CRRU Blog

Porpoises, dolphins and whales, oh my!

2010-06-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

What an amazing first three days of surveying we have had! Let me start by introducing my-self. My name is Gena and I am working with Kevin over the summer as a research assistant. During my first two weeks in Gardenstown, despite daily watches from the shore, I had not seen a thing, and I was subsequently beginning to think Kevin had lured me all the way from Australia with false accusations of an abundance of wildlife in the Moray Firth. However, the first night the volunteers arrived we spotted a pod of dolphins from the shore travelling west. “Wow” I thought “There really are dolphins here!” This was a great sign for the following day!

On the first day of surveying we found the pod of bottlenose dolphins we had seen from shore the previous night. It was a difficult group to study, as the animals were very spread out, but we managed to identify 20 individuals including 5 calves. However, we estimated 30+ individuals in the pod.

On the second day we encountered 3 minke whales on our first off-shore survey route. The most extraordinary encounter happened after lunch when a ‘friendly’ minke found us! This particular whale seemed really interested in us, and after a short while of sampling the animal's behaviour, we realised that we were not conducting any sort of focal follow ourselves as the young whale was clearly following US! This turned into a great opportunity to try an attempt at a suction tag attachment. So there was a big rush to get the tagging device set up - absolute mayhem on a small boat with people spotting for the whale, someone trying to drive, someone trying to photograph the animal, AND trying to set up the tagging device and pole as well! We didn’t end up getting close enough in the end, even despite our attempts to speak in whale (Finding Nemo style), which seemed to work in the beginning.

On the third day we started on an inshore dolphin survey route to try to find the same group incompletely recorded earlier in the week. We found them on a zero seastate ocean in Cullen Bay, and witnessed some remarkable social behaviour with the calves being babysat by a young adult whilst their mothers hunted further out to sea. The calves were very confident with us and joined us repeatedly for a ride on the bow of the boat. This time we managed to record everybody in the group and were pleased to see all 6 of our newborn calves from 2009 and survived their first winter in the North Sea.

After lunch, we headed offshore again to look for more minke whales, and not only did we find them, but we also met another very friendly, curious whale. After several close pass by's, we were amazed to witness this magnificent animal put on an amazing display of no less than 6 full breaches right in front of our boat of which we managed to record some fantastic shots. For the rest of the day we were all in awe of the amazing experienced we had shared together.

Stay tuned for another exciting instalment from the CRRU team in the Moray Firth soon...personally, I can't wait for more!!!

Didn't we have a lovely time!

2010-05-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Finally, back in the UK and on my way up to Scotland after our very exciting time with the Pink Dolphins of Trang. Still working on the datasets, but during our time on the project we logged a total of 10 encounters and an impressive 900 km's of boat survey effort!

Group sizes were found to range from 2 to 16 animals, with a mean school size of 5.5. Approximately 85% of the animals encountered were recognisable, and at present we are at 36 identifiable individuals from a cumulative total of 55 animals.

More to follow soon, and a paper to boot too, but in the meantime I would like to express my personal thanks to everybody who made this project possible - to the Nature Resort in Haad Yao, Kanjana and colleagues from the Phuket Marine Biological Center, Thanida and Nantarika from Chulalongkorn Unversity, Bangkok, and to the 2010 team Olivia, Brenda, Hayley, Anton, Calvin, Becky, Alex, Na, Mek, our captain Ban Bow and Lindsey and Kat in absentia. Thank you everyone for making this time so successful and memorable! In haste, Kev

Last days in Trang...

2010-04-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Can't believe we are already at the end of our 2 week pilot study. This afternoon we head out to sea for our very last boat survey, but we have had an exceptional time with dolphins and dugongs galore. Working on data this morning, so full stats to follow, but just a quick line to say thank you to all the team here for your very hard work and support its been an unforgettable experience!!! K

Radar vision!

2010-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

thanks for all the posts guys - awesome!

I still haven't met anyone who can beat Kev's long distance radar mammal spotting vision!

