Some of our field notes from the 2009 field season are archived here:

13 December 2009:  Research boat, Stonehaven, Scotland

09:11 GMT

"We have had rotten luck with our bottlenose dolphin photo-identification surveys this year.  Although we are used to struggling with a lack of suitable weather conditions, we have also struggled to find dolphins in 2009.  Quite a few of our boat surveys during the first half of the year failed to encounter dolphins, and it has been a similar story during the autumn.  In the summer months we focussed more on white-beaked dolphins further offshore, but our forays along the coast did not encounter bottlenose dolphins then either.  It seems either the dolphins have spent more time in other places this year, or we have simply been very unlucky in our attempts to find them.  A lack of dolphins (relative to previous years) during shore-based watches suggests the former might be the more likely explanation.  Today we decide to head south from Stonehaven towards Montrose, since a local at Inverbervie informed us that he has seen a small group of dolphins several times in the preceding week.  Sea conditions are good, but it is very cold despite our donning several layers of thermals and ridiculous furry hats with ear-flaps!  We turn back at St Cyrus without encountering any cetaceans, although there are numerous grey seals hauled out along the rocks and feeding in the water.  A couple of porpoise sightings on the way home do nothing to inspire my confidence about finding dolphins - we don't usually see both bottlenose dolphins and porpoises on the same surveys, perhaps a result of the antagonistic encounters that have been observed between these two species.  We are almost back at Stonehaven when a movement a kilometre or so ahead of the boat catches my eye.  I am pretty sure that was a dolphin, but its so long since we saw dolphins here that I wait for a second animal to surface before I shout out the sighting!  Finally!  We turn the boat in their direction and head over to find a small group of four adult bottlenose dolphins travelling purposefully southwards.  The first animal to approach our boat is instantly recognisable by the distinctive nick in her dorsal fin - it's 'Sooty' (ABZ5), one of the most frequently-sighted animals in our study area.  A large dolphin surfacing next to her is also very recognisable to us - 'Brookie' (ABZ10) who is seen most years off Aberdeen.  The other two animals are less familiar.  One has a very broad dorsal fin with a rounded tip, which totally lacks any nicks or notches and will consequently remain unidentified.  And the final animal is one I recognise from our catalogue but I haven't previously encountered myself.  'Spike' (ABZ50) has a very thin and pointed dorsal fin with a distinctive pattern of small notches in the trailing edge. 

Unlike the other three dolphins, Spike maintains a distance of around 20 m from the boat and does not seem eager to approach any closer or bow-ride.  The others, however, travel along together and occasionally dash in towards the boat to ride the bow-wave before disappearing beneath the water and re-surfacing somewhere random.  Sooty in particular is often very playful around our survey boat and although their behaviour today is generally rather quiet, she doesn't disappoint...in quick succession she performs three breaches close to the bow, turning her head to glance at the boat as if to make sure we are watching!  We stay with the dolphins long enough to take identification photographs of everyone's dorsal fins, and then head back to harbour and a welcome cup of warming coffee".

31 October 2009:  Balmedie beach, Aberdeen

10:07 GMT

"It's always sad to see cetaceans stranded ashore, but at the same time such events provide a fascinating opportunity to examine these animals at close range.  Large whales in particular provide little more than tantalising glimpses of backs and tails at sea, and its not until these animals wash up on beaches that their vast bulk can be truly appreciated.  Unfortunately the dead sperm whale that we have come to observe this morning is not quite on the beach, but is rather rolling around in the surf a short distance offshore.  We should have checked the tide times before we arrived!  A crowd of onlookers are stood on the beach, perhaps the only chance some of them will have to observe such a large, mysterious animal at close range.  The whale's broad tail flukes flap around in the breaking surf, causing several people to wonder whether the animal is still alive.  But the whale's blow-hole remains firmly closed.  It's lower jaw hangs loose, revealing a row of large conical teeth used to capture it's squid prey in the deep-water habitat in which sperm whales thrive.  The cause of death is not obvious from this distant examination of the corpse.  Possibly the whale simply took a wrong turn and ended up in shallow North Sea waters far from its usual habitat". 

