The aim of the project is to study the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) living in the area and to make contact with local fishermen and other sea-goers to encourage them to report any sightings and other pertinent information. I joined the project as a volunteer for a week to assist in these objectives.
On my first day on the project we were lucky enough to find the dolphins as they followed a trawler and we were able to take plenty of photos of the dolphins and, most importantly, their dorsal fins which will aid in the identification of the individual animals. In the group that we saw we estimated there to be at least 7 individuals and we spent some time during the rest of the week editing photos and trying to match them up to start the catalogue of these dolphins.
For a few days we were at the mercy of the Garbí and unable to get out to sea and, unfortunately, on the other two days when we did make it out, the bottlenose dolphins did not put in an appearance and neither did any of the other cetaceans which can be found in this area. We did see some seabirds including gulls, terns and shearwaters which was some consolation!
Here are some of the photos that I took on that first magical day.