Pine and I radioed a sea turtle sighting once - turned out to be a seal, never lived it down!

Thank you to all of you for volunteering and getting this project off the ground - Keep blogging!

Hi from Olivia!

2010-04-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

After the excitement of yesterday, we set off in the morning with high expectations. It was also Alex’s last day and we had gathered up 2 more volunteers to help out – a Hungarian couple staying at the resort – so we really wanted another good showing from the dolphins. We started eagerly but by the time we stopped for lunch we had seen nothing, not even the swirling splash of a dugong, and we were beginning to worry we would have our first day with no sightings. After lunch we experienced our first storm at sea, watching it approach from the distance and pass quickly overhead. We were close to giving up on the dolphins and had started heading for home when suddenly Kevin spotted a promising silhouette in the distance. Sure enough, at the last minute, we had another group of dolphins! A sense of excitement spread throughout the boat and soon the boatman drew alongside them and we were all playing ‘count the dolphins’ – a surprisingly difficult game even with the relatively small numbers we’re finding here. We eventually agreed on eight; 4 adults, 1 sub-adult and 3 calves. We stayed with them for some time and, for the first time, the sea was clear enough to see them beneath the water. They were close to the shore and watching them breaching through the clear water with the sandy beach in the background was a truly beautiful and thrilling sight. After enjoying them for a while we headed for home feeling elated and happy to have been able to share our enthusiasm with our Hungarian friends. The only downside is that Kevin has now crept ahead of Alex and me, with 3 sightings to our 2, and was quick to reclaim his title as chief dolphin-spotter!

Think Pink...

2010-04-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

Trang pink dolphin expedition - Survey Day 5

2010-04-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Hayley. I’m arriving a little late, to say the least, after some small trouble in the UK involving the Icelandic volcano eruption - you may have heard about it! I was supposed to leave Friday 16th from Heathrow Airport but I was cancelled twice, at this point I had given up. I very randomly on the off chance contacted my airline on the Wednesday as the flights were going again and got a call back that afternoon telling me that I was on a flight the next morning!

My trip to Thailand was therefore surreal, as within 12 hours of the phone call I was on my way to the airport, the journey went very well with no more problems and I was at the Resort with the rest of the group by Friday evening. I was given a very warm welcome from everyone here and was amazed to find myself sleeping in Thailand and getting ready for the following day for my first pink dolphin survey trip.

On my first day out, I was amazed at how many Pink dolphins we managed to find! We saw two groups, one of 6 and later one of 16, and this was apparently the best day the team had had to date, so I felt so grateful to be here and on such a wonderful flat sea.

I just wanted to say thank you to Beverley for helping me during the manic trip out, and also to say to Lindsey and Kat that I’m really sorry you can’t be here and that we are all thinking of you. I look forward to getting out again and seeing what else our surveys will bring…

2010-04-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Day of the dugong

Hey Becky here...marine biologist, dive instructor and the baby of the bunch!!

So it was another early start today and the sun was beaming down from the get go!Excited to get started after our day off we were all starting to miss hard work ;) alex and I (the dream team) started off up top on the frame on a desperate search for our pink pals!!

Shift ended and still no humpback dolphin sightings! B ut we swapped around and before long "SIGHTING"...we all jumped up and saw nothing...so concluded it was our first dugong sighting of the day! Ok, so it wasn't a dolphin but it was still a rare sighting of the illusive dugong so few have the privilege to encounter. After a short pause we set off again on our quest!!

As the day went on we realised today was definitely going to be the day of the dugong!!One particular animal came really close and wiggled his bum at us before dipping back down to have a nice munch on some juicy seagrass.

We searched and searched but it seemed that the dolphins day off was in fact today and they had put 6 lovely dugongs out for us to see instead haha! Hopefully tommorrow they will be up bright and early coming to say hello for Calvin and I's last day with the team!

