Happy New Year’s Eve!
DCP/Kathleen is finishing out 2016 in and welcoming 2017 in research style … with a week of data collection and a college field course on Roatan at Anthony’s Key Resort! And, thanks to John, the MVA2 has new hydrophone arms that allow for the MVA2 to be in carry-on luggage (small black bag on left)! The arms are back to the original design and made of PVC - the green my added touch!
On Friday, Kathleen was back on the Indian River State College campus, this time to attend the IRSC Semi-Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Kathleen was supporting Ashley Locher, who participated in the Service Learning program between IRSC and DCP in May and June 2016, and continued through the summer and early fall to develop a presentation from her experience for the program at IRSC. Ashley’s poster presentation title was: Comparative studies on pectoral fin contact behaviors between wild and captive dolphin species.
We are eager to once again welcome Dr. Deirdre Yeater to our Bimini, The Bahamas field site for our collaborative course in dolphin behavior and research. Applications are now being accepted on a rolling basis. That means first come, first serve!! With an additional online component, students will participate in field research from 4 June - 10 June, 2017. All participants must register through SHU.
Field updates, holiday specials & more!
The latest issue of the Dolphin Gazette is now available! The fall issue of The Dolphin Gazette is always a fun one to write. Kathleen has returned from Roatan, holiday specials are in the air and collaborators share news! This issue is no exception.
Before I wrap up the week, I thought I'd share a photo of the SM2M deployment ... though this image is from 2-3 years ago! When I deployed the SM2M yesterday, the underwater visibility was such that at 24 ft deep, I could not see details of the surface, and vice versa. So, no photos were taken during yesterday's deployment!
We had a good week this year! Our group got in lots of dives and much bottom time. And, I was able to collect 3 hours of data with the MVA2 and a similar amount on the front-facing GoPro.
The rainy season seems to have arrived to Roatan! Another rain-filled evening dawned to overcast skies and elevated wind speeds! The current was also quite strong! We made the trek over to Bailey's Key with the hope of collecting data with the MVA2. The dolphins were social and seemingly game! I was game, my crew was certainly willing to make surface observations.
Rain greeted us just before sunrise ... leading to a delayed research data collection session. I entered the water at about 7:40 this AM and had a good 30 min session observing the dolphins. The calves were receiving much attention from almost all of the dolphins. Of course, Mac, Lenca and Champ still thought my fins were the best toy available!
I was able to record Gracie and Alita on several occasions and we confirmed which calf went with each mom on viewing the video this afternoon. The dolphins were quite vocal and very social with one another.
We finally had a break in the rain! It poured all last night! There was some thunder and wind thrown in and we woke to a gloomy looking sky and drizzles. But, the morning dried a bit and some blue sky showed through … enough so that we could collect data at about 12:30 for about 30 – 35 minutes! The visibility was ok in some spots and “silty” in others.
Rather than show you the gray, gloomy skies that were often dropping heaps of rain drops upon us today, I am sharing with you a photo of Elli and Callie. Elli is showing her scuffed up rostrum as she tries to photo bomb Callie.
Two data collection sessions today made me a happy camper! Two to three dives today made most of our eco-tour team happy! We all got very wet today! Not just from entering the water for data collection or diving but from the rain deluge that visited us a few times today. That’s what the front photo depicts – rain viewed from underwater! The dolphins and divers did not seem to mind the rain.