23 October 2009:  Survey vessel, Gabon

09:48 GMT

"We passed over the shelf edge and into deeper water some time ago, and I have had my eyes peeled for the variety of deep-water cetacean species known to inhabit this region.  Although the sea surface is covered in whitecaps, large splashes several kilometres ahead of the ship catch my eye.  Through binoculars I can see the white bellies and glossy dark backs of leaping dolphins.  These high acrobatic leaps into the air are usually indicative of one of the Stenella species, and I wait with anticipation to see if we will get a closer look.  As we approach the dolphin school, many animals travel down our starboard side and do not show signs of approaching the vessel.  With the combination of the choppy sea and the sun glare it is impossible to tell which species they are, and I see only backs and fins appearing briefly above the waves.  The total group probably numbers over 100 animals, although they are split up into various sub-groups.  And ahead of us, one small group of dolphins is showing signs of interest!  A few animals porpoise through the waves towards the bow of our ship, and I see more off the starboard side swimming lazily through the water to intercept us.  Leaning over the bow it is easy to identify these dolphins as Pantropical spotted dolphins, their distinctive dorsal capes and white beak tips readily apparent in the bright blue sea. 

Despite their name, the flanks of these animals are covered in tiny white flecks rather than distinctive round spots, and the shape of the dorsal cape is the key feature for identifying them.  Most of the dolphins quickly lose interest and leave after only a short spell of bow-riding.  However, two individuals spend several minutes playing in the bow wave, sliding across each other from side to side.  They don't turn on their sides to eyeball the hull as some dolphins do.  Rather they seem to enjoy surfing along in the wave and racing each other, oblivious to the humans watching them from above.  Eventually the dolphins swerve off to the side and turn to porpoise after the rest of their group, the latter now several kilometres astern of us".

20 October 2009:  Survey vessel, Gabon

15:52 GMT

"Sometimes whale blows can be quite subtle events, requiring a trained eye in order to detect them.  Not so the blows I am watching now, which stand out boldly against the dark sea and are illuminated by the evening sun.  Without any prompting, the bridge officer turns the vessel towards the whale and we head towards it to investigate.  Even at this range I can see the broad back and stubby dorsal profile of a large humpback whale, but the animal is behaving a little oddly.  It surfaces a lot more often than most of the whales we have been watching this week and seems 'sluggish' at the surface, sometimes lingering there without even blowing.  I am curious to take a closer look.  As we approach to within 100 m of the whale I have a surprise when a second adult surfaces alongside the first animal, rolling over on its back to wave its long flippers in the air.  This animal appears far more energetic and spends much greater time below the water, only surfacing once for every 7 or 8 times that we observe the first whale. 

As the pair continue to travel steadily southwards, I try to take photographs of their dorsal fins and tail flukes for potentially matching with the catalogues of identifiable individuals maintained for the region.  As the first whale sounds, I notice a series of cuts along the dorsal surface of its tailstock close to the flukes.  The laceration closest to the flukes looks rather deep, and these wounds may well explain the erratic, cumbersome surfacing behaviour exhibited by the whale.  It is sad to think of this whale 'limping' its way on the long journey to it's Antarctic feeding grounds".

15 October 2009:  Survey vessel, Gabon

16:05 GMT

"I have been battling seasickness for several hours now, but when the chief officer phones my cabin to tell me that there are whales ahead of us I am instantly (albeit temporarily!) cured!  Ahead of the ship a large area of disturbed white water makes it easy to pinpoint the location of the whales, but I am surprised to see around seven individuals in this group.  They are travelling as a very tight-knit group and are surging purposefully through the water lifting their rostrums clear of the sea and powerfully blowing.  This looks very much like a competitive group of (presumed) male humpback whales, the individual animals jostling with each other in the water.  As we approach the whales, the sound of their powerful exhalations carries on the wind and I have to protect my camera lens from the water droplets produced in their misty blows. 

These whales are not shy, and as we drift close by they turn several times to appear off our stern before travelling up the port side and diving under the bow.  At close range it is possible to see that the skin on the series of lumpy 'tubercles' on their heads has been broken and is red raw, presumably from scraping against one another as they interact.  Several times individual animals twist onto their sides to lift their flippers and tail flukes clear of the water, or lurch through the waves lifting their heads out.  I wonder what is going on subsurface...whether this is indeed a group of males competing for access to females, or whether I am misreading some other context.  Either way, the sight of such a large and active group of humpbacks is a great start to the trip".

