The morning was BUSY! Data collection was eventful with several somewhat odd interactions. Bailey and Tilly swam together pec fin slapping at the surface. Kathleen watched Trixie kick at Mr. French and then apologize a minute later with a belly rub! And, both from underwater and above the water we all watched Sandy and Kami play a bit of chase while Poli kept tabs on them both. After AM data collection...
We greeted the day by observing dolphins! Sadly, on this day celebrating world turtle day, we found a dead green sea turtle on the beach at Bailey’s Key. The Roatan Marine Park personnel handled the carcass … and might be able to determine cause of death. She was a big turtle. Our dolphin observations went well, and it was a mostly slow, calm morning. There was much rubbing but not much vocal activity. We ate a quick breakfast before...
Our morning began as expected with data collection on the dolphins – underwater video, surface observations, and space use data. There were some speed swims and leaps and lots of activity. After breakfast, we spent the morning in the classroom with talks by Richard and Giulia on syntax in non-human animals and whether they have it or not. We also...
We were invigorated after our day off and gleefully rode the water taxi to Bailey’s Key for early AM data collection! It was a different day with lots of play and several speed swims. Our morning, after a delicious breakfast, was in the classroom where we learned from Jen about the coral restoration project. Then, we watched the video from the morning and practiced dolphin IDs. The last portion of the morning was...
As our York University field course program is two weeks long, we had a day off to rejuvenate our minds and bodies in prep for the next week. Everyone did their own thing today, which included horseback riding, zip-lining, bird watching and hiking, snorkeling, visiting the spa, hanging out in the pool, and some work stuff. Of course, Kathleen and Manon...
The dolphins were quietly social – not much activity at the surface but some interactions underwater. We brought our gear to the session because we had a quick breakfast then went on the snorkel boat at 8:30 AM. (Activity starts early on Roatan!) We went to “Mandy’s Eel Garden” which is affectionately called the Aquarium. It felt like we were snorkeling in an aquarium among the fishes. Our afternoon included...
Tuesday, 23 May, 10:00a ET, we head away from DCP’s field sites to dive in with Joëlle De Weerdt to learn more about the dolphins she studies off Nicaragua. Password Required! Read more for Zoom Meeting ID.
An animal-filled day is what we all had! Of course, it began with dolphins and data collection – underwater video by Kathleen and surface observations and space use data by our student teams. Tank, Lenca, Buzz and Stan swam circles around Kathleen a few times this morning. Shereen did some bird watching, several of us watched the iguanas on the key...
The morning was filled with dolphins! We had our morning data collection and did a full set of space use data collection while Kathleen was in the water collecting video data. Then, after breakfast, we encountered and swam with dolphins. We met Bailey during our encounter, and Tank swam by and around us also. The swim with the dolphins was insightful …
A bright sunny sky greeted us this morning as we boarded the water taxi for Bailey’s. The dolphins were VERY vocal and playful. Champ, Lenca, Stan, Tank, Rocky, and Sandy all enjoyed playing with Kathleen’s fins, much to her chagrin! Poli’s calf was observed nursing. Ronnie played with seagrass and Gracie and Trixie played with seagrass together. After a yummy breakfast, we had lectures from Kristin and Richard to set the academic stage for the week. Then Kathleen and Manon...