WInTER In oUR WonDERFUL BAy Jeff Weir, Executive Director, Dolphin Research Institute As the days growshorter life in our wonderful bay actuallyheats up A recipe of warm water and summer sun, fed bynutrients from the land, cooks up a giant planktonsoup that supports athriving food chain overour bay s cooler months.
From land you see birds diving and when you getcloser you see dolphins, seals and penguins herdingschools of bait fish into tight balls.
Australasian gannets dive from great heights, littlewonder many end their lives with broken bones afteryears of hammering into the water.
Pacific gulls and silver gulls join in and we seefluttering shearwaters follow the dolphins and pick upthe fish that the dolphins round up Then as regular as clockwork, the first week of winter bringsgiant visiting humpback and southern right whales.
It seems like the numbers of humpbacks have increased andin 2012 we saw the remarkable spectacle of five young malehumpback whales competing for dominance near Mt Martha.
Imagine animals the size of tourist coaches playing demolitionderby there was blood and skin on the water It s timely to remember not to approach these big whales closer than 200 metres and for dolphins, 100m.
Last year researchersoff the US coast were badly injured and when a large whale breached on their vessel.
Our bay is truly a remarkable place Community Dolphin Monitoring Project The Dolphin Research Institute has developed a citizen science project where volunteers are helping us to obtain a snapshot of what is happening along eastern Port Phillip to get a better understanding of the patterns of life.
During four hours on the second Sunday of each month keen volunteers base themselves at key vantage points from Mt Martha to Mt Eliza to record the movements of dolphins, seals, birds and even people.
If you would like to become involved contact the Institute on 1300 130 949 or admin dolphinresearch.org.au.
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