25 July 2009:  Research boat, Stonehaven, Scotland

09:11 GMT

"The sea is calm today and we are 5 miles off Stonehaven out in the North Sea and surrounded by numerous feeding gulls, auks and gannets.  And all around us, the tall dark dorsal fins of white-beaked dolphins break the surface.  The dolphins are spread out over several kilometres in small sub-groups, and some of the groups seem to consist entirely of mother-calf pairs.  We are watching one such group of three adult-calf pairs at the moment.  The calves are tiny - one still has very marked foetal folds and a dorsal fin that flops slightly to one side, and it has to surface for air much more regularly than its mother.  All of the calves cling to the sides of their mothers, rising an in inexperienced awkward manner from the water to take a breath as their mother's smoothly roll at the surface.  Although these calves are small, they are certainly not lacking in confidence.  The adult dolphins approach our research boat at speed, the calves swimming tightly by their sides, and suddenly the water is bright with white patches as the dolphins swim underneath our boat and take up position in front of the bow-wave.  They roll slightly on their sides to peer up at the boat as they pass, their distinctive white eye patches glowing in the water.  The adults position themselves between the boat and their calves, but this is the only indication of any unease about bringing their newborns to visit us.  The dolphins quickly bore of bow-riding, but when we stop the boat and drift slowly in the area they return to inspect us, making high-speed passes underneath the boat and around the stern.  At one stage they seem curious about the propellers, spending a few minutes circling immediately behind the boat.  I wish I had a hydrophone with me, as it would be interesting to hear if they were firing echolocation clicks at the boat to investigate.  Suddenly they move away, and when white-beaked dolphins move at speed then it is almost impossible to catch them - they surface rapidly and keep low in the water, producing a distinctive rooster-tail of spray and then moving long distances under the water.  It has been a very pleasing encounter, and the research team are all smiles as we pack away our cameras". 

More images from this encounter can be viewed here.

13 July 2009:  Whale-watch boat, Húsavík, Iceland

09:53 GMT

"Ahead of the boat a series of tall, bushy blows in front of the snow-capped mountain range announce the presence of another humpback whale.  Húsavík is probably the best place to see this species in Icelandic waters, with the regular occurrence of feeding whales in the western part of the bay many of which are identified by the boat operators year after year.  The animal we are watching at the moment is a medium-sized humpback and is actively feeding amongst an aggregation of seabirds including puffins, Arctic terns and fulmars.  The whale is spending relatively little time at the surface, regularly lifting it's tail and diving after only a single blow.  A large V-shaped chunk is missing from the trailing edge of it's right hand tail fluke, and the whale is also missing the entire right edge of the fluke.  Consequently it is a particularly distinctive individual which our tour guide proudly announces to be 'Fred', a whale that has been known to visit the bay for several years now. 

'Fred' continues to feed throughout the encounter, sometimes travelling quite long distances during the dives but usually re-appearing within a few hundred metres of where it last sounded.  Feeding is clearly good in Húsavík bay, though I am slightly disappointed that the blue whales that have been present here over the last few weeks have apparently moved out into deeper water.  When I look at the photographs later, a series of tooth rake marks are also apparent on the underside of Fred's tail fluke, no doubt the result of an interaction with killer whales on some earlier occasion.  In some areas of the North Pacific it has been shown that 26% of humpback whales have flukes bearing tooth rake marks from killer whales, and agonistic encounters between these two species are clearly common in some regions". 

3 May 2009:  Chanonry Point, Moray Firth, Scotland

17:49 GMT

"Chanonry Point is probably the best place in the UK for getting regular close views of dolphins.  The spit extends out into the narrow channel of the inner Moray Firth, creating strong tidal rips where salmon congregate.  Never slow to take advantage of an easy meal, the local bottlenose dolphin community is well aware of this excellent feeding potential and congregate off the point an hour or two prior to high tide when the tidal rips are strongest.  Today, there are round six dolphins feeding off the point, including a mother and calf pair and several other adults.  The mother-calf pair are tightly associated and surface repeatedly around 10 m off the point where the adult is enjoying considerable success at catching fish.  Almost every time she surfaces, her mouth is open revealing the flesh of some unlucky salmon caught between the rows of her conical teeth.  Further out, the adult dolphins are cooperating to herd fish in more open water, diving repeatedly to reveal their tail stocks and then herding fish in towards each other.  Occasionally this technique results in frenzied fish chases, the water being churned up into frothy white by the dolphins manoeuvring just below the surface.  The dolphins are not as aerially active today as I have seen them on other occasions in the past, but we are still treated to some of the characteristic high bottlenose leaps, with animals powering themselves vertically from the water and re-entering head first in a clean arc.  The 15 or so people bravely standing at the point in the chilly wind cheer in response to every leap". 

