Seal Stranding?

Hey Team!

Sorry to be so quiet... again. My time in Wales is just about over (cue tears), the season is winding down and the ShoreFin team is frantically trying to get out a report of what we did for the past 6.5 months. Which is why I decided right now was the best time for a blog update? Yeah.... I'm a productive one (cue sarcasm).

Just a couple days ago, in the middle of chart making, stats crunching and map creating, a couple came up to the office to tell us a baby seal was stranded on the beach. We looked at each other a little bit, then grabbed the camera and headed down to check it out.

Now some of you may remember when I took the Marine Mammal Medic Course in September. All of a sudden, I was the "expert" down on that beach. How did that happen?

But seals are actually pretty easy. People forget that they are more or less amphibious in that they can survive out of the water without drying out or crushing all their organs, unlike cetaceans. They do feed in the water and they swim better than they walk (or flop around, really) on land, but a seal out of the water really isn't a huge deal. Except people don't seem to know that. The only time we need to step in is if they are injured, foaming at the mouth or seem exceptionally under-nourished.

I'm in awe of those who can sleep any time, anywhere

 So this seal. Cute as a button, not injured and not malnourished. Just sort of tired because the day before the leftovers of Hurricane Gonzales came through and whipped the bay into a frenzy. Quite actually. So if I had to have been swimming around in that, I'd be tired too! Seemed this little (really not that little) guy had figured the beach was the easiest place to haul out, rather than the rocks.

Our job in the end was simply to inform beach-goers to keep their dogs on leashes and to keep away from the seal. And to take many, many photos. After a solid nap and a couple hours, the seal flopped it's way back into the water, swam across New Quay and hauled out on some rocks where there was less disturbance. An hour or so later it jumped back in and swam away.

Tyra Banks couldn't do it better

So things to take away from this - if you live in a place where you might see seals, it's not a big worry if they are seen on rocks or beaches close to the water. They've hauled out for a rest or something, they'll go back in eventually. If you see a seal far away from water, like a parking lot or something, call whatever sort of marine mammal stranding hotline you have for your area. They'll point you in the right direction.

I usually need a nap after a tough swim too

Don't approach the animal. They are adorable, but will bite and beat you easily. And they have seriously nasty diseases.

And take lots and lots of pictures from that safe distance. Because really... who wouldn't?

Seal ya next time!

Speak Loud!

I Hope She...

Hey Team!

So instead of doing real work, I think it's time for storytime...

Once upon about a month and a half ago, I had the pleasure of sitting out on the harbour wall for 2 hours waiting for dolphins to arrive so I could photograph them.

I was not disappointed. Almost immediately upon my arrival, a mother and calf, two of our regulars, came right up close to the wall, much to the delight of everyone around me. I took photos, made sure they were good, then settled in for the show. I was more waiting to see if they did anything interesting, already having taken photos for actual science.

As I was sitting back down, this little girl, who I found out later was seven years old, starts asking me questions. Who are the dolphins? Is it a mom and baby? Where's daddy? I showed her the pictures I took, explaining who the dolphins were (Nick (015) and her calf 220, if anyone is interested), and that yes, it is a mom and her calf, and that the dad's don't really spend time with the mom and calf. I felt a little unsure of how to explain polygynous mating systems to a seven year old, but she seemed to understand - or at least accept it - easily.

That should have been the moment it clicked for me. Silly me though, it took me almost the entire hour we sat there - me, her, her parents and her brother - to realize this girl was brilliant. And special. Her interest in the dolphins, the level of questions she asked about them - about their feeding and travelling and socializing - I think back to it and I am amazed all over again. Her father was also taking photos and participating in the conversation, and she matched him in curiosity  and followed the conversation every step of the way. I was completely enraptured by this little girl from Southampton.

The conversation had to come to an end as dinner time approached, but we managed to agree that dolphins are the most intelligent (her word) animals on the planet and one of her favourites. Alongside puppies. And that her wish was to see dolphins while in New Quay, so her wish came true.

