The dolphins were quite active this morning and Ronnie, Lenca, and Mr. French all showed too much interest in Kathleen’s fins! Champ and Tank were playing and Trixie was quite curious about the MVA and Kathleen but also in doing some speed swims. Bailey and Tilly spent time around the MVA and Tilly and Mr. French had a bit of a vocal tiff. After data and a yummy breakfast, we met…
Tag: Roatan
Delayed Turtle Gratification
The morning was BUSY! Data collection was eventful with several somewhat odd interactions. Bailey and Tilly swam together pec fin slapping at the surface. Kathleen watched Trixie kick at Mr. French and then apologize a minute later with a belly rub! And, both from underwater and above the water we all watched Sandy and Kami play a bit of chase while Poli kept tabs on them both. After AM data collection…
A poignant world turtle day
We greeted the day by observing dolphins! Sadly, on this day celebrating world turtle day, we found a dead green sea turtle on the beach at Bailey’s Key. The Roatan Marine Park personnel handled the carcass … and might be able to determine cause of death. She was a big turtle. Our dolphin observations went well, and it was a mostly slow, calm morning. There was much rubbing but not much vocal activity. We ate a quick breakfast before…
First Day of Week Two!
We were invigorated after our day off and gleefully rode the water taxi to Bailey’s Key for early AM data collection! It was a different day with lots of play and several speed swims. Our morning, after a delicious breakfast, was in the classroom where we learned from Jen about the coral restoration project. Then, we watched the video from the morning and practiced dolphin IDs. The last portion of the morning was…
It was Friday!
The dolphins were quietly social – not much activity at the surface but some interactions underwater. We brought our gear to the session because we had a quick breakfast then went on the snorkel boat at 8:30 AM. (Activity starts early on Roatan!) We went to “Mandy’s Eel Garden” which is affectionately called the Aquarium. It felt like we were snorkeling in an aquarium among the fishes. Our afternoon included…
Thursday – Dolphins, Birds, Iguanas, & Turtles
An animal-filled day is what we all had! Of course, it began with dolphins and data collection – underwater video by Kathleen and surface observations and space use data by our student teams. Tank, Lenca, Buzz and Stan swam circles around Kathleen a few times this morning. Shereen did some bird watching, several of us watched the iguanas on the key…
In the water with dolphins
The morning was filled with dolphins! We had our morning data collection and did a full set of space use data collection while Kathleen was in the water collecting video data. Then, after breakfast, we encountered and swam with dolphins. We met Bailey during our encounter, and Tank swam by and around us also. The swim with the dolphins was insightful …
Snorkeling, Fish, Key Lime Pie … and overcoming fears!
Our first morning of dolphin observations and data collection – woohoo! We saw several dolphins and practice recognizing each individual. After meeting the dolphins in person and having a nourishing breakfast, we spent time in the classroom learning about the permanent scars and marks on each dolphin. Click to read more about our day!
Arrival to Roatan and AKR!
Our uneventful flights brought us here in two groups from Houston and Miami. The welcome at Roatan’s airport was wonderful … shortish lines for immigration. Our afternoon at AKR included …
Start of Travel
The StMU group (moniker to follow) departed San Antonio this afternoon for Houston. They leave tomorrow morning for Roatan. We look forward to a great week …
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