We decided to change our plans a bit due to the uncertain weather forecast and on Tuesday we had an early breakfast and departed on the boat at 9 a.m. By 10 a.m., we were with dolphins! First, we saw about six bottlenose, but they were evasive, so we left them. Soon we saw a group of spotteds and they were soon joined by two bottlenose. Half of us got in the water, but the dolphins were on the move. We popped Dr.
Category: Bimini 2013
“Bobby! Take Pictures!”
Our Monday began with class time where we discussed studies on group living, pectoral fin rubbing and tool use in dolphins. We also looked over the video and photographs that we collected during Sunday’s dolphin trip. After lunch, we had a rain delay for our boat trip, but thankfully we were able to depart the dock by about 3:30 p.m.
We were hoping that after yesterday’s no-show dolphins, they would make it up to us: and oh, boy they did! But, they made us wait.
Snakes, Sharks and (no) Dolphins, Oh, My!
On Sunday morning we headed to the South Bimini Nature Trail – we rode in a funky painted old school bus. We walked along the trail, learning all about the plants & animals. The highlight was holding the Bimini boa – well, for most of us. Luckily for the students uncomfortable with the snake, there were plenty of people to hide behind. The snake’s musk was hard to miss and we were surprised by the quality of its skin.
Dolphins do exist!
Our Saturday morning began with a guest lecture from College of the Bahamas Professor, Dr. Radhika Makecha. Dr. M talked about dolphin play and personality and connected it to other species – you could say it was a potpourri! Then we visited the Bimini Museum and the local straw market. After lunch, it was time for the boat!
We waited very patiently, because it took a while…and we were sad when we reached the point in the path where we would turn around.
Oh na na
We started our morning by talking about ethograms, with DCP’s as a reference, and our ideas for our individual projects. Our special guest arrived mid-morning: Dr. Radhika Makecha. After welcoming her, we practiced our photo-ID – it is exciting to think that even we might be able to recognize a few individuals, when we finally get to meet them! We’re being patient…
During our morning break, the girls headed to the beach to enjoy the sunshine that had finally emerged.
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere
Go sampling methods!! We began our day with a discussion on sampling methods. Then, we had a cool guest lecturer (Dr. Justin Gregg) talk about dolphin intelligence. He joined us via Skype all the way from Holland (where it was 5 o’clock). Despite the technical challenges, it was still very informative – Dr. Gregg knows a lot! And he makes things easy to understand and was clearly excited about the topic himself.
Another day in rainy paradise
We started Wednesday morning with a discussion on ecotourism. It was a good brainstorming session on how we all interpret the term “ecotourism” and we’ll all be keeping this in the back of our minds as we progress through this trip. Then we learned about photo-identification – now we are really excited to get in the water with dolphins.
If you spend the day here, you’ll want to stay here!
It’s the return of Sacred Heart University! This time, we’re joined by several students from other universities. We headed to Bimini from Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday afternoon; for some of us, today’s travel was the first time we’d ever been on such a small plane! Less than 20 minutes after takeoff, we arrived at the smallest airport we’d ever seen! We needed to take the water taxi to North Bimini and were entertained by the operator’s young son at the wheel.
It was great seeing Bimini’s blue water for the first time.
Come back soon, UNBSJ!
Well, the UNBSJ students have gone. They were a great group and it was a pleasure to have them on Bimini and to have the opportunity to show them so much. Despite some weather challenges, this group got to see so much of Bimini’s marine life and spent a lot of time observing dolphins! On the group’s last full day (7 May), they gave back to the island by completing a beach clean-up, just up the hill from the hotel they called home all week.
Dolphin Abound!
On 6 May, we headed out early, departing the dock at 9:05 a.m., in search of dolphins. We saw our first group almost immediately! All the dolphins were bottlenose and there were at least 9 in the group, including at least one calf that was swimming alongside an adult. They were traveling, with lots of synchronized surfacing. At one point, they split into subgroups and we followed one of the smaller groups. One dolphin did a series of chuffs and tailslaps; later, there was another set of tailslaps.
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