Tag: conservation project

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Azores : Perseverance rewarded

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Having welcomed group 2 to the expedition, we quickly embarked on the project orientations, equipment briefings and scientific survey training. Fortunately, this all went to plan, so we could make the best of the available weather window, to get out on our survey vessel – Physeter.

This meant a longer than anticipated trip on Sunday, which resulted in some well-earned records. One of our team has been on the Azores expedition on two previous occasions, but had yet to see a ‘true whale’, despite being party to an orca sighting in 2019 (the largest member of the dolphin family). This record was soon broken with a fin whale sighting and followed up with more blue whale records. If at first you don’t succeed……..it is worth trying again and again. Congratulations Neil, a great way to ‘chalk up’ your first whales!

Our second day at sea also started with the now obligatory blue whale sighting. Yes, these magnificent beasts have now been spotted every day we have been at sea in 2025 – that may also be a record for the expedition. This was followed by a rather frustrating group of sperm whales, who seemed more interested in socialising with each other and not feeding. This means no diving and that means no fluke pictures with which we can identify individuals. Some common dolphins provided some intermittent entertainment, whilst we waited, and waited and waited. Of some 25-30 whales in an area south of Pico, we returned to port (after a wet and bumpy journey) with fluke pictures from only two. Kudos to Pedro (our skipper) for getting us back to port.

The Atlantic weather systems decided the next day would be on land. This not only gave us a chance to process some of the data from the previous days at sea, but also learn how the data can be used by others. Maria Ines (a Masters student from the University of the Azores) gave an excellent presentation of spatio-temporal dynamics of common dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Azores, based largely on POPA (Programa de Observação para as Pescas do Açores = Observation Programme for the Fisheries of the Azores) data, which is also a key element of the expedition data collection. Understanding the importance of the Azores archipelago for these species is contingent on the availability of long-term data sets.

We look forward to more sightings and more data in the coming days.

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Azores : More

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

It has been a great effort by group 1, even if our last sea day was cut short by the increasing winds. Undeterred by the limited weather window we still managed another two blue whale encounters. That means blue whales have been located on every single day we have been at sea – staggering! The shorter day meant an opportunity for more data sorting and presentations from the local university, to give perspective on the power of our data.

Such data collection requires effort, and over the past few days we’ve spent over 33 hours at sea, covered almost 500 km of surveys, resulting in just over of 50 cetacean encounters across 11 different species. We should also not forget our first loggerhead turtle for 2025, and multiple bird species that were also recorded. Not a bad data haul for this time of year.

Safe to say, we already have a number of highlights. From rare species encounters to extremes of sea state, but surfing orcas will persist in the memories of many in the group. The dockside painting for 2025 has also been started, based on imagery from our own sightings. On the flip side, the realisation that our catering had been cancelled one night, an hour before dinner might give me a few more sleepless nights, but there is always plan B, C or D!

It’s been great to kick off the 2025 expedition with such a fantastic group who have shown textbook teamwork with endless effort and humour – you have been a joy to work and spend time with, thank you. But as we say farewell to group 1, we are now excited to meet and welcome group 2. Safe travels to you.

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Azores : Sightings galore

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Our survey sightings have continued where we left off, and almost unbelievably the bar has been pushed even higher. Encounters with blue whales and fin whales have continued – Tim (and others) has been blown away by the fact that we are seeing the largest creature ever to exist, on a daily basis!

We have also managed to add a humpback whale encounter to the data set, but better was still to come. Returning to Horta on one of our survey days over the weekend, we had a ‘random’ encounter with a couple of Sowerby’s beaked whales. To paraphrase Lisa, you can count on one hand how many times beaked whales have been recorded on the past 18 expeditions.

However, there was even more to come, and Pedro, our ever-alert skipper, also spotted a minke whale. They are fast, relatively small, with low blows; so hard to find, and rank amongst the least recorded species in the Azores – a great sighting and fantastic data.

With the weather still on our side, our species list was to increase further still, with a group of non-cooperative sperm whales – i.e. they were socialising and not diving, so very limited fluke pictures for ‘matching’ purposes. More work to be done here. Whilst blue whale encounters seem to continue like clockwork, punctuated by more common dolphins and a fin whale. Monday saw the addition of Risso’s dolphins, following yet another random encounter to the south of Pico.

Recording cetaceans on most days at sea is what we hope for, but the realisation of new records and rare encounters is beyond all our expectations. Over the past ten years, I can’t remember a start to an expedition like this one. May the good weather and our good luck continue.

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Azores : Blue birthday

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

The expedition started a bit late as incoming flights were re-routed due to strong winds. The team – in true expedition style – took it all in its stride, with the normal project briefings, presentations and equipment training completed in the first couple of days. The inclement weather conditions have continued, meaning our first day at sea was delayed until Thursday.

This also coincided with Anne’s birthday, and when asked what she would like, she requested a blue whale! Unfortunately, the challenging conditions, rising to force 5-6, meant a brief encounter with common dolphins and a rare encounter with orcas. Not what anyone expected on the first day at sea – nor did we expect what followed.

