- Victor Harbor Dolphin Watch team
KI Dolphin Watch’s Phyll and Tony Bartram went on the water at Victor Harbor recently to introduce the programme to SA Whale Centre volunteers and students and staff from Investigator College. On Wednesday 20th April Nardi Cribb from Flinders University joined Phyll and Tony on a trip with Dan and Katie Irvine of “The Big Duck Toursâ€. The field survey was extraordinarily successful with approximately 20 – 25 Bottlenose dolphins observed feeding and milling in the area between Yilki Reef and Shark Alley, below the Bluff in Encounter Bay.The following day Joseph and Shauna, students from Investigator College and their teacher Rene, with SA Whale Centre volunteer Nedra, participated in the first official field survey and training, funded through a KI Dolphin Watch Community NRM Management Grant -“Tracking the Home Rangeâ€. Again the area around Shark Alley provided excellent observations with the pod reappearing and travelling round similar areas to the previous day. This appears to be part of a regular pattern which has allowed Victor Harbor volunteers to quickly develop a catalogue of a dozen animals following a downloading workshop at the SA Whale Centre.
Claire Thwaites, Editor of “The Times†accompanied the group and wrote an article about the project. Her infectious enthusiasm was a highlight and augurs well for future coverage and support. Liason and organisation by Tori Williams, Education Officer at the Whale Centre, were greatly appreciated by all concerned and were instrumental in the successful launch of the project.