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Teachers in the Field |
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Teachers in the Field |
January 17, 2002
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The plan was to go out to the Gulf of Mexico and then go down the coast to Venice and for the final leg of the journey to return up the intercoastal. Venice is in the lower right corner of the map. |
| We sighted our first dolphins of the day as we got to the other side of the bridge. We saw a mom and her calf and three other dolphins. Good beginning to this day! |
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In the Gulf of Mexico we spotted no dolphins as we barrelled down the coast to Venice. It was windy because of the boat speed. It felt raw and damp like a typical Rhode Island foggy weather day. We turned in at Venice and the wind died down as we entered the intercoastal. We had to slow down to a crawl because it was a manatee zone. The manatees are not around now, because of the colder winter temperatures, but the slow speed zones still apply. The manatees return in March with the warmer waters. |
| As we went under a bridge we slowed down to wait for a certain dolphin, nicknamed "Beggar", who inhabits these waters. Beggar learned to approach boats and was rewarded by food being tossed out to him. He stays and continues his learned behavior. |
Beggar's bridge with boats passing |
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I fell in love with the imp and his mischievous
look. I was careful to keep my hands in the boat though. I had
been warned that once Beggar chomped on a woman who wanted to pet him, but
offered no food. She got a nasty bite in return.
What are your thoughts about Beggar and his adopted lifestyle? |
| Who is this man to the right? He is
the original "Dolphinman," Dr. Randy Wells. Today he was the "captain" of
my boat and had left officework to once again search and survey for his beloved
animals. Over 30 years ago, Dr. Wells started the Dolphin Research Project
and his project has tracked more than 2,000 individual dolphins along the
Sarasota coast. He grew up in landlocked Peoria, Illinois. A
Florida vacation and watching the television specials of French undersea explorer,
Jacques Cousteau, inspired his dream to become a marine biologist.
Write about your "dreams" in your journal! |
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contact
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