16 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia

13:28 GMT

"We have been told a group of around 20 dolphins has stranded alive in the lagoon, and as we finally drive around a bend in the road and see them I am shocked at the scene ahead.  Out in the middle of the lagoon are a scattered pod of large dolphins, some on their sides thrashing the shallow water with their tails and others lying quietly on their bellies.  People have already arrived and most of the animals are accompanied by at least one human carer. 

As we park the car and move out over the sand towards the dolphins, it becomes clear that this will be no easy mission.  The sand quickly changes into a thick slimy mud more than knee-deep in places - not the sort of habitat you want to carry cameras and other equipment!  Furthermore, the dolphins are quickly identifiable as bottlenose dolphins - one of the largest dolphin species and with adults measuring around 3.5 m and potentially weighing up to 500 kg!  As we near the animals I can hear a multitude of high-pitched whistles - the piercing tonal cries of distressed dolphins which are highly audible in the air all around.  The regular sharp exhalations of the dolphins also breaks the silence.  It looks like we will be here for some time, since the high tide is not due for another 6 hr and even at its highest the water depth here is only a metre or so.  I concentrate firstly on collecting some data - dolphins off Namibia are rather poorly studied but the Namibian Dolphin Project established a photo-identification catalogue of identifiable bottlenose dolphins last year and they are keen to know which individuals are present here.  I wade carefully through the mud around the stranded animals and try to obtain a clear photograph of the left and right sides of the dorsal fins.  The nicks, notches and scars on the fins will allow us to match the dolphins to the animals in the existing catalogue.  It's no easy task...time and time again the camera gets misted by the exhalations of the dolphins blown towards me on the wind, and several times I have to move quickly out of the way of thrashing tails.  The mud itself makes manoeuvring around the animals very difficult, and its a slow and tedious process to document all 19 individuals. 

Moving around the dolphins I notice that most of the whistling is actually coming from one group of animals - a pair of large adults and three small calves including one very young animal.  The calves whistle loudly and continuously, slapping their tailstocks vigorously and clearly in distress.  No-one knows which adults the calves belong with, since they were stranded separately and moved to the nearest adults.  Quite possibly one of the adults further up the lagoon which never stops thrashing throughout the stranding was the mother of one of them.  Unfortunately, the youngest calf suddenly stopped breathing after an hour or two, and could not be saved. 

Once I finish collecting the photo-identification data, I go and sit with a dolphin and do my best to keep it's skin moist and stop it from burning in the wind and sun. We also dig out the mud from under their bellies and flippers to make them more comfortable.  Otherwise, it is a waiting game for the tide.  The initial enthusiasm of the human volunteers begins to wane after a few hours, as people begin to get cold and the water shows no signs of rising.  Some of the dolphins are suspiciously quiet, and its hard to imagine what kind of strain they must be under in this unfamiliar predicament.  Some thoughtful people wade through the mud to distribute flasks of coffee and baskets of sandwiches which is a definite moment of relief for everyone sitting in the water!"

Several hours later the tide finally rose sufficiently for the dolphins to be manoeuvred into slightly deeper water.  Once their bellies were clear of the mud the dolphins moved themselves, propelling themselves through the shallow water with powerful thrusts of their tails and re-grouping into their preferred social units.  Most of the animals found their way out of the lagoon and were not seen again during the subsequent days.  One adult re-stranded overnight and had to be taken by vehicle to a suitable release beach in Walvis Bay the next day where it swam away strongly. 

5 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

11:33 GMT

"There are dolphins galore here today...almost everywhere we look small pods of Heaviside's dolphins are leaping and splashing as they feed amongst flocks of terns.  We have already spent over an hour approaching small groups to photograph their dorsal fins, and still there are many more dolphins spread out ahead of us.  Most of the animals are busy foraging and don't pay much attention to our boat, but the occasional small group break away from their feeding and swim rapidly towards us to bow-ride at the front of the boat.  At the moment we have a group of around 10 dolphins playing around the boat - this is the most interactive group we have encountered today and they seem content to surf the swell waves alongside the boat for a prolonged duration, sometimes rushing ahead to ride the bow-wave.  The sharp exhalations of surfacing dolphins are all around us.

