Day 2 report by Eugene (Otter team):

Off to the Otter Area, at Moss Landing, for our first attempt at testing our observation and logging skills, where we were certainly not disappointed by the show of otters in the channel. Foraging sessions kept us busy with the otters feasting on worms (long red sausage like) and later clams. That certainly kept us all busy at our logging sheets. Dolphins and Sea Lions nearby added to the atmosphere. Observing rafts (Otter groupings) followed. This was somewhat more difficult in the tighter units to distinguish the different otter antics, in playing, resting travelling and grooming. All this in company of three ladies (in their mid 70s) working away at their watercolors!
Our stomachs' yearning for Burritos in liu of the packed lunch rewarded us with an extensive solo performance by Ophelia, an otter at the boat anchorage site. Larry put all his filming skills in capturing this on video.
A change of wind and the inflow of fog sent us back to base for a data logging session, and looking forward to a Frittata dinner prepared by Anna & Peter.

Day 2 report from Hiroko (Dolphin Team):

What a wonderful shining day it was!
Yes, here is California where I expected!!
Today Sean, Anna, Bill, Donna and I went on the dolphin reserch.
It was exciting day, we saw 6 dolphins. Some of them were milling very near our boat!! We have to shout when we found any animals. Like a "Tweleve o'clock dolphin!". However, it was hard to recogninze what animal it was.
For me, it was easy to find a dead sun fish (Japanese MAMBO)...
During the reserch, we were sitting on the boat that was very cold and almost froze. However all members are so nice and warm. Anyway, I enjoy a lot!!

Welcome Team 6!

(oops, on the audio blog I say "Welcome Team 5"...need sleep)

Listen to the audioblog to meet each of the teammates.
(There is a short pause after my erroneous intro, so keep listening to meet everyone!)



Not featured in the group photo is a visitor from the Earthwatch office, our events manaager, Rachel Borgesano. Too bad she could only join us in the field for Day 1. Check out the Earthwatch Events page on the Earthwatch website to learn more about events in your area!

Team 5/6 Break update from Anna:

After Team's 5 departure, we all had a few days to relax. Peter enjoyed two whale watches, Sean spent his time catching leopard sharks in the slough and I was visited by my mom and aunt. We went on a whale watch, visited Phil's Fish Market and Peter drove us into the bay on the Spy Hop. Monica was our prime dolphin spotter! We enjoyed some nice dinners at our favorite sushi place, the Crystal Fish, went to Passionfish, and foraged at Pacific Grove's mexican restaurant, Peppers. On Thursday night, I brought my mom and aunt to the ice cream rodeo and we all got on the horse, but unfortunately we don't have photos to share.

Unfortunately, my family had to depart on Saturday, but we were joined by another visitor, Rachel B., the events manager from the Earthwatch office.

Team 5 Otter Census/Research Food for Thought, reported by Brian Wegner

On Monday 2 October (Day 8) Team 5 conducted the periodic otter census in the entire Elkhorn Slough. The field team was lead by Daniella, driving Spyhop, assisted by Rania, Lynn, Shinae, and myself. We starting in the early afternoon in hopes of noting an increased foraging population at low tide, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. While boating up the slough we saw numerous shorebirds in the Elkhorn reserve, an ideal habitat for snowy and great egrets, brown pelicans, godwits, and several other species. But we didn’t see a whole lot of our endearing sea otters. Proceeding back towards Monterey Bay we commenced our census count and location data collection. By the time we reached the Moss Landing channel breakwater, we had counted a total of 44 sea otters, an unusually low number considering an estimated population of approximately 80 sea otters in the Slough. Fortunately, during our early morning field excursion today (3 October), we observed 83 otters in area 3, the typical rafting location of a considerable number of the sea otters in the Slough, at dawn just prior to sunrise.
I was very happy to see that the Slough sea otter population had not dropped precipitously. The Team had hypothesized that the low census count may be an indicator the otters were shifting their foraging and activity patterns to the Bay outside Moss Landing Harbor due to the possibility of more food availability. This morning we observed the 83 otters in the area 3 rafting location at dawn quickly dispersed, with many foraging in the channel and a considerable number of otters exiting to Monterey Bay. Within two hours of sunrise only 20 – 30 otters remained in the raft, and the number of foragers, groomers, and players were high compared to those resting. As noon approached, the population increased to about 40 otters with the majority resting in a very tight raft following their early morning burst of activity. As Robert reported earlier, it was indeed a very interesting day in the field.
As my time with Team 5 is coming to a close, I have thought about the challenges, difficulties, requirements, and need to study sea otters and dolphins, as well as many areas of nature. The hypothesizing above is of an elementary nature and is purely conjecture based on sparse data. Much more data must to be collected to confirm the repeatability and consistency of basic behavior conclusions, with the need to collect even more data and conduct more analyses to determine whether and what human behavior – if any - is impacting the well-being of the southern sea otters and what policies should be adopted to ensure a healthy and thriving population. Understanding biology is not physics or engineering and nature has a complex laboratory - difficult, if not impossible, to control. One cannot ask an otter or dolphin why it behaves as it does, and the circumstances surrounding behavioral activity cannot be duplicated or consistently repeated to easily confirm observations. Despite these difficulties and challenges, we owe it to our earth and our conscience to do everything we can to ensure we are not damaging or endangering the rich and diverse environment with which we have been entrusted.