Our next encounter was indeed a blue whale, followed by a fin whale, and so the afternoon continued … with multiple blue and fin whale encounters, with two blue whales fluking! This was punctuated by a large group of bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales. Well worth the effort, as the sea state meant just staying upright was an achievement. The team did fantastically on the data recording, and initial review of the imagery suggests at least four blue whale individuals were located – we will just have to wait on any ID matches.

So, apologies, Anne, for not delivering ‘a’ blue whale, but well worth the effort of the past few of days. Also huge thanks to the local vigias (lookouts) who assist us in finding many of our quarry. A fantastic start to the 2025 data collection and the bar has been set high!

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Azores : Strong winds

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

My flight to Horta on Sunday was cancelled due to bad weather. An unplanned extra day in Lisbon followed and some rapid replanning of the expedition preparation began. Huge thanks to Lisa for stepping in and help organise what she could in my absence – though there is limit to what you can do from a laptop in Lisbon. The good news is I have finally arrived in the Azores, albeit much later than expected. No real harm done, but the next day or so will be busy getting everything back on track. But this is an expedition, so it is great to have a plan, but as important is a willingness to change it and adapt.

Strong winds whipping up the surge at Horta beach

The good news is our hosts at Monte Da Guia (Silvia and Mario), Lenita (our housekeeper) and Lisa have been preparing the expedition base for group 1’s imminent arrival, and I will continue this evening.

We now just hope that the weather and whales (and other target species!) are on our side and we can look forward to some great fieldwork (and data collection) over the next few days.

So safe (and hopefully uninterrupted) travels to those of you on group 1 still en route and we look forward to meeting you all on Tuesday morning.

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Azores : Starting the 2025 expedition

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

It’s almost time to return to the Azores, which means it is also time for the initial introductions. I am Craig Turner and I’ll be your Expedition Leader on the Azores Expedition this year.

Craig Turner

The Azores has an allure that keeps drawing me back, and I know I am not the only one returning this year. Who doesn’t want to live on a volcano, in the middle of an ocean, searching for a diverse array of charismatic species, including some of the biggest creatures to ever roam our planet! It is always great to be going back to the Azores. Whilst my home patch of water (Loch Ness) has its own monstrous appeal (and I spend a lot of time on it with the RNLI), the mid-Atlantic is vast, and despite this, we do have a better chance sighting the beasts that frequent the depths!

I am currently organising and packing my kit, checking that I have all I need for the next month – so don’t forget to check the project dossier.

It will be great to meet up with old friends and colleagues from previous years, not least, our scientist Lisa Steiner – it has now been over ten years since I first worked with Lisa. If you want to find cetaceans in the Azores, then as many know she is the person to find them. If you have seen the latest expedition report and Lisa’s publications, then you’ll know, not what to expect, but what we hope to record. Last year, you’ll note they had a variety of records – so you never can be too sure what ‘data’ we will collect. Dare I say it, blue whales have already been sighted! Just cross your fingers and do the relevant dance for good weather….

I arrive in Faial over the weekend, a couple of days before meeting the first group, in order to set up the expedition headquarters. I’ll send around another message once I get on the ground in Horta and confirm my local contact details.

I hope you’ve all been eagerly reading your expedition materials and know to bring many layers of clothing. The weather is often very Scottish – so prepare for warm, cold, wet and dry – sometimes on the same day. Don’t forget your sunglasses or your waterproof trousers – you’ll thank me when you are stationed on the bow of the boat as a lookout and the weather is choppy (so also bring your motion sickness pills/patches – if you know you need them!) otherwise you’ll be feeding the fish!

So, with the local team in place, whale sightings already recorded by Lisa, all we are missing is you. It will be great to meet you all and I’ll send along another update very soon.

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Thailand: Done

Update from our Elephant conservation volunteer holiday Thailand

The Thailand 2024 expedition has now ended and all citizen scientist have left base with a little sadness, but also a spring in their step and plans to join future expeditions. It’s suddenly gone very quiet here without them. Just the sounds of cicadas, children, chickens, dogs, a passing buffalo and the calming gurgle of the river.

The last few days saw us continuing to observe the elephants and record their behaviour, adding to the impressive dataset. The final day in the field was hot, but fortunately for us the elephants headed for the shade of the forest and the cool of the streams for most of the time and we all had a wonderful few hours watching elephants forage, explore, dust bathe, drink and interact: simply living the natural elephant life.

Over the course of the expedition, we collected 142 hours of records of elephant activity, calf development, types of plants eaten and association between individual elephants. We also completed two biodiversity transect surveys near to base. Scientist Laura is really happy with what we have achieved and in due course she will write up the results and conclusions from our data in the expedition report.

Our final hike back from the forest was great. We passed and greeted the locals sharing the same trail, by foot and motorbike, to get to the rice fields. We enjoyed the sight of butterflies, lizards and praying mantises.

