This blog was created to allow the public to follow two
manatees, Rita and her calf Georgie, as scientists track them after their
release back into the wild. Please return for weekly updates.
NOTES
FROM THE FIELD – WEEK 3:
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| 'H-antenna' |
Using wildlife tracking receivers, signal attenuators and a hand held
‘H-antenna,’ the tracking team were able to pick up strong VHF signals from
within the Great Harbour Cay marina, indicating that Rita and Georgie were
either in the marina or outside, in the harbour. We found both tagged manatees
a few feet away from the marina office on the south side of the marina. Georgie
was observed nursing and being very social with her mother, Rita. Acoustic
recordings, photos and videos were collected from this encounter.
04-May-2012
Early
morning Argos satellite locations indicated that Rita and Georgie were still in
Great Harbour Cay harbour. Overnight they traveled throughout the harbour and in
the morning we found them feeding in an area known as a feeding site used by
the resident Great Harbour Cay animals. Both tagged animals spent the majority of
the day feeding in this area. After checking on Rita and Georgie, the tracking team
went to search the harbour for the four resident manatees but was unable to
find them.
The
rest of the day was spent talking to local and visiting boaters about manatees
and how important it is to maintain idle speed when traveling in the harbour. “Slow
Down” manatee signs have been placed in various locations throughout the
harbour and on the island. These signs were provided by the Save the Manatee Club.
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| The tracking team putting up "Slow Down" signs during the first week of tracking. |
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| Manatee posters provided by Save the Manatee Club posted at the local Clinic office. |
05-May-2012
Shortly
after 9am, a quick walk on the balcony made our tracking work easier than
expected! A manatee head came peeking out from under a boat tied up next to the
house and sure enough it was Rita! Both, Rita and Georgie spent the majority of
the day feeding just in front of where we are staying. They were observed
feeding on brown algae and sea grass and resting at the surface. As local boats
slowly entered and left the harbour, the manatees continued to feed in the same
area, with little visible reaction to the noise from the boats idling slowly
past them.
After
confirming that the manatees were in the harbour, we spent the morning working
on educational materials for an upcoming visit to R.N. Gomez All Age School,
here in the Berry Islands. The primary level students will be introduced to
basic manatee biology and have the opportunity to see the tags used on Rita and
Georgie.
By 4pm,
Rita and Georgie presumably had a belly full of food and began to head out of
the marina towards the harbour. We watched as they traveled towards another
feeding hotspot just outside of the marina’s entrance, and then moved back into
the marina where they remained for the next hour.
This
was a great day for not only the locals but for boaters to see the animals in
their natural environment and realise how important it is for them to drive
slow in the harbour.
06-May-2012
In the
early morning, satellite locations showed that Rita and Georgie had left the
harbour and were heading north along the west coast of Great Harbour Cay. They
traveled to Lignum Vitae Cay where we believe they were feeding on the sea
grass beds in the area. After a few hours in this area, they continued around
to the east side of the island and began traveling down the east coast of Great
Harbour. This route is very similar to the route they took during their first
week in the Berry Islands. Manatees have very good memory and rely on it to
navigate to areas they have visited in the past.
Kendria
and a local fisherman, Alvin Rolle, spent the afternoon traveling by road along
the east coast to track Rita and Georgie. Tag signals were picked up for both
animals but Alvin and Kendria were unable to see the animals from shore.
At
10pm, satellite locations indicated that Rita and Georgie had turned back
around and headed back north towards the east side of Great Stirrup Cay.
Team
members Delano Springer (Dolphin Cay, Atlantis) and Olivia Patterson (Friends
of the Environment) headed back to Nassau and Abaco today. Both are involved
with educational outreach in their “real” jobs and their learning experience
with the manatees at Great Harbour Cay will provide excellent material to share
with young Bahamians and help generate interest in marine mammals in The
Bahamas.
07-May-2012
Russell
Morgan (Dolphin Cay, Atlantis) returned to help Kendria Ferguson (BMMRO) with
the field tracking. In the morning they headed north to Lignum Vitae Cay to check
on Rita and Georgie.
The
tagged manatees were found hugging the coast line where they were feeding on
seagrass. Initially, the tracking team thought that Rita and Georgie were by
themselves but were surprised to find the juvenile male was also with them.
This
area has become a feeding hotspot for both tagged manatees as they have visited
this cay on numerous occasions since their re-introduction into the wild.
08-May-12
High
south winds prevented the tracking team from getting an early start in tracking
Rita and Georgie up north. Instead, they spent the morning working on the
‘Manatee Blog’ and preparing for their upcoming school visit.
Later
that day we welcomed, Kelly Sweeting, a scientist from the Dolphin Communication
Project in Bimini. Shortly after her arrival a shift in wind direction
allowed the tracking team to go search for Rita and Georgie. Tag VHF signals
were being picked up from within the harbour but because they were not as strong
signals as they would have been if Rita and Georgie were in the harbour, the
tracking team then headed out of the harbour cut to search for them. As we got
out of the cut and started to head north the signals were getting stronger,
which prompted us to slow down and search within the area. Rita and Georgie
were found hugging the coastline and heading towards the harbour entrance.
With a
few boats on their way into the harbour, the tracking team used this time to direct
the fishermen and tourists as they entered. By surprise, Russell also noticed
that there were a few animals ahead of Rita and Georgie also making their way
into the harbour entrance. We believe Rita and Georgie may have been following
the other manatees or were previously with them.
09-May-12
At
6:30am, Argos locations showed that Rita and Georgie were just north of
Bullocks Harbour. High winds would prevent the tracking team from heading on
the water to search for Rita and Georgie.
Jimmy
Darville, a local fisherman, informed Kendria that there were three manatees on
the backside of the causeway. This mangrove system is linked to the harbour and
can be accessed by the manatees by swimming under a bridge. On their way into
the Bullocks Harbour, the tracking team saw Jimmy fishing in the area and the
juvenile male just a few feet away from his boat. Gina and her calf, JJ, were
also in the mangrove system observed to be feeding and resting.
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| Top Left: A student pretends to be a manatee with a tracking tag. Bottom Left: The students received manatee bookmarks, provided by Save the Manatee Club. They also received manatee acitivity booklets and a 'I love Manatees' sticker. Top Right: The boys of the upper primary school using the 'H-antennae' and transmitter to locate their classmates, who were holding the tag. |
A plot of the locations of Rita and Georgie via Argos
satellite shows their third weeks' movement around Great Harbour Cay; arrows
indicate direction of travel from Great Harbour Cay harbour to Great Stirrup Cay.
