Dolphins & Naturalist In The Know

Being in the “now” is also being in the Know.

And that’s what I share with student Sentinels that help me to monitor Fishers Island. It is a perfect fit of ecosystems just waiting to be discovered with young naturalists bound to become very familiar with natural history-in the making.

Living these months side by side with the Indian River Lagoon, bicycling to class I realized I had myself unintentionally acquired an entirely new but now familiar monitoring “route”.

It has grown from a local Gopher Tortoise nesting under steps leading to the beach, a Brown Pelican flock flying frequently in the 3 o’clock shadow, a keen eyed Kestral perched on a telephone wire, River Otter scat “somewhere” near a fishing dock, one Pileated Woodpecker routinely darting across the bike path, Calico scallops in a neighborhood tidal pool….

And this morning’s grand finale-DOLPHINS!

There are between 200-800 Bottlenose dolphins in the Lagoon, like humans they have established different local communities-ocean dolphins differing from the estuary population.

I note the “Fab Five”. Looks like a family, at least one yearling and an “auntie” or two.

Individual animals can be identified by bodily scars along with dorsal fin shape and size (I spy a notch and nicks).

Each day as I pedal across the causeway I have anticipated observing and possibly monitoring local dolphins swimming and fishing below the bridge.

Now, I am in the Know!