Small Blog in Maltese - Robert

Kif intom Celine u Eugene?
Din hija l-ahhar gurnata tieghi hawnhekk! Esperjenza tal-genn kif tista tghid wkoll Celine! Awguri Eugene u nispera li tara hafna delfini, sea otters u baleni. Monterrey post tal-genn kif wkoll l-istaff hawnhekk. Niltaqaw Malta wara l-esperjenza tieghek.

Last Day on the Field - By Robert


Today, being the last day on the field was quite different the the previous ones. Peter, Lynn, Brian, Jill and myself left the house early in the morning around 5:30am and drove up north towards Moss landing Harbour to do the usual sea otter observation surveys.

Quite an early start for the day! However, it was all worthed being up so early as was quite amazing to watch the wildlife in the area at that time of the day. The weather was good - clear skies, good visibility, calm seas, although quite chilly. However, later on during the day the sun was shining and the rest of the day was pretty hot.

Before dawn, as it still dark, we counted around eighty otters which were all in the same area. Later on, by sunrise the group began to scatter, and by the time we left the field (around noon) there were only 45 in the same area.

We started off our work on the field by looking for sea otter footprints and also sea otter scat, which we've collected for lab sampling. After that, Jill and myself observed different otter behavioural patterns by recording the number of sea otters exiting and entering the harbour. We also observed a sea otter carrying a pup which was coming in from the ocean. In the meantime, Brian and Jill did the 5 min sea otter behaviour survey. Later on during the day, after a well deserved coffee break, both teams swapped roles.

We also saw a few dolphins just off the harbour jetties which were heading north.

Another exceptional day!!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Daniela, Peter, Anna, Sean and Shinae for their dedicated work and also the other volunteers on this project for making this a most enjoyable and unforgettable experience.

Traditions.

Mission for Teams 6 and 7: get Peter on the horse.

(hint: we have learned that peer pressure does not work)

Evening report by Anna:

Although we typically go out into the field in the mornings, it is important to sample otter behavior at all times of day, during all tides and weather. Today we departed Pacific Grove in the early afternoon and planned to stay in Moss Landing harbor, observing raft until just before dinner. When we arrived at the state beach parking lot, only four of the otters were in the usual rafting place, the group had moved out into the harbor channel, apparently evading some kayakers that were approaching a little too close. Sarah and Jill began 5-minute behavioral scans on Area 2 while Brian and Lynn scoped out the channel where we typically find otters foraging. Most of the otters we found were grooming and traveling out to open sea. As we watched one leave the channel, Brian and Lynn spotted a bird on the water that was behaving unusually, flapping its wings on the surface, although not really going anywhere. I walked out on the jetty for a closer look, and found that it was entangled in some fishing gear. Brian joined me on the jetty to take photographs, but unfortunately, we couldn't reach it. We called California Fish and Game dispatch to attend to the situation, so hopefully someone got out there after we departed. Please remember to take care of your fishing gear!

When we walked back to the parking area to check on Sarah and Jill, there was a baptismal ceremony taking place at Track Beach!! There were lots of onlookers singing and clapping, and we watched the guy submerge into the slough water. After the crowds dispersed, Sarah and Jill continued to observe Area 2 while Lynn, Brian and I scoped out Areas 6, 8 and 9....no otters taking an evening swim.

Lynn and Brian then took over the behavioral scans so Sarah, Jill and I could walk the beaches, scanning the surf for our favorite cetaceans. And Jill spotted them! Although I don't know how she saw dorsal fins while sticking her nose in bull kelp....(photo coming soon)

Day off report by Rania:

A day full of fun and excitement! Finally the weather began to get better. This was our day off, so we all made sure to make the most out of it and to explore the area as much as possible.

