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| Encounter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We began our survey at 9.30 in the morning. It was slightly windy, yet the sea was calm and the sky was somewhat cloudy. At 9.54 we came across a group of common dolphins, we followed them and they immediately started to bowride. This made it easy for us to determine the group structure. The group was made up of four adults and four calves. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| At 10.10 we realised that there was another small group of dolphins behind us and five minutes later they had joined us and the other dolphins. This group consisted of five animals all adults. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dolphin rounding up the fish. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The thirteen strong group continued moving as a uint until 10.24 when the animals dispersed and commenced foraging. We decided to stop pursuing them and look from a distance. Incredibly only ten minutes later we were aware that a bait ball was being rounded up. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The doomed prey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yellow-legged gulls appeared from nowhere, it seemed, and were plunging into the sea reaping the rewards of the dolphins work. The aerial bombardment did not seem to deter the dolphins as adults and calves were seen ploughing through the revolving mass of fish. At 11.00 we decided to move in and dip our small net to see what the vanishing prey item was.It was an easy endeavour and we were rewarded with some horse-mackerel which we promptly put back into the sea , to the delight of the seagulls. The bait ball was devoured by 11.15. For us it was a short encounter, much as it was for the mackerel, but somehow more memorable. |
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| Feeding frenzy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | Striped dolphin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Who we are | Research | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common dolphin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bottlenose dolphin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Photo gallery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||