Not to be left out, her brother was keen to show me a rather interesting piece of metal he found in a crack in the harbour wall. Buried treasure, just like a pirate, we decided. This was his wish for New Quay. So it was a wish-fulfilling day for the whole family.

As we waved goodbye, I felt completely blessed to have been out on that wall that night. We meet a lot of people being out surveying for dolphins, photographing them, but usually it's a passing question, a quick story. This was a life moment for me.

Now, people who know me know I love kids. I've been working with them since I was twelve, and have never regretted a moment of it. I remember how I felt as a kid, looking up to the grownups around me, soaking up all their attentions and lessons.

I feel silly and a little vain saying this, but I really hope this little girl remembers me for at least a while. I want to be someone who she remembers alongside the dolphins. I hope she never forgets the feelings of awe she had seeing them.

I hope she never loses her curiosity. I want her to grow up questioning everything around her and always wanting to learn more. I don't want people to sugar-coat her world because she is strong and smart enough to understand that not everything works in nice, appropriate units.

I don't want her growing up feeling like humans are the most superior species on the planet. I want her to remember that there are so many ways to measure intelligence and that just because we do a lot, doesn't mean everything we do is right.

I'd love to randomly come across a profile of an up and coming marine biologist in 20 years time and read about a woman from Southampton who now works in marine mammology, but I doubt that will happen. It would be too much to inspire her to follow the same path as me. But I hope I did inspire something. Or that the dolphins did.

Maybe they'll go home and buy her a book on dolphins. Let that be a gateway book to books about the ocean, the rainforest, the planet. Let her delve into the world around her, under her, above her.

I can't believe the emotions I am getting just writing about her. This little girl, one exactly like so many I've met before, will have a lasting impression on my memory and my heart.

May she grow into the woman I truly believe she can be.

Speak Loud.

After a whole week

Took my first photos of dolphins in exactly a week. Forgot how good it felt. Also, I still can take a decent photo. Thank goodness!

Speak Loud!

Marine Mammal Medic Course

Hey Team!

So last weekend a bunch of my friends and I took the Marine Mammal Medic Course with British Divers Marine Life Rescue. They are an organization for the UK and Ireland that are basically strandings response. If a seal, dolphin, porpoise or whale wash up on the beaches of Britain, you call their hotline and they send people (now) like me out to (hopefully) save them. They have an extensive volunteer web complete with locals, scientists and marine vets who all just want to lend a hand when they can.

Now, once I leave the UK I won't really be able to be part of their volunteer base. But I took the course to get stranding training, because every little bit helps. I have a basic understanding of what to do for a stranding and what is needed, which will look much better compared to someone who has no idea where to even start off.

Every country, province, state, county, what have you, will have a different way of responding to strandings based on resource availability. But knowing something, anything, is better than knowing nothing.

It was a one day course. the first half was lectures - how to identify marine mammals, and the theory for a seal, dolphin, small whale and porpoise rescues.

Lectures on Strandings

What to do with a mass stranding (more than one individual)

After lunch was the fun part - we got to practice a seal, dolphin and pilot whale stranding! Now obviously we couldn't use real animals, but the inflatable versions were just as fun!

With seals, like most injured animals, they can get mean and defensive. The main thing is to keep control of the head so you don't get bitten and diseased. True story. Control the head while you check vitals and injuries, then either put it back in the water or crate it and take it to the closest rehab centre.

Throw a towel over it's head to keep it calm and to keep control

Dolphins need their skins kept wet and cool - so make sure to keep wet sheets on them constantly. Check for injuries and make sure a vet takes a look while you monitor vital signs. If the vet gives it the okay, haul it back into the water, and release it when it has the energy to go!

