Tragedy
I had an uneventful boat trip this morning. The afternoon however brought some unwanted excitement. A few of the other researchers came across a group of very active dolphins during an afternoon trip. Upon investigation, the cause of the commotion was discovered: #081 (Hai-chan) was supporting the body of a dead newborn calf – likely her own. She was supporting it and trying to push it toward the surface – a behavior that young mothers often perform just after the birth of their calf in order to help the calf take its first breath.
Tag: older content
Dolphin gangs looking for trouble
Young moms get no rest
The wind died down, and the water was very calm this morning. Still crazy cold though. We spent an hour with a large group of dolphins milling about in the shallow waters off of Kawaguchitaki. We witnessed a group of mothers with their calves and juveniles being pursued by a group of subadult males. It wasn`t obviously hostile, but the males were most certainly pestering the young mothers. Male dolphins have been known to kill young calves as a means of inducing a reproductive state in the females, so perhaps this was their intention.
Crazy wind!
No boat trips today IMAGE: Shrimp nets
A crazy unexpected wind-storm is blowing out of the North East today, driving terrible waves up over the pier. There is no chance of boat trips, and the ferry was cancelled twice. I spent most of today fixing the camera housing – we have brand new camera equipment, and it requires a lot of careful tweaking to make sure it all fits inside the camera housing correctly.
Sekapun loves the frog-camera
A long session today IMAGE: Casting shrimp nets in the evening
This morning`s boat trip resulted in lots of great footage. Sekapun, a subadult female whom I`ve sighted regularly since 2005, was in good form today. We ran across her in the shallow waters near Shinkuzure. She spent at least 20 minutes in the vicinity, and spent much of that time swimming near me and the camera. Given the camera`s green finish, it has been nicknamed ‘little frog’, and it is clear that Sekapun loves little frog.
Rough waves and Mothzilla
Dolphins love choppy water
I had an unexpected boat trip this morning – I had assumed that the nasty looking waves would deter the boat captains, but I had not counted on the fact that it was Saturday and a boatload (literally) of tourist had arrived on the island looking for some dolphin sightseeing action. I hitched a ride with Omouri-kun`s boat (Sirius). It is nice and sunny today, but the waves by the pier and on the west side of the island are killer.
Bubble Rings
Dolphins have been observed creating and playing with intricate bubble rings. Learn all about bubble ring play in dolphins in this week’s episode.
Many animals, especially young animals, spend a lot of time playing. This is especially true of large mammals that we often rank high on the intelligence scale; dogs, apes, humans –and, of course, dolphins. One variety of play tends to stand out as particularly complex; playing with objects. Dolphins, like dogs, will often use objects that they find in their environment for games like keep-away or tug of war.
Rest and food!
A lazy sunny day
I slept in today (that is, until 6AM) and tried to relax a bit. Being out in the field is actually quite tiring – aside from the demands of the boat trips themselves (swimming and manhandling the giant camera), I have to spend a few hours before and after the trip preparing the equipment and entering data. I was happy to relax a bit today. I bought myself some bacon and eggs for lunch – a nice contrast to last night’s meal of fish, fish and more fish.
Are you sure this isn
Yup, you guessed it. Another cancelled boat trip. Today the forecast is 25-30 knot winds with gale force gusts and unfortunately it feels correct. Not exactly comfortable boating weather. So, I’m spending today organizing & making sure everything is in order for the arrival of our first 2007 intern next week. There will be a break in field reports for the next week, as I am returning to the States for Darcie’s wedding! It will be wonderful, but of course I am already looking forward to returning to the island –
Not much to report
Well, the title of this field report says it all. Yesterday the boat did not go out, but I was able to stop by the principals’ offices at each of the 3 Bimini schools to remind them that I am available to visit with any and all of their classrooms. Then it was home to work on the computer & TV. The plus side of all this wind is that I’ve never been so caught up on data entry!
Dolphins ahoy!
Two trips provides 45 minutes of dolphins! I learned today why the water is so very cold. There is an ocean current that usually passes by Mikura, bringing lovely warm water with it. But for whatever reason, this current is now traveling 100 miles away from Mikura! This anomaly occurs every few decades, and means that the water around Mikura is appreciably colder. I can attest to this fact! After two trips today I am more or less a popsicle.