Three half-hour underwater sessions of data collection filled our morning! Everyone was VERY vocal - lots of whistling, click trains, buzzing, brays and more. Even Carmella was into the action and whistling with bubble streams. The early morning session had all but two dolphins in the main area, including Ronnie and French.
Today was a great day with roughly an hour of MVA2 video data collected! It was a welcome change from last year when Ronnie decided I was his play-toy! I was in the water by 6:40 AM and spent the first 30 minutes reacquainting myself with the dolphins, and vice versa. Calli, Elli, Lenca and Champ have grown noticeably. Each has a few rake marks that will allow more rapid confirmation of their IDs.
My 2015 RIMS research team was great with their observations and assistance.
Our team arrived in three waves on three different airlines. John, Ron and I arrived first on Roatan, at 11:40! 30 minutes early! Jillian and Jess arrived next about 45 minutes later followed by Bill, Jeanne, Lance, Chris and Dave. By early afternoon, we were all enjoying our first lunch and settling in to our rooms.
I was able to connect with Denry and Eldon to confirm that I could get into the water at 6:30 AM tomorrow … I sprang the early AM plan on my team at dinner.
Our bags are packed, each bit of gear snuggled compactly in each case. Of course, with Halloween the last day of our trip, I had to include a few "treats" for the trip.
I'm looking forward to this annual return to Roatan and Anthony's Key to connect with colleagues at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) but especially to see the dolphins.
John and I depart on Saturday morning, as does the rest of our 2015 RIMS/AKR team participating in DCP's 2015 eco-tour! Some of us will meet in Atlanta, some in Houston and a couple in Miami as we wing our way to Roatan. But, we all arrive by mid-day on Saturday for a week of data collection ... and of course, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, dolphin observations and more. My MVA2 is packed and ready to go. It will be great to have a team of folks again this year.
Kathleen is teaching short course on animal behavior from 12-19 March 2016, at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. There are only a few student spaces left! With accommodations at Anthony's Key Resort, this field course will be amazing!
Spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
For more information, look under the Education tab -> College Courses -> Animal Behavior
(Photo credit: J.
Biiiiig news, friends! You can now opt for an electronic adopt-a-wild-dolphin kit! That's right, a completely paper, ink & shipping free way to support DCP & learn about dolphins!
All adoptive parents will now have the option to select an electronic kit ($30) or a hard copy kit ($35)!
Both kits contain lots of details about the dolphin you adopt but also about DCP's programs overall.
This issue is full of stories - from Nicole, our interns & Kathleen. You'll meet dolphin "Paul" and find the full citation of our recent publication, a result of 11 years of sighting records off Bimini.
It’s been all land-based work for me since Kali & Ellyne departed Bimini. Picking up data tasks where they left off, dubbing this year’s video, prepping the upcoming issue of The Dolphin Gazette…there is no shortage of work even though I’m done with boat trips for the year. This week, I’ve also had the chance to reach out to two different groups visiting Bimini. Yesterday, I boarded the Coral Reef II (Shedd Aquarium) and had a wonderful chat with students from Chicago City Day School.
Interested in adopting a wild dolphin for yourself or someone deserving in your life? Yippee!!
When you visit www.adoptawilddolphin.com to place your order, you'll notice that (free!) economy shipping is your only option. It's true, but just for now. The DCP office is only intermittently staffed for the remainder of August. Thus, we have removed the expedited shipping option.
Expedited shipping will return in late August.