Taking the dolphin back into the water (Photo courtesy of James Bailey)

Small whales (but larger than dolphins) need to be refloated using pontoons - because you try carrying a two tonne animal. Keep them wet and cool, check vitals, get a vet to give the okay, then inflate pontoons around them and release them back when they're ready!

Stabilizing the whale for the vet's inspection and refloatation (Photo courtesy of James Bailey)

setting up the pontoons for refloatation (Photo courtesy of James Bailey)

Obviously this is a watered down version of instructions, but I think it gives you an idea.

"Baywatching" out of the water (Photo courtesy of James Bailey)

If you have the opportunity to take a strandings course, I recommend it. You never know what kind of situation you'll find yourself in working with marine mammals, so it's best to be prepared. Plus it looks great on a CV, and there seem to be quite a few strandings jobs open at any given moment.

It was a fun day with good weather and good friends. I'm so lucky I had this opportunity here in Wales.

Research volunteers turned marine mammal medics!

Speak Loud!



300 Photo Encounters!

Hey Team!

Today we here at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre and the ShoreFin team (A.K.A. my boss and I) have photographed dolphins 300 times!

It's a pretty big deal - last year they didn't even break 100. Not every encounter had good photos (I blame myself) and not all of them were from land - but 300 is a lot for the first official year of the project!

And of those I have my fingerprints on 117 - I'm delighted!

Here's to many more before I have to leave.

In celebration, here are photos of dolphins.

 

 

 

Check out more on facebook!

 

Speak Loud!

Dolphins from the Water

Hey Team!

So after MONTHS of being grounded, I was finally back on the water last Tuesday! I know how it sounds, but it felt so nice being back on unstable ground.

Myself and most of the other volunteers took the day to go on an 8-hour boat trip down the Welsh coast.

It was a beautiful day. A little windy, but it gave the trip character. It also made dolphin spotting difficult.

So when the volunteers take data on a boat survey, they have to keep track of the boat track, weather conditions and of course any marine mammal sightings they might see.

It's a lot of work! I did it for about an hour and a half and man, just trying to tell if the boat sped up, slowed down, moved left or right enough to change it's track, it's stressful! The others who have a lot more experience with it than I do told me I was over thinking it, but you don't want data to be wrong!

When I wasn't worrying over data, I was either just enjoying the boat trip or sitting up high in the "crow's nest" trying to spot dolphins.

Not an easy task. I hate trying to spot dolphins in a fast moving boat. I mean, they're moving, you're moving - how can you look everywhere? What if they pop up just after you've scanned a section? Now that section is behind you, and you're looking forward.

So much to think about! I'm the worst dolphin spotter off of boats, although no one was really seeing much. I think the dolphins I did see were a fluke (pardon the pun) or someone else saw them first, I was just louder. I have no confidence in my dolphin spotting abilities.

Probably not the best thing to admit to the world, but this blog is supposed to be honest, and it's a weak spot in my skills that I'm trying to work on.

Anyways, when we did finally see dolphins, see dolphins we did! We had no fewer than 6 dolphins around our boat each time we did see them, and did they put on a show! Splashing, leaping, bow riding. They came so close to the boat you could see them swimming underwater! So many dolphin faces!

Everyone else on the boat was oohing and ahhing, - and I'll admit I had a"wow" moment when three of them leaped out simultaneously - but I was focused on taking decent photo-ID shots. Between myself, one of the more experienced passengers, and my two bosses we walked away with a hefty amount of photos for me to sift through and see who we know was around. A couple individuals were pretty obvious - 367, 032 - but some are complete mysteries! Makes the day even more exciting!

Dolphin leaping off the Welsh Coast

There were some interesting birds out and about, or so I'm told. I wish I could muster up more emotion about birds, but I seem only to be interested in penguins at the most. Oh, and we saw a little seal pup on our way back to port!

Right before a tail slap

So it was a good day. The wind went wild in my hair, I was in 4 layers of clothes, my bare feet were freezing, my pant legs soaked, but it's exactly what I needed. Utter perfection.