As for me and Robert, we went on a whale watching trip which turned out to be really great as we saw five humpback whales and we managed to take a few good pictures of them too.

Later we went on a tour that took us all around Monterey, from cannery row to the 17 miles drive. The scenery there was just amazing. After coming back we had a walk all around Fisherman’s Wharf.

We just didn’t let the fun end up so quickly; later in the evening Anna, Shinae and Sean suggested that we would all go out for sushi. I’ve been hearing them talking about wanting to order sushi ever since I got here, so I got curious and wanted to give it a try. Robert also decided to come along.

I believe it was really exciting to try something totally new. I tried different kinds of sushi. Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t like any, but to my surprise, some of them were really good!! My favorite one is called “pink lady” which is mainly made out of crabs. I think I might become a sushi lover too !

Today's report from Shinae:

Another fabulous day on Bottlenose dolphin survey! The weather wasn't too cooperative with clouds and thick mist, which almost felt like a rain, but we were prepared with lots of layers. Today's dolphin survey team, Brian, Robert, Rania, Sean and I left Moss Landing harbor shortly after 8am and saw two dolphins just as we were leaving the channel. We followed them to the south part of the bay and saw our first school of dolphins consisting of at least two pairs of cow/calf pairs and a few adults.

As the dolphins started to scatter we moved to the North Bay where we spotted a second school of dolphins included at least seven to ten dolphins. Among them, we observed as two dolphins cooperatively chased, pinned , and played with a large fish. As the dolphins tossed the fish into the air near the surf line, Sean identified the prey as a King salmon . It was an incredible sight!

The waves getting roughter and the wind was cold but we coudln't possibly call it a day, so we decided to go back to the South Bay to see if the first school of dolphins we saw ealier was still around. We started seeing few dolphins as we came close to the channel of the harbor and several more off the South Bay. The two cow/calf pairs we observed ealier in the morning from the first school of dolphins were still there! The excitement started when Sean and Brian shouted out "One of them caught a fish!!". We all turned around kept our eyes open (I kept my camera open) to see what it has in it's mouth. It was extremely hard to take a snap shot of the dolphin when it came out of the surface with a light colored object in it's mouth. I managed to take a single photo that is hard to clearely identify what it was in the dolphin's mouth.

Later when we came back to the house, Daniela thought it might have been a fetus of the dolphin, which she has seen a dead calf/immature fetus carried around by dolphins. On our way back to the harbor from such an exciting day at the sea, we saw a sealion feeding on a sunfish. Aside from being wet and cold, It truly was an amazing day.

This morning at 10am, Sean will be speaking about whale disentanglement on the local NPR station:KUSP 88.9 Santa Cruz. If you are in the bay area this morning, give a listen. It should also be posted on the web soon after the program is aired.

Listen to to the broadcast at http://www.kusp.org/shows/totb.html.

Please note: Although the written description of the program for September 28th is incorrect, the file does have the correct recording.

Thank you, Ruth, for sending the care package! We all agreed that your homemade cookies were delicious, the Belmont Hill water bottles have already been utilized in the field and I LOVED the maple cookies!

How, you may ask, does Ruth know I am so fond of maple? It's probably because she watched me wolf down two giant maple bars at the Woodwards Marine fuel dock the morning of the Whale Disentanglement. It could also be that I talk endlessly about eating maple cotton candy at the Big E. I hope all New Englanders that have been reading the blog have also made a trip to my favorite fair. (Maple cotton candy can be found in the New Hampshire Building, Enjoy!)

A Great First Day in the Field for Team 5 Sea Otters: Report by Brian and Audioblog by Lynn

Though the weather was cloudy and quite cool, not atypical for Moss Landing and the mouth of Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay – even in September, the marine mammal activity was fabulous, perhaps also not atypical. As the Sea Otter monitoring group entered the coastal state park observation area, several dozen harbor seals were lying and resting on the sandy beach along the slough. A multitude of shore birds were active, but for me, most amazing were the dozens of brown pelicans flying all around. At the observation area just inside the breakwater/channel of the slough, about 30 of the roughly 80 southern sea otters that live in the slough were “hanging out”. Shortly after learning the sea otter activity monitoring data taking requirements and procedures, the bottlenose dolphin monitoring team on the Bay reported significant dolphin activity just outside the Moss Landing breakwater, so we scurried to the Bay side of the dunes and the jetty. There we saw an active group of dolphins that remained in the general area until we left in the early afternoon. This in fact was atypical, as the dolphins had not been sighted in this area by the Earthwatch teams all summer. The sights were amazing, and included sighting a mother and her calf gallivanting inside the channel. Add to that the numerous harbor seals that curiously checked us out all day, and the occasional sea lion, it was a marine mammal lover’s paradise!