That's all for tonight will write our last goodbye tommorrow...if they can get us to leave that is :P

Day 5 Trang Expedition

2010-04-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Phew – another long day. Now winding down after our evening meal. The atmosphere around the table is electric – a bustle of conversation and excitement as we mingle with the other guests at the Nature Resort and share a beer. And Hayley has just arrived – yeh! – although she is probably a little daunted by all this, but she’s gonna fit in just fine.

Yesterday we took a day off sightseeing. We took a boat to Koh Muk and Koh Kradan to swim and snorkel and we visited the Emerald Cave – an incredible 50 metre snorkel in the pitch black to a secret cove with a beach on the other side. Some great snorkelling on Koh Kradan, and just what we needed as a refreshment ready for our 4th day out on the boat today. And what a day. Unfortunately, no dolphins, despite a considerable survey distance, but dugongs, dugongs, dugongs and more dugongs! And one came REALLY close and actually gave me the opportunity to photograph it! See below. Trying to get the rest of the team to contribute to this blog but they are all too exhausted (or drunk) ha ha ha. More “brieflings” to follow…

Kat, Lindsey & Hayley

2010-04-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

Still having the best time in Trang, but Kat, Lindsey and Hayley you are missed terribly (as the UK flight crisis made travel plans to Thailand impossible - thu apparently Hayley is now on her way!). So, in your honour, we decided to name the first identifiable pink dolphins after you. So here they are:

Kat

Lindsey

Hayley

Day 3. By Calvin

2010-04-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

After a long journey down the coast to Sukorn Island we focused our attention on two areas which we thought would be prime dolphin territory. Only minutes later we had our first sighting, two Humpback Dolphins which appeared to be frolicking at the surface. After a period watching these animals it became clear they were mating and after taking some voyeur photography we let them be and continued down to the south east of the island.
Another group was spotted and we spent a while with this group taking photo’s trying to get closer to get better quality images for identification. Avoiding and being elusive we accepted the images we got and headed back home. Before we knew it the boat captain shouted ‘Dolphin’ and pointed us in the direction of our third group of the day!
This one contained three Humpback Dolphins which we got very close to and some nice photos of both left and right side for dorsal fin identification. Once we were satisfied we headed home after a very productive days work with smiles on all of our faces. A brilliant day!

Day 2. By Calvin

2010-04-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

An early start led to a swift breakfast and onto the boat. Heading out to survey it wasn’t long before our first sighting. Two Humpback Dolphins were spotted not far off and the boat approached. A further sighting nearer the coastline gave us a third cetacean in and some nice photo’s to match. The rest of the morning was interspersed with a few possible Dugong sightings and heading back to the resort.
The afternoon proved less fruitful but a large Dugong breached the surface not far from the boat and was a confirmed sighting for the afternoons search effort. As the day progressed nothing further was seen and the evening was spent chatting and making sure the 5 Dolphins seen so far were correctly labelled and ready for the database!

Day 1. By Calvin

2010-04-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

After a nice lay-in to follow the previous days 7 hours of Thai public transport, we had a very tasty cooked breakfast in the Nature Resort restaurant overlooking the sea.

Once all the equipment was prepared and the team briefed for the day’s activities we jumped onto the longtail with smiles in eager anticipation of our first cetaceans. With the GPS pinpointing our location every minute we set out with a general idea to head south along the coast before sweeping around through the islands and across to the North before heading back to base.

Within just 30 minutes of spotting and applying sun cream we had our first sighting. ‘SIGHTING’ is shouted and everybody looks to where we are directed, nothing is seen again and as we approach the area and slow down, it is concluded a Dugong was spotted as there was no repeat surface.

Back on sighting effort we head south again and before we know it ‘SIGHTING!!’ and immediately I spot the two dolphins. The boat slows and we attempt to pull alongside the pair, travelling slowly and resting they surface repeatedly and we close the distance between us and them.

Kev grabs the huge camera and as we get closer he gets our first few photo’s of Humpback Dolphins!Still a bit too far for the best identification photo’s but we were all very happy with our first sighting of the elusive species. After spending a while with them but not being able to get any closer, we finished this sighting and continued on with our search effort.

