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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 โ 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.
Itโs 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 doesnโt 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 โ so donโt 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 โ 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 Lisaโs publications, then youโll know, not what to expect, but what we hope to record. Last year, youโll note they had a variety of records โ so you never can be too sure what โdataโ we will collect. Dare I say it, blue whales have already been sighted! Just cross your fingers and do the relevant dance for good weatherโฆ.
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 โ sometimes on the same day. Donโt forget your sunglasses or your waterproof trousers โ youโll 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 โ if you know you need them!) otherwise youโll 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.
Biosphere Expeditions just completed their 18th expedition, now covering almost two decades of cetacean citizen science monitoring since 2004 in the Azores, a mid-Atlantic hotspot for marine megafauna with no fewer than 25 species. Cetacean data collection take a decade or longer to reveal meaningful patterns. Hence, the true value may not always be in the โhere and nowโ, but be realised as future questions and challenges arise.
Twenty-nine expeditioners from ten countries, joined the 2024 expedition, completing 16 days out at sea, adding up to 86 sea hours while covering 1,500 km of ocean around Faial and Pico. Our search effort resulted in 92 encounters of nine different cetacean species. Sightings of common dolphins and sperm whales were most abundant. Common dolphin groups were smaller this year, a trend already observed in 2023. With regards to baleen whales, we had ten sightings of โfeedingโ blue whales, seven of fin whales, one minke whale and one humpback whale. The resident bottlenose and Rissoโs dolphins were also seen on several occasions.
In total we confirmed some 20 positive IDs, including several re-sightings of sperm and blue whales. One of the sperm whales we sighted goes as far back as 1988, 35 years ago. Several blue whales observed were seen in previous years in the Azores, showing that they use the same migration route. Some individuals were recorded for the first time, again contributing to an ever-growing growing photo-catalogue and to our understanding of population dynamics. Many more whales have yet to be matched. Studying cetaceans takes patience and perseverance, one photo-ID shot at a time. Yet, these valuable data provide relevant insights into the spatio-temporal movements, migrations, numbers, group structures, and ecology of cetaceans, key to their long-term protection and conservation.
Feedback from the citizen scientists:
โI was dreaming of seeing a blue whale. Not expecting to see one in four consecutive days!โ Jenny S., UK.
โWell-organised, safe, learned a lot on marine conservation! Great team work and excellent accommodation. โ Skarlet-Ilieva M., UK.
โAn, the expedition leader is exceptional. The breakdown of tasks was good and the daily briefings provided immediate feedback of results. Very well organised.โ Debbie R., Canada.
โThis is my sixth expedition research project and honestly reached the top of my list for so many reasons.โ Lisa C., USA.
โThe group dynamics, the expedition leader and scientist went over and beyond to make sure we had all we needed. โ Paulina B., Canada.
Finally, on the last two days at sea, we had some better weather. Wednesday was clearly a baleen whale day with impressive blue whale and fin whale sightings. According to our records, the blue whale we saw was already known to us with sightings back in 2018 and 2023. On this occasion, he treated the team to a nice โkrill pooโ perfume, confirming feeding behaviour.
During our goodbye survey on Thursday, we had no fewer than 13 encounters . To everyoneโs delight, especially Lisaโs, we had five sperm whale encounters, several with calves. This time they were being cooperative by diving to feed at depth where we then managed to get photo-ID shots of five flukes. These were matched on the programme Happywhale in the evening where we discovered that โ1018โ has been around since 1988! Thirty-five years is quite remarkable. Another sighting matched with โ6165โ, who was last seen here in July 2018. There were four encounters with common dolphins, some striped dolphins off in the distance and the first group of bottlenose dolphins for our third group. Like on our first day out, we saw a blue whale again, confirming they have been around during the five weeks of the expedition. Clearly there is enough food for them to linger before they migrate further. An excellent day to conclude this 18th expedition!
With that, we wrap up the 2024 Azores Biosphere Expeditions. Despite the challenging weather conditions, we managed to record a fair amount of data that without Biosphere Expeditions, would not have been collected.
The 2024 highlights in a nutshell:
> Weโve deployed three teams into the field, comprising of 29 expeditioners from ten different nations, spanning multiple decades, from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond
> We completed 16 days at sea, totalling 86 survey hours, covering over 1500 km of ocean
> Weโve collected data on nine different cetacean species (five whale and four dolphin species), and one turtle species (eight individuals)
> We had a total of 92 encounters with cetaceans, about one encounter for every sea survey hour
> We notched up 20 positive whale IDs, including several re-sightings of sperm and blue whales, but also some new flukes and dorsal fins โ i.e. species never recorded before
> The local expert informed us that our Rissoโs dolphin sightings include several of the residents groups seen between Faial and Pico. More information on the bottlenose dolphin encounters will follow.
The above is only a first glimpse of the raw data, which Lisa will analyse further and publish in Biosphere Expeditionsโ annual expedition report online. Studying cetaceans takes patience and perseverance, one photo-ID shot at a time. The power of these datasets build over time, through resightings in the Azores, but also north- and southwards, giving insights into migration patterns, feeding and breeding areas and group compositions. Every year, more data gets added to the photo-catalogues, elucidating more valuable information, which can be used to steer cetacean conservation.