One or two dolphins swim immediately next to the engine propellers, appearing almost stationary in the water as they keep level with the boat's slow speed. Others get bored with the sedate pace and swim rapidly away in a wide loop to race back to the bow again with seemingly endless energy".

4 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

11:09 GMT

"The boat operators here have been reporting leatherback turtle sightings in the centre of the bay, with several sightings per day during the calm weather in the morning before the afternoon wind picks up.  We are out in the centre of the bay where most of the sightings have occurred, and it is not long before the large head and distinctive dorsal ridges of a leatherback roll at the surface.  This is a big animal, and with the engine off we can clearly hear the sharp exhalation of its breath as it breathes at the surface between dives.  Not much further on, and two more leatherbacks appear at the surface ahead of our boat.  Unlike the previous turtle, these ones seem to be resting at the surface and we edge the boat forwards to try and get a closer look.  One of the leatherbacks allows us to approach to within a couple of metres before taking a final breath, raising its flippers and diving down into the murky water and out of sight".

3 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

09:10 GMT

"This morning we have been tracking the same group of bottlenose dolphins that we were watching yesterday in the lagoon, and they are once again showing how adept they are at hunting in the shallows.  This time they are close in off a sandy beach, feeding close to a group of fishermen who are beach seining.  The dolphins seem to take advantage of the human fishing operation, giving the fishermen a lesson in catching fish as they chase fish into the shallows and trap them against the beach.

Today the dolphins are feeding individually rather than herding the fish cooperatively, but the scene is still impressive as some individuals almost strand on the beach in pursuit of their prey".

2 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

11:17 GMT

"A group of five bottlenose dolphins are patrolling the lagoon, entering water shallower than 1 m depth in their efforts to locate and herd fish.  As we watch, the dolphins circle a shoal of fish and then drive it rapidly in towards the narrow beach, almost stranding themselves as they manoeuvre in the shallows.  The fish erupt into the air in an attempt to escape both the dolphins and the beach, and the dorsal fins of the dolphins turn in rapid circles at the surface as the animals chase the fish and then move back out into slightly deeper water.

We watch the group for several hours, and they repeatedly perform this same coordinated hunting behaviour, rushing in towards the shore with fish flying out of the water ahead of them.  Bottlenose dolphins never fail to produce something fascinating for us to look at!".

2 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

08:33 GMT

"The dolphins are in a playful mood this morning - a small group of Heaviside's dolphins charge through the grey swell to greet our boat, and spend several minutes bursting out of the water in fast surges on either side of us.  It's practically impossible to photograph them when they are behaving so unpredictably, and the overcast sky doesn't help since we can't track the animals as they move along underwater due to the dark sea. 

Despite the overcast conditions the beautiful markings on the dolphins show up clearly - the pale grey forward portion of the dolphins stands out against the sharply-demarcated darker grey-black cape that extends over the rear part of their bodies.  The dolphins also raise their heads out of the waves during some surfacings to reveal their small, indistinct beaks and conical heads.  Although the encounter is brief it is memorable for the energy these small dolphins have".

1 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

09:02 GMT

"A group of feeding terns catches my eye off our port bow, and as I scan the area with binoculars a long back and small stubby dorsal fin roll slowly at the surface underneath them.  A humpback whale is travelling beneath the birds, although we can't determine whether the whale is actually feeding or not.  It is an unusual time of year for a humpback to be present in this region, as most should be further south on the feeding grounds at present.  The whale itself also looks unusual - it is rather small and its back and sides are covered in small white scars.

We take the opportunity to approach the animal to photograph it's dorsal fin and strange flank markings.  The whale isn't fluking so we aren't able to get images of the tail flukes which might help to match the whale to existing catalogues for West Africa to determine where it originates from.  But the animal is certainly distinctive enough to be recognised again without too much trouble".

1 March 2009:  Walvis Bay, Namibia, research boat

07:09 GMT

"If I didn't know better I would think I was in the North Sea on a summers day watching harbour porpoises.  But although they look slightly similar, the small cetaceans I am watching are not porpoises - they are Heaviside's dolphins, with their distinctive tall triangular fins and marked colouration pattern.  The two dolphins are apparently foraging in the glassy seas, with dives of several minutes interspersed with several quick rolls at the surface. 

They are mostly indifferent towards our research boat today, obviously too busy searching for food to come and bow-ride.  So we concentrate on getting usable photo-identification images of their dorsal fins for adding to the Namibian Dolphin project catalogue".