Tag: older content

First Day on the Water!

Our first full day here included an afternoon boat trip. In fact, within about 10 minutes of heading east from the port, we sighted several dorsal fins from the surface. This was not an easy task as we had a solid 2 m swell. Our first entry was brief with 1 to 3 dolphins checking us out and heading away. A few minutes later we were back in the water with about 6 dolphins. They were coming and going and having fun surfing the waves.

Arrival at Mikura Island!

The 7 hr ferry ride was uneventful and sleep filled. Miyake Island still resembles a smoking candle after being blown out. For those of you just joining us, Miyake's active volcano erupted in 2000 displacing her 3500 residents. They are still unable to return home for more than a few hours.

But, I digress. We arrived to Mikura and were greeted by friends. Now in our third year staying at the 'Iruka House' (aka the dolphin house), our camera gear had already been shipped from the airport and waited for us inside.

Preparing for travel

Kelly and Kathy prep to go back to the islands Things are mostly in order and we are getting ready to go back to Bimini to start DCP's 4th field season on the island – and Kelly and Kathy's second. This summer we'll have the Top Dawg housing and camera like last year, but also MVA1 without the click detector, and an underwater digital camera so we should have plenty of pictures to share with you! We should arrive with any luck in the early afternoon on June 7th.

A Busy Weekend!

Two workshops separated by ~3 hours of driving.There were more than two dozen children participating in our environmental workshops at both sites. We built dolphins out of plastic bags, talked about photo-identification of individual dolphins and shared a bit more about DCP's research into behavior and communication among dolphins.

Travel to Japan

A long, full flight Luckily, the flight was uneventful with good movies and good food, albeit a full flight. We left on 27 May and arrived the afternoon of 28 May having crossed the international dateline.

The next few days will be spent on workshops in Enoshima and Takato followed by our ferry ride to Mikura on Monday evening. So, I'll write next after the workshops and update you on our trek.

It feels good to be back in Japan and seeing familiar sites and faces.

Final Details for Packing

Two days left before flying off Actually, one detail is large. We built a new array (MVA4) to take with us to the field this season. The click detector is within the same housing as the MVA4 camera. Very compact, though all still green. The hydrophones will be wired and connected later today and then the MVA4 is ready to go. We will also pick up batteries and other minor supplies and pack all the gear tomorrow. We head out on Wednesday afternoon.

DCP’s 2004 Field Season in Japan

Leaving Next Week Welcome Back to DCP's Field Reports!
We are soon to begin field work in two remote locations: at Mikura Island, Japan and around Bimini, The Bahamas.

Kathleen will travel to Japan on 27 May and out to Mikura on 1 June.

How/when did you first become interested in marine animals?

I have always loved the ocean. My family and I went to Cape Cod, MA, each summer for vacation and I grew up in CT and went to the beach whenever possible. I have always loved animals … I actively participated in Vo-Ag and FFA in high school, worked at a veterinary clinic and raised chickens in my backyard. But, it wasn't until the summer after my sophomore year in college that I realized I could merge my love of animals with the ocean into a career.

What are some experiences you remember when you were young that may have influenced you?

(It seems I have answered part of this above …) Vividly, I remember walking the beach with my dad or sitting on the dunes watching the water. Learning about currents and the animals we saw from my dad. I remember picking up shells with my mom and creating designs with them. I remember all the animals we had growing up and I remember my experiences on various farms.