Heading north now we spent another few hours on search effort before the sun got the better of us on the first day and we headed back to the resort for some well deserved air conditioning and a shower.

Evening entertainment was postponed as we were all too interested in reading articles or identification books, followed by telling stories of past encounters with dolphins and whale of different varieties.

With high hopes for day 2 we head to sleep ready for our early start to catch the dolphins active in the morning light...

Day 1, Trang Expedition

2010-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Easier said than done this blog thing. Now I remember why it never succeeded before - there is simply not enough time in the research day. It almost midnight again and we are back on the water at 7am. So for now, a quick summary. 2 days, 2 surveys, 2 pink dolphin encounters (total of 6 different animals), 3 dugong encounters and a absolutely great team of folk. Great company, great food, beautiful scenery and wonderful experiences and fun. So a few piccies will have to suffice for now! K & gang X

Pink Dolphins of Trang Expedition

2010-04-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we're here and we've started, after all those months of careful planning. We look forward to bringing you news of this first expedition in Thailand very shortly from the team. Watch this space!

Whales and Dolphins of the Moray Firth 2010

2010-04-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

The CRRU are now pleased to announce that they are recruiting for volunteers for the 2010 season. Ten team starting in June, running through to September.

For full details please see:-

http://www.crru.org.uk/join_the_team.asp

Or contact Kevin.Robinson@crru.org.uk

2008-11-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

The CRRU 2008 photo scrapbook is now on-line folks! It can be reached via the link on the left hand side bar of the CRRU website home page (Click on the ”Join us as a member of the research team…” icon) or find it via the Research Activities pages under “CRRU summer field courses” – in both cases pan right down to the bottom of this page, where you will see the link to “Scrapbook 2008” along with all the previous year’s scrapbook links. Alternatively, the direct link is http://www.crru.org.uk/research/scrapbook2008.htm if none of this makes any sense, ha ha.

There’s still plenty of room for more pictures from you, if anyone has any amusing photos they would like to post to us at scrapbook2008@crru.org.uk?

Enjoy – and thanks to all of you who joined us this summer, for making it such a fun, productive and truly memorable 2008!

With all our good wishes and thanks!

Kev, Marina, Dale, Pine and Andreas
2008 CRRU Research Team

CRRU EW Volunteers 2008

2008-10-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

A HUGE thank you to all our EW CRRU volunteers who joined us this summer!!! Love you all and hope you have all re-integrated back into "normal" life after your Gardenstown/CRRU experiences. Dreams come true to you ALL! See u next year! K & team

Photos from bnose encounter, 24 Sep 2008

2008-09-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

Some photos from this encounter:

DOLPHINS DOLPHINS - EVERYWHERE!

2008-09-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Here I am, back in Gardenstown again! After offering to help with the last Earthwatch team of the season, I have to say, news of 3.5M waves, and the thought of taking on the formal title of 'staff' for the next 11 days, I began to wonder what I'd let myself in for.

But here I am, the sea has flattened out, and the whitecaps subsided. We've been able to take to the water in full force with both survey vessels, to effectively cover the study area. The harbour porpoise are in tight groups, congregating to breed. We're regularly encountering groups of 10 to 20 porpoise - how lucky for us, when previously they've only been spotted in ones or twos.

But this Wednesday was amazing! We were just east of Lossiemouth in Spey Bay, searching for Minkes, when we came across the most humongous group of bottlenose. Previously, the largest group size encoutered was 44 animals, but on this occassion there were in excess of 60 animals - in fact, there were just too many to be able to record them all. We did manage to formally identify 54 individuals. Among them 14 calves and 3 neonates. We didn't know which way to look, it was like being in a dolphin playground. One calf, bow riding and banging into the boat for the fun of it. Leaping and playing, males showing off - ever hopeful, another youngster, right in front of the boat in a vertical position under the water, looking straight up at us - what a show they put on for us - amazing!

I have to say though, I've never been so cold in my life! But I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world; who cares if the odd finger or toe falls off! (I've been accussed of over dramatising the cold!)

