A marine mammal free day
I decided to take a break from dolphin data today. There were no boat trips – the boats are packed for the weekend. And since I have a trip lined up for tomorrow anyway, I thought I deserved a day of rest. After 2 straight weeks of trips and processing ID video, I had to put some distance between me and the dolphins…they have been consuming every waking moment of my life! Don’t get me wrong; I really enjoy what I do out here in the field, but a man can only take so many marine mammals before he needs to mingle with bipeds again. I feel great now – all the aches and pains have gone away and I am looking forward to getting out on the water tomorrow. I have included a picture of the big red cone thing that is stuck on the end of the Mikura pier. It is kind of like a lighthouse; but without a light and it is not a house. I guess that doesn’t make it a lighthouse at all. Although it is functionally equivalent to a lighthouse – it stops boats from ramming the pier in bad weather. Assuming they can actually see the giant red cone – which they probably can since it is 15 feet tall or so. OK, I have to confess that I did see some dolphins today… I saw a small group just west of the pier. But I didn’t record any data about their movements or group size or the wind speed or anything else! So technically, it didn’t count as ‘work’. Mikura is the kind of place where it is actually impossible to avoid seeing dolphins everyday! Tragic isn’t it?
-Justin