But the neatest sea otter experience occurred on our way home. Just prior to leaving the park area and getting on California Highway 1, we saw a single sea otter in the slough right next to the road. The road was actually a land bridge between two bodies of water in the slough with six buried underwater culverts that facilitated the tidal flow of water under the bridge. As it turned out, this medium grizzled, middle-aged otter was actively foraging clams and mussels. Adult sea otters, weighing about 45 – 60 pounds, eat about 15 pounds of food daily to maintain their weight and body temperature. This area of the slough, and in particular the 2 foot diameter culverts, was apparently a rich food source. With the otter so close to the shore and road (sometimes within 30 feet), the team was able to positively identify it as a female, a very rare observation – males are somewhat easy to identify but females can seldom be confirmed unless accompanied by a pup.

We postponed our return to the house for nearly an hour, recording the event as the otter continuously dove and foraged in front of our very eyes. On two occasions she retrieved a cluster of mussels numbering 10-12, and she proceeded to crack each shell and devour its contents. When the otter found a particularly large clam, we observed that she would also grab a rock, which it placed on its belly and then used her paws to slam the clam on the rock to break it open. Her final dive seemed to be taking longer than previous dives – she had been surfacing in about 30 seconds because of the good food supply, though otters can stay submerged for up to 5 minutes if necessary – and then we noticed that she had surfaced on the other side of the road! The otter swam through the culvert to the other side, where this summer’s teams had never seen an otter. In fact, that area of the slough had not even been designated a number, so today we assigned it as Area Zero.

It was exciting to observe the otter actively foraging at such close range, and to see the otter do something not previously sighted. It was a great way to end our first day in the field. We are looking forward to more great experiences as we continue our research.

Welcome Team 5!

As usual, we have an international crew! From left to right: Robert is from Malta and Rania is from Egypt; they have both been sponsored by their employer HSBC bank to participate in the project and are charged with doing a community outreach project when they return home. They are both excited, and sure to take the experience home. Brian and Lynn are joining us from Austin, Texas. This is their first Earthwatch team, and they have come ready for all tasks! (They've also been putting in some additional hours in the kitchen...as I type this, I am smelling Brian's lasagna cooking in the oven...mmmmmmmm). Last, but not least, are Jill and Sarah our mother-daugher powerhouse from Whales. Over the past several years, Sarah has volunteered on lots of dolphin projects all over the world, and she has taken her mum along to help us in Monterey Bay. We appreciate their experience with the dolphins, and are showing them the ropes with our friendly otters.

Do you like sushi? Our crew certainly does. the project staff members ritually dine on sushi between teams.

Between Teams 1 and 2 we went to the Crystal Fish on Lighthouse; between 2 and 3 we tried out Takara in Pacific Grove one day and another evening we used our chopsticks to pick maki and nigiri off of the otter trays at Toyota on Wave St; between 3 and 4 we sampled the fish at Sakuru on Lighthouse; and on our most recent break....we enjoyed sushi 3 nights in a row!! It was a must after we were joined by Shinae Yoon who is a student of Daniela's back at UMASS and a fellow sushi addict. We went back to the Crystal Fish on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday evening brought us back to the resting otters at Toyota. Yummmmmm.......

Farewell to Team 4!

It was an exciting team, and everyone was very patient with the unfriendly sea conditions that we encountered.
Although we didn't have too much in the way of dolphin photo id, we had a lot of great experiences. it was the first team that we tried a night otter survey, and now we know that when the sun sets....it gets dark.

And I never did get the full story about the egg.

Happy Birthday Andy!

Otter Census:

Today Celine, Ashley and Tom joined Tom Kieckhefer on the otter cenus in the slough. We met Tom K at the North Harbor launch ramp in the late morning, and before departing into the slough he shared with us his sea otter collection. He had shells as examples of different prey items, an otter skull, a pelt and in the photo, Ashely is holding a 15lbs weight that illstrates how much food an adult otter consumes in one day!

The crew was up the slough for over 4 hours and the counted 69 otters for the day, and one sickly sea lion up at Kirby Park.