After earlier working with the amazing mostly american team, then the energetic and enthusiastic teacher team, I thought for certain there couldn't be a group to match them. But how wrong I was! I'm working with an awesome, all female group from the US to Europe. Including Suzanne, who has completed 20 Earthwatch projects, and this is her second time with CRRU. The only person I've met who has tasted a dolphins milk!

HIGH 5 TO TEAM FIVE!

2008-08-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hope you're all having the best of times, can't believe it's already the middle of August! With typically unpredictable UK weather, I guess that matches the unpredictability of spotting a cetacean!

Anyway, do report all news of what you're up to, how Marina's database is coming on? and any nice pics of the odd sighting, tagging, rescue........ will be sure to help the rest of us through our working week.

The very best of weeks to you all.

Baby Seal Stranding!

2008-07-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to remain behind and unwind on my last day, but within 2 minutes of the group leaving, Kevin was called: Baby Seal Stranding! We quickly drove over to Crovie to find a young baby seal next to the pier. Kevin checked it out. It was healthy, bright eyed, and fat. We carried it to the edge of water where it swam away. It lingered around the pier for a while before heading east. Good LUCK little seal! Great Day! Happy ending!
Jacki

P.S. A grand thank you to Kevin and the team. And Bev, you're beautiful!

WE SAW MINKE!! AND DOLPHIN, AND SEALS AND .........

2008-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post, as dinner is in the oven, but already late because I've been working on environmental projects for my office, (yes, I know I'm still on holiday!)

Anyway, having spent the last week helping out back in GT, thought it only fair to share my glee.

Arrived Sunday evening, completely dazed - was I really back in Gardenstown? I'd kinda' convinced myself last years experience was all a dream.

Monday - What a glorious Monday, baking hot, seals at Fraserburgh, and the longest most scenic drive to the supermarket imaginable - if you forget ought, you certainly just go without it! Quick rundown on the next team, 4 from America, 1 from Henley on Thames. The usual devoted team of staff, fixing and cleaning the land rover, running repairs and maintenance on the boats. But most of all, we wait to meet the new team - for whom there is much to do.

What a fantastic bunch! Jackie, Caroline, Lucas, Chloe and Mackenzie - Mackenzie is quickly re-named Zeezee - which suits her grand!

The rest is a blur of intro presentations, suit fitting (Oh, how I looooove those new suits - and the woolly bears, ooohh!) question asking, more questions - we wanna see dolphins, we wanna see minke, we wanna see porpoise, seals, puffins, herons, gannets .......... Think they've forgotten they only have 11 days, not the whole summer! The thirst for knowledge and encounters was fantastic. We laughed 'til we ached, ate 'til we burst, and some drank 'til they almost fell down! (I mention no names!)

First day out on the boat, it seems like we're hardly out of Whitehills and there's my minke! Minke Minke Minke! I was convinced I wouldn't see one because of the weather forecast. Sooo big, and then Kev says it's juvenile! You can read the facts and figures, but when you see them - nothing can prepare you for their presence. How do they roll, turn, blow, strike, how do they propel that huge body? Power and grace beyond belief. Everyone is so happy, but that's not to be it - dolphins, dolphins, dolphins - they're everywhere, so spread out, leaping, chasing us, riding along side us - "count, count" - "start counting again". Kevin recognises every one of them by eye, I can hardly write their identification numbers down as fast as he spots them. The joy on his face as he makes more confirmations for this season that individuals, and babies, have survived the winter. I truly believe he is as relieved as I am when my teenagers arrive home at 3am.

We had two days like this, PLEASE POST SOME OF THE PICTURES GUYS!

I could go on and on - but dinner is spoilt now - and kids are moaning, all I must say is a massive massive THANK YOU to the volunteer team, it was fantastic working with you guys, and I do hope our paths cross again.

PLEASE post your news for the rest of the week, use the comments tab on this post if you like, and lots of pics for everyone to share in - we've got to get through being back in the office somehow! Remember, Pine says Dolphin Assisted Therapy should consist of friends spotting dolphins, sharing the news, which spreads the joy!