I would like to thank the excellent team at KSES – Kerri, Laura and Cris – who hosted us, oversaw the science and gave us an insight into the world of captive Asian elephants released into their natural habitat. Thank you to Kanda, our young local guide who kept us safe and was always so warm and smiley. Thanks too to the villagers of Ban Naklang who fed and accommodated us in their home stays: Baw Eh, Tawahmoh, Nee, Jadee, Lujet and Seeva. And a big thank you to Neele, Anette, Stephen, Brandon, Jim, Rachel and Ed, the expedition citizen scientists who made this conservation research expedition such a success. You were a great team: hard-working, punctual, cooperative, appreciative of the value of the work we do here and altogether had a great attitude to the expedition. I hope to see you again on a future expedition.

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Thailand: Rain, sun and elephants

Update from our Elephant conservation volunteer holiday Thailand

We have settled into a good routine now. A one hour hike to the forest, setting off sometime between 06:00 and 10:00, depending on which period scientist Laura needs data for that day, followed by two or three hours of data collection with the elephants.

Once we find the elephants, we split into teams – generally one citizen scientist per elephant plus a team of two who will record where each visible elephant is in relation to the rest. If the elephants drift away from each other, we have to decide whether our teams should follow them or if it is more useful for us to watch from a distant vantage point. We need to be adaptable. On two days we have had to spend our time fighting through the jungle, following the elephants as they trample their way through thick vegetation. There is a real art to choosing where to go and when, in order to get a good view of your target elephant so you can record its behaviour, while keeping our distance for safety reasons (and to avoid annoying the elephant). It keeps you on your toes (or sometimes off your toes when you trip over terrain that the elephants find effortless to traverse).

Laura, the scientist is happy with the data we have collected so far and the team are operating well, whatever the time of day, weather and conditions.

The rain has stopped now and we are being reminded how hot it gets here when the sun is fully out and the air still. A good day for drying out. Tomorrow is our last day of data gathering – likely to be in the forest as the elephants will probably retreat from the open grass field when it gets too hot. But in the meantime, we have another bio-hike to do this afternoon: a transect survey of a path near our base, recording the numbers and diversity of insect life. After that – large helpings of good Thai food for supper, with perhaps a cold beer to celebrate another successful day completed on this expedition.

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Thailand: Elephants and insects

Update from our Elephant conservation volunteer holiday Thailand

Our first two days of research have sped by. The core activity involves hiking out to where the six elephants that we are studying live and observing them for a few hours. Working on different methodologies, we record each animal’s behaviour, how the elephants associate with each other and what plants they eat.

On both our research days, the elephants have been foraging in a large sloping field of tall grass, rather than in the nearby forest. Our best vantage point to watch them is on the opposite side of the small valley. This has the added benefit of a large shelter we can stand under when it rains. It rained incessantly all day today, but with that shelter, use of umbrellas and the upbeat attitude of our small team of citizen scientists, our spirits were high.

We happily watched and recorded the elephants as they foraged, explored, dust-bathed and interacted with each other. The two younger females tend to hang out together along with the 18-month old calf. The two adult bulls usually stay apart although one of them (father to the calf) does readily join the trio. The old matriarch tends to keep herself to herself.

With some spare time this afternoon, we carried out an extra research task. The appealingly named ‘Biohike’ is a transect survey of insects contributing to a long-term study of biodiversity in the area near our base, including habitats affected by elephants, which have a significant and long-term ecological impact as they trample, break up and uproot the vegetation as they pass through.

This evening we will be eating dinner with our homestay hosts and tomorrow it’s back to watching and recording the elephants. The expedition team is doing well.

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Thailand: Elephants

Update from our Elephant conservation volunteer holiday Thailand

The expedition has got off to a cracking start. The team assembled in Chiang Mai and travelled to base camp, all present and correct and on time: always a relief at the beginning of an expedition.

Day 1 was pretty full-on, simply with settling in, familiarisation with the base camp and the village, safety briefing and a lecture about the elephants and the work of Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary. We even managed to squeeze in some initial training in the research methodologies we use on this expedition.

Most of the team managed to get some good sleep that first night, despite the unfamiliar nocturnal noises of dogs and geckos and the bustle of the village waking at dawn. We set off after breakfast to find the elephants. This involves a good hour’s walk over the bouncy suspension bridge, through the village, along the river bank, past rice paddies and corn fields and up towards the forest. There were plenty of insects, lizards and plants to distract us en route until finally we spotted the elephants half-hidden in a grassy field. It was a special moment to see five Asian elephants free-roaming and calmly foraging in front of us. The sixth elephant was the calf, ‘Junior’ who would have been somewhere near his mother or aunty – they tend to stick together as a trio – but hidden from our view in the tall grass.

We followed the herd as they wandered into the forest and at the first opportunity we paused and watched them from a safe distance so that scientist Laura could give us training in the field, putting into practice what we had learnt in the classroom the day before. It was very helpful for us to get a feel for how to carry out the research tasks when faced with the realities of observing elephants wandering around the forest, half hidden by the trees (or each other) for much of the time. It was a good reality check: conservation research is rarely neat, tidy and simple to do. And of course, it was an utter thrill to be up close with semi-wild elephants showing their fascinating natural elephant behaviour.

We returned to base for lunch, tired, hot, sweaty, but happy, ready for lunch and some more classroom training. Tomorrow we will return to the elephants and begin the research tasks for real.

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