~20 min with one or both fin tips in his mouth! Even after I put my feet in the air, he was back to my fins as soon as they were back into the water. I did my best to ignore him and document other dolphins’ behavior.
A few times it seemed like every other dolphin (24 in total) was watching French and me. Otherwise, the dolphins were all social with each other: Ronnie, Dixon and Vin were rolling all over each other. Mrs. Beasley (Vin’s mom) watched the game and intervened only once or twice.
After breakfast, the DCP team went on the two morning dives while John and I returned to Bailey’s Key to film record some training sessions with Teri. From under water, we recorded Han & Ritchie and Marge & Bailey as they practiced “together-create”. In short, they had to do the same behavior together and it had to be “new”. Very neat stuff … and it was cool to watch them communicate and decide what to do and who would lead.
The afternoon was spent reviewing the video shot in the morning and chatting about dolphin communication. We had a great day!
Tomorrow begins again early … a good thing when the sun rises at about 5:15 AM!
Cheers
Kathleen
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