I'll post again soon, but guys - come on, what did today bring?!

Bev

TEAM 2 - WELL, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

2008-07-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

So, team 2 have arrived yesterday! Hope you're already having a fantastic time, now then, I'm gonna need some awesome Dolphin Assisted Therapy from you guys! As the great Pine says - friend sees dolphins, shares news - everyone feels great! Check out the comments and pics from the last two teams - amazing season so far!

Whilst we're back in our boring offices, we're banking on you to look after those dolphin darlings, and keep our spirits up with all things gorgeous and cetaceous!

Seriously - have a great time, we know you will!

Bev

Bottlenose bonanza for EW team 1 on their last day in Gtown

2008-06-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

Well, our 2nd EW team of 2008 have sadly just left us this morning. We had quite an amazing last few days with incredible dolphin encounters! We made a second attempt yesterday to identify and record a very large (and spread out) school of bottlenose, which proved very difficult indeed - and was not really helped by the sea conditions - but we successfully identified 27 animals in the end and assigned all the mothers to their calves. The animals were incredibly interactive and we witnessed some great fishing bouts, with impressive fish throwing. See below some pics from this encounter and the happy faces of all onboard when we eventually terminated the encounter (after a gruelling 3 hrs!). A fantastic climax for the team on their very last day and smiles all round! Kev

Team 1, 2008 - Reed Elsevier

2008-06-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have been "volunteered" to write a summary of "Team 1, 2008" for the new CRRU blog, but I am not sure I know where to start!

Maria from the Sound of Music would admonish me to "start from the very beginning..." but if you want a blow by blow description of what went on jump over to the team blog at http://dolphinwatch2008.blogspot.com/.

Suffice to say, on Saturday the 31st May 2008 I and seven strangers, albeit colleagues, from different parts of Reed Elsevier (a global science, legal and business publishing company) joined the CRRU in Gardenstown, near Banff, Scotland to begin our Earthwatch expedition "The Whales and Dolphins of the Moray Firth".

So, since I have chosen to eschew the chronological, I shall instead endeavour to provide a "top ten" guide which will hopefully whet the appetites of future teams!

#1 has to be the cetaceans themselves - the excitement you feel when someone yells "BLOW! That way about 150 yards", and how you all nearly leap out of the boat as you turn around to try and look where they are pointing, is only matched by what you feel when you actually get close enough to observe the animals and their behaviour. Each is different - the playfulness of the bottlenose, the majesty of the minke and the damned elusiveness of the harbour porpoise all entrance you in their own way.

#2 has to be the OTHER animals - the bird life is fantastic (puffins being a personal favourite) and bird watching definitely fills in some long hours whilst you wait for the #1's to appear. Plus Gardenstown is a dog lovers heaven - everyone seems to have two or more dogs I swear - except for the CRRU which is ruled by the felines Pebbles and intermittently Cassie Cat ("Oh, Cassie!").

#3 is the CRRU team. For us, that was "Big Kevva" aka "Dr. Robinson" aka "Kev", Dale "Crash Test Dummy" Edmonson, Pine "Super Girl" Eisfeld and Andreas "The Penguin Whisperer" Fahlman. Their passion (and that word is chosen very specifically) for the marine mammals of the Moray Firth is only matched by their passion for sharing that passion with the visiting teams so that everyone has a chance to get passionate about cetaceans, marine conservation and the environment in general. It's all very passionate, really!

#4 is Gardenstown itself. G-town is a special place, with its own time zone ("Gardenstown Other Time"or "GOT") and I swear it has its own micro-climate too. When you look back from the boats to the shore and everywhere else is clouded over except for a single shaft of bright sunshine hitting Gardenstown you have to wonder if having a 7 to 1 Church to Pub ratio really does give them an inside edge with the man (or woman!) upstairs!