Speak Loud!

Museum in Review: Oxford University Natural History Museum

Hey Team!

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of visiting Oxford, England for a short afternoon. I was dashing around the city trying to take in the sights, but one thing I couldn't rush was my visit to their Natural History Museum.

The Oxford University Natural History Museum

Now, I think I have an obligation to visit every NHM I can in every city that I visit. I've been to a few already, and rarely am I disappointed. Oxford was no exception. Even with some infamous museums within it's radius (see the National NHM in London), the Oxford museum definitely held it's own.

And goodness, did it feel British! As modern as it is, between the building itself and their setup, it might have been the 1800s still - lots of glass cases and labels, and some of the specimens have been on display since it opened!

Oxford as a university has been around since before 1100 A.D. So it's been there for a while. And during its reign it has educated or played home to some of the greatest minds in history. Especially for natural sciences.

So it comes to no surprise that The NHM has quite a few nods of appreciation to quite a few of these gentlemen. One of the most noted being Charles Darwin, who's Origin of Species was greatly debated in 1860. They had an excellent and informative display about evolution and Darwin's theories, as well as some fun facts about the man himself - everything a budding biologist would want to read and hear on a trip to a museum!

***

Some other fun things I saw and read at the museum:

Dodo

They have a stuffed dodo and it's skeleton on display the museum. This was my first dodo! They really are ridiculous looking birds - how depressing that they are extinct! I feel like the dodo display has been around since forever, but it would have been nice to see more about modern examples of extinction.

Dodo! Skeleton, cast of legs, and taxidermy specimen

Dinosaurs

I know you don't have to travel all the way to England to see a T-Rex skeleton, but while you're here, you should come check it out! And who knew that so many dinosaur fossils and bones have been found in England? I didn't, until I came to the museum!

T-Rex! Roar!

Marine Mammal Skeletons

Okay, so obviously I just love these, but they have a bunch of skeletons in ascending size hanging above your head - they don't have room for the biggest of the big, but their collection is still impressive!

Marine mammal skeletons - from bottlenose dolphin up to minke whale

Alice in Wonderland

Did you know the Lewis Carroll was a deacon at a church in Oxford, and a student and Professor at the university? I didn't, until I came to Oxford. They are very proud of it, so much so there is a display at the NHM with all the animals mentioned in his various Alice and associated books.

The white rabbit in the corner is always late

Tactile Displays

Okay, sometimes I am so much a child at heart that the instant I see a "Do Not Touch" sign I have an intense need to touch it. I manage to control myself but man, does it hurt!

Not Anymore!

The Oxford NHM knows that kids and grown-up kids alike have this strange need to touch things. So along with all the objects behind glass and railings, they have some out on the floor that they actually ask you to touch! Dream come true! Probably some of them are casts or replicas, but the stones, some of the fossils and definitely the animals were 100% real and I touched them all! As someone who has worked in a museum I know how much touching things is very, very bad, so it's a major bonus when a museum has things out (that clearly aren't too valuable or can't get easily damaged) for the public to play with. I was as giddy as the 6 year old I was following behind, just touching it all.

That's me touching an ammonite fossil!

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Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not an overwhelmingly large museum, but it has quite the collection. I know my reviews usually just focus on animals, and even then primarily mammals, but their plant, bird, insect and rock and mineral displays were equally impressive.

Insect display

If you are in Oxford and looking for a way to enjoy a few hours indoors (just after leaving I was caught in a flash storm - that would have been a good time to be inside!), I highly recommend the NHM. You'll see amazing specimens that have been on display for centuries right alongside recent discoveries. You'll learn a bit about England and a lot about the world. You'll see a museum at it's best and best of all, you'll see it for free!

So thank you Oxford University Natural History Museum, for a perfect finish to a perfect afternoon in Oxford.

Speak Loud!

You can visit their website and get all details about the museum here