Notes from the field No. 14:
10/22/2014. Dolphin Boat Survey
Today’s survey extended from the Jupiter Inlet (N 260 56.624' W 800 03.805') down to the MacArthur State Park
Water conditions: 0-2 Wind: n 0-5
Duration: 8:30 am-1:00 pm
Encounters: Today we experienced one long encounter (3 hours) that involved an estimated 18 tursiops; which included 2 juveniles and one baby. Yes the same baby from last survey!
The big group was split into three groups that mingled in and out of formation as we followed them. They initially were feeding and making us follow them in circles for an hour, but then settled down to rest and were milling about and traveling south; then north, then east, then west!! but at a very slow speeds. We witnessed several behaviors, chuffing, tails slaps, and breaching from a few feisty animals! Oh, and baby cuteness!
Crew notes: The wind and seas picked up to about 2 feet rolling swells. The boat could handle the sea state, however this particular boat today was very noisy and wouldn't go into gear easily, so Dr. Brunnick kept being thrown about when the captain (me) kept trying to change speeds! She is carrying large camera equipment and in combo with rough seas, we made the decision to go off the fins and head back home. The dolphins did not like the noise either and kept moving away form us. We got great ID shots though despite all the little issues.
Taras Oceanographic, the Palm Beach Dolphin Project and FAU Libraries welcomed a new intern to the crew today, Sarah LeMaire. She is coming to us from France and just received her master's degree from the U.K.
Other: we saw zero turtles and zero trash today, but we did see two sharks (species unknown)
Bonus: Here are some pictures of the intracoastal waterways boat ride on the way to the ocean survey.
No comments:
Post a Comment