#5 is the "woolly bears" (one piece polar fleece romper suits for adults) and the dry suits... after the first time you've managed to get all the gear on, and one person did describe trying to shove their head through the neck seal of a dry suit as "like being born again, only with even less dignity", you will have laughed yourself silly and started to bond with your fellow team-mates due to said shared indignity. All being dressed up like red Teletubbies is definitely a great team building exercise, that's for sure! Which segues very nicely into...

#6 is your team! By virtue of choosing to go on an Earthwatch expedition "self-selection" almost certainly ensures that you will be accompanied by a bunch of fun, intelligent and interesting people who are keen to get the most out of their Expedition - either out on the water or back on dry land in the house (or the pub). We certainly had a fantastic team where everyone pitched in to help with all the chores, from making the sandwiches in the morning, preparing the boats, driving the boats(!), cooking dinner or getting the next round of drinks. Like any team activity you get out of it what you put into so my advice is to just "Go for it" - I certainly found that the whole Expedition engendered a certain "child-like" (in a good way) "sense of wonder" about everything that was going on around us and that translated into an energy & desire to be friendly, trusting and open to new experiences. Which are all great ingredients in forming a great team, even when your team's diversity encompasses males and females, different nationalities (English, Aussie, American and Italian in our case) ranging in age from 25 to 55 and even includes some non-human cybernetic organisms!!!

#7 is evenings back in the house and the pub. We had a lot of fun. A lot... of very, very silly fun - you can check out the "Dr Robinson song", "The Penguin Dance" and our meeting with "Elvis" as evidence of that... or ask Soo how she came to be wearing Andreas's boxer shorts on her head... If I had remembered to take a picture of the overflowing glass recycling bins the observant amongst you might have been able to deduce one of the sources of said frivolity. If you ever meet someone from Team 1 2008 please buy them a Bacardi and Coke from me... enough said :-)

#8 is Orca II and Ketos, the RHIB (rigid hulled inflatables boats) what you spend your days zooming (or more accurately "puttering") around in. Tips for young players - don't sit up the front when either (a) I am driving (b) the sea state is above 3 or (worst case) (c) both at once (sorry about that Rich & Ellie!). They are a lot of fun to drive so don't be backward in coming forward when you get your chance! Overall they are great boats, very stable and reasonably comfortable EXCEPT for the lack of any sanitation facilities. Tip for young players #2 - watch your fluid intake because you are at LEAST 30 mins plus away from any chance of going to the bathroom. And even the professionals can suffer "stage fright" when caught short several miles offshore and are reduced to having a (not so-) quick pee off the bow (not mentioning any names, of course, but I bet that never happened to Abba during a concert...).

#9 are the lectures back at the CRRU base. Whether it be MIPDANIO, knot tying, cetacean identification, the different between neap and spring tides or Andreas (you remember him, he's the Swedish/Canadian "Penguin Whisperer") explaining exactly how to get penguins to run on treadmills or how "the energetics of marine mammals" can actually have a direct relationship to conservation planning (hint: it's all about how far you can afford to roam to get food!) you will definitely learn heaps... if you are not too sleep deprived or hungover (see point #7).

#10 is, for me, the synergy and synthesis of all of the above - "taking time to stop and smell the roses". G-town, the CRRU gang, the wildlife, my team mates, the active days, the entertaining evenings, learning new skills and knowledge etc etc... taking the time out from our busy lives to experience these great things (all the things that make life worth living next to our family lives) - that for me was the best lesson of the expedition.

And I, for one, will be heeding that lesson about putting a passion for nature, learning, friends and fun much more centrally in my life from now on.

Work is always there, life isn't.

Steve

Moray Firth Oil spill....

2008-06-19T01:22:00.000-07:00

Dear all,
I find this very worrying.....
I have just written a consultation response for a new oil field development called Jacky in the Moray Firth near the Beatrix Alpha platform in which they said that oil spills are very unlikely to happen... Right...

