Packing. Reviewing my lists (yes, I’m a list person). And, confirming everything is ready for the field. We (Manon and I) will be at Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR) for four weeks with three groups to study the dolphins and learn about our research, the environment, and lots of other related stuff. The first group is a new field program from York University in Toronto, Canada, with Dr. Kristin Andrews. The second is a Colorado State University (CSU) group with Dr. Shane Kanatous. The third group is a mini-ecotour.
Big things are happening at DCP's online shop: Trading cards are back! 15% off all purchases through 15 May! Use promo code DolphinMom
Ooo, ooo, ooo, Justin joined Alie Ward for the Delphinology episode of her wildly popular podcast, Ologies. From brains to communication to Lilly to NASA to lore and more, this is a must listen for mature audiences. Congrats on the appearance, Justin! The podcast world is a better place now. Read More for the link to the episode.
Periodically, DCP features a possibly lesser-known, endangered marine species. Today, it's the smalltooth sawfish. Human activities have led to the extinction of the largetooth sawfish in the United States and an estimated 80% shrinkage of the smalltooth sawfish range. Sawfish are now protected in US waters, but they still need help from scientists, regulators, and you. Check out this short documentary for a brief look at how the sawfish recovery is progressing and where the species stands now.
Justin interviews Jason Bruck, Assistant Professor of Biology at Stephen F. Austin State University. Jason is the head of the Bruck Integrative Biology Lab where he and his students study dolphin behavior and cognition. In this interview, Jason and Justin discuss advice he offers to student hoping to study dolphins, his latest research on dolphin signature whistles and urine, his unexpected past as a juggler, and more.
Everyone got home safely on Saturday! And, I think everyone took Sunday to rest up … and maybe do some laundry and get caught up on mail and … maybe play with a puppy or other furry family member (I know I did!). Our program was a success with students learning and....
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Our last day began well with a great data collection session on the dolphins. They were quieter today than previous days. They perked up as did we after breakfast when we had our encounter and swim. We met Gracie and Alita during the encounters and then got to swim with a dozen dolphins with Poli and her calf making tight passes by us and Sandy, Trixie, and Buzz trying to get us to play with seaweed. After our swim, we...
Thursday was jam-packed with a tide-pool observation and flora by the sea assessment before Kathleen’s data collection! And the underwater visibility was SPECTACULAR! Such good long focal follows of the dolphins and even we could begin to ID some of the dolphins from the surface and close swim-by's. The late morning was...
We had a Wednesday full of energetic activities! Our day began with a “bright bang” – so to speak! We had a lightning show and thunderstorm/squall pass by between 4 and 5:30 AM. The squall passed in time for us to head over to Bailey’s Key to conduct our surface observations and space use data collection associated with Kathleen’s underwater video data observations. The dolphins seemed...
Data collection was the name of the game this morning with space use, surface observations, and Kathleen’s underwater video data. There was moderate activity from the dolphins, but we know that Sandy, Rocky, Tank, Poli and her calf spent lots of time around Kathleen. We also were able to collect some space use data...