The ferry plays fair It is a Christmas (Festivus) miracle! The ferry actually stopped at the pier without any fuss. I had been awake since 4 in the morning, trying to decipher the announcements over the loudspeaker for a hint as to if the ferry would try to dock.. The water was pretty choppy, so I had fully expected the ferry to do the Hachijo-shuffle; that is, skip Mikura and take a short 8 hour detour to Hachijo island before trying to land on Mikura in the afternoon.
Tag: older content
What a first week!
Today was another productive day on the water with a group of spotteds and a quick appearance by at least one bottlenose. We saw Juliette (#12), un-named #25, Lumpy (#17) and possibly Lone Star (#56). There was typical mating behavior observed, with the adults fluke slapping, leaping, rubbing and generally swimming while clustered together. We watched the group for just under an hour before heading back to the island.
Video and Boat
This morning APU students and I worked through some more video logging and they worked on their individual assignments. Then it was out the dolphin grounds and oh, look, more dolphins! What a great start to the research season! Unfortunately, we did not get in the water today, but we were still able to identify Lil’ Jess (#35), Swoosh (#36), Romeo (#10), Tina (#14), Split Jaw (#22), Stefran (#82), Leslie (#80) and White Blotch (#29). There was lots of belly-to-belly behavior, play behavior with seaweed and bow riding. Ok, I’m officially exhausted.
Seizure inducing shopping spree
Last minute supplies This was my one full day in Tokyo before heading out to the ferry tomorrow night. I’ve been staying at a friend’s house, eating pasta and sitting in chairs; two things I won’t be able to do for quite a while once I reach the island. We did some shopping around Tokyo, including a visit to the giant-mega-super stores Yodobashi and Bic Camera. These guys are 8 floors of electronics and gadgetry – a must see on any trip to Tokyo.
Class time and Dolphin time!
This morning consisted of an introduction to video analysis before we headed back on the boat. It was another great trip- we are officially spoiling the APU students! We saw dolphins for the first time at 18:25 and had them in view for the rest of the day. We again were able to film with both the MVA and the Top Dawg. Today we saw Tina (#14), Split Jaw (#22), Romeo (#10), Nemo (#76), Lil’ Jess (#35) and Leslie (#80), but the highlight of the day had to be seeing Billy (#64).
Back in the J-A-P-N
A long flight Ugh! What a long day. The flight was not too shabby – 14 hours, but time flies when you have an in-flight entertainment system. I watched 5 movies in a row with a couple bathroom breaks. It certainly helps pass the time. My luggage arrived with all of the research equipment intact. It always worries me that they will want to search through the camera case and take the MVA apart – surely it must look like a suspicious object to the x-ray technicians.
A late appearance
Today Kathleen went over the development, purpose and assembly of the MVA. It was a great chance for students to see the innovative use of materials to develop new tools for research. In the afternoon, our trip began with a snorkel stop at the Bimini Road (aka Atlantis). I’m not sure any of the students thought it was remains of Atlantis, but I think everyone enjoyed seeing one of the famed elements of Bimini history. We saw a group of at least 7 bottlenose dolphins at 18:02.
Travel, Travel, Travel
Man, I am tired! But, everyone arrived safely on Bimini today. But, let me back up…. The first week of the APU course went well. We were busy with readings, class discussions and snorkel practice in the pool. We spent last night in Fort Lauderdale and were up very early this morning for our flight to South Bimini. It was sad flying over, remembering the lives lost on Chalk’s Flight 101 last December, but I was happy to be sharing the Bimini experience with new people (and of course returning myself).
Let the packing commence
The gang’s all here DCP’s research season will start soon for both the Bahamas (DE and Bimini) and Japan. This means that all the researchers are gathered in Kathleen’s basement stuffing their equipment into sturdy luggage. In case you might be wondering, the key to securely packing irreplaceable and expensive equipment used for recording dolphin behavior is…underwear. Yes, underwear. To get the MVA (camera and audio array) to fit snugly in the case, it must be carefully supported and lined with soft objects that will protect it from bumps and spills that occur during travel.
Preparing for field season 2006!!!
Does everyone else realize that it’s May already??!!! How did this happen? Well, I’m not sure that “April showers bring May flowers” applies to Anchorage, Alaska, but things are warming up and haven’t been busier. I’m here making final preparations for the 2006 field season and Darcie is in Connecticut doing the same. I depart Anchorage on Saturday 6 May and arrive on Bimini on Sunday. Darcie arrives 28 May.
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