Oil spill leads to beach clean-up
By George Boardman
Published: 17 June, 2008, Banffshire Journal

Clean-up teams get to work on Banff beach. Stanley Bruce
BANFF beach was partially closed for the weekend after being polluted by oil.
The beach was closed to the public on both sides of the mouth of the River Deveron from Friday evening until Sunday – although the closed sign was still at the beach as late as Monday lunchtime.
Clean-up teams worked on Saturday and Sunday to pick up the small, sticky, black pellets which appeared along the high tide mark in large numbers.The tarry deposits were lying in the sand, sticking to pebbles and coagulating on seaweed.
The bill for the operation, which involved Aberdeenshire Council workers and staff from environmental specialists Enviroco, is being met entirely by oil company Talisman Energy.
Talisman told 'The Banffshire Journal' on Monday: "The initial operation to clean up Banff beach, after oil pollution in the form of tar balls was washed ashore on Friday, was successfully completed 48 hours after it was first reported.
"Talisman Energy (UK) Limited worked with Aberdeenshire Council and pollution control experts to remove the oil from the beach.
"Shingle affected by the oil has been removed for cleaning off-site. and will be returned at a later date. The beach has re-opened.
"Talisman is carrying out tests to determine the source, but in the meantime is assuming the pollution is a result of the small spill from the Beatrice Alpha platform earlier this month.
"As previously stated, Talisman will meet all costs associated with the clean-up, and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to monitor the affected area."
'The Banffshire Journal' was made aware of the problem on Friday morning by reader Aileen Gair from Macduff, who picked up the mess on her shoes, and her dog's feet while walking on the beach at Palmer Cove.
At Aberdeenshire Council's environmental health office in Banff, senior officer Alistair McBain confirmed that the council was already aware of the problem, and clean-up teams were on their way.
The beach was inspected by the council and a Talisman representative on Friday evening, and the 'beach closed' signs put up.
On Saturday, teams of men and JCB diggers started to work on both sides of the river mouth, scooping up the dirty sand, seaweed and stones from the beach, and putting them into one-tonne bags, before taking them away.
A week before, Talisman also tidied up a similar oil spill at Buckie.
Local volunteers from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society reacted to the Buckie spill by calling for a ban to proposed new oil exploration in the Moray Firth.
There was another leakage at the end of April, which the company also dealt with. Local observers believe last week's pollution was driven towards Banff by the northerly winds towards the end of the week.
Talisman Energy Inc is an independent upstream oil and gas company with headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
It operates the Beatrice field, 24km east of Helmsdale, and 30km due north of Spey Bay.
Beatrice oil is brought ashore through a pipeline to Nigg.
The company says it is committed to conducting its business in an ethically, socially and environmentally responsible manner.

Welcome to Team 2, 2008

2008-06-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

A huge welcome, (although, I'm in London!) to Team 2 of 2008. You're gonna have one of the best weeks ever! Someone post a few of your pics throughout the week so we all get a little taster of your fun!

Steve, get some more Team 1 pics up for them, so they know what they've got to live up to! Shame you lot drunk the honesty bar dry and ate all the pies and cakes in the village!

Bottlenose Boogie!

2008-06-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Steve, K and the Gang are a band! They've got their own album called 'Bottlenose Boogie', visit CRRU.org.uk to go buy a copy I believe!

Testing 1,2,3

2008-06-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

a quick test to see if the link between the blog (http://crru.blogspot.com/) and the Yahoo newsgroup is working!

If you get this, come visit the blog!

cheers,

Steve (on behalf of K and the Gang, which sounds like a band, really).

Thank you Steve

2008-06-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Many many thanks Steve (from our recent EW Elsevier team) for setting up this brand new blog for the CRRU team! Looking to my team and our recent EW participants to get this forum underway for the interim with their news and views. We are currently looking forward to meeting our next Earthwatch team who will be arriving next Monday. Miserable weather here today, so lots of makiing up for the lack of suveys these past few days when they get here. All things good to everyone, kev

Welcome to the CRRU blog

2008-06-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new CRRU blog - the home of all things cetacean in the Moray Firth :-)

Hopefully we will be able to update you with CRRU news about current expeditions, research, conservation news and other things of interest.. for example, great videos of Bottlenose Dolphins foraging in the Firth!