Expeditions help us in more ways than mere data collection. They are about the inspiring people we meet, the group dynamics and teamwork. I want to thank everyone for their positive attitude dealing with the rough weather conditions, making our schedule quite unpredictable. Thanks to you all for travelling here and contributing your time, effort and lots of enthusiasm for cetacean citizen science. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
To conclude, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Norberto Divers and our various caterers โ whose food kept us going on long sea days. Our skippers Bruno and Norberto made sure we returned to port safely every day. Our collective thanks goes to Lisa, our cetacean scientist, who shared a wealth of knowledge on these fascinating species, giving us a much greater insight into their life history. Final thanks go to our new hosts, Mario and Silvia from the Monte de Guia Alojamentos, a new comfortable and modern research base in Horta, where we will be returning with pleasure. Obrigada!
We were unsure about heading out to sea on Saturday morning as strong winds enveloped the island. Fortunately, our experienced skipper Norberto had a plan. Passing the stormy channel between Faial and Pico on Picoโs southern side meant we were sheltered from the strong winds.
Our lookouts on board managed to spot a loggerhead turtle in the high waves. The vigia on Pico guided us to a blue whale, always a magnificent sighting.. When the blue whale searched for more turbulent waters we did not follow, opting instead for quieter waters closer to shore.
Common dolphins approached our boat to bowride and followed the catamaran for quite a while, until we spotted a group of Rissoโs dolphins, much to the teamโs delight. Their distinctive scars make them a good species for photo-ID. We soon realised we were actually observing a mixed group of Rissoโs dolphins and common dolphins. Lisa commented that both species are not often seen together due to their different feeding habits, making it a special sighting. Rissoโs feed at depth on cephalopods, whereas common dolphins feed mainly on small fish closer to the surface. We even spotted one lucky Rissoโs dolphin that escaped a shark attack, with clear markings on the tail.
Regrettably the stormy conditions, not just around Faial but in the whole of Azores archipelago and beyond, didnโt improve, meaning the next three days were spent onshore..
We spent Sunday relaxing and exploring the islandโs highlights. On Monday everyoneโs photo-ID sorting and matching skills were put to the test, with a day of organisation. On Tuesday, heavy rains forced us to take shelter in both the Porto Pim whaling station/ museum and the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre. We remain hopeful for two more survey sea days.
On Wednesday we welcomed our third group to the Monte de Guia research base. Their first encounter on Thursday was a small group of common dolphins bowriding. In between Sฤo Gorge and Pico the vigia spotted a baleen whale. This was no easy task as it had a habit of disappearing into the depths of the ocean as soon as we tried to get closer. But with patience and determination, we found it and took a closer look as we identified it as a fin whale, our second one of the 2024 expedition. Next was a pod of sperm whales, a group of six, including two suckling calves, socialising at the surface. Clearly not Lisaโs favourite behaviour as it meant no dives and thus no fluke shots to get insight in which group we were actually dealing with. So is nature, we are grateful nonetheless for a nice sighting.
Heading back to Faial, the vigia informed us a blue whale was in the vicinity so we changed direction and before long we spotted its signature majestic high blow, followed by what always seems like a never-ending spray off the animalโs back. This whale was travelling at such a high speed that our boat could not keep up. What a memorable sighting! Four cetacean species in one day for this group. Clearly, we are off to a good start!
Friday the sun came out at last and as we circumvented Faial, there were no fewer than seven common dolphin encounters and two loggerhead turtles. We also engaged in a two-hour sighting of a pod of sperm whales who were again socialising at the surface. Later we encountered striped dolphin for the first time this season. A group of 300 with at least 20 calves travelled by leaping quite high out of the water. The team named them โThe Flying Dolphins.โ What a spectacular sight!
The bad whether seemed relentless as Friday approached, so the team stayed onshore and developed their photo-ID skills, becoming increasingly efficient in photo-analysis and matching, making our scientist Lisa very happy. Claudia Oliveira, a sperm whale expert from Azores University, visited us to give great talk on acoustics and photo-ID research to elucidate sperm whale behaviour and the impact of whale-watching boats. In the evening, we watched the National Geographic โSecrets of the Whalesโ episode.
The team was determined to go out on Saturday, even if the sea was at its roughest, with the catamaran dancing on the waves, lots of sea spray everywhere and very high waves. Everyone was confined to the upper deck to keep safe. With help from the on-land lookouts or โvigiasโ we were treated โฆ.at last โฆ. to three sperm whale sightings. The first glimpses of our priority species this season! Only one, a subadult male, fluked and then disappeared rapidly behind a high wave. Given the conditions, it was quite an achievement to get one good photo-ID shot. After spotting some more bottlenose dolphins, we returned to base.
On Sunday the Physeter was the only boat heading out, because โฆ you guessed it right โฆ of the rough weather. No longer phased by this, we collected more data regardless. We saw a large group of bottlenose dolphins were socialising, including leaps, splashes and lots of surface activity, ideal for taking a closer look.
Monday was rainy and windy, but finally with calmer seas, so our skipper Norberto treated us to an extra long day. We added Rissoโs dolphins as a new species for this second group and saw more than 12 sperm whales, initially spread out widely, but slowly coming together at the surface. We also spotted a suckling calf, multiple females and several juveniles. We photographed two flukes, which Lisa matched to numbers โ6249โ and โ 6253โ in the sperm whale database. These animals were last seen here in July 2018. It was a rare treat and a unique goodbye to our second group of expeditioners.
Thanks to everyone in the team for your flexibility in coping with the unpredictable weather and for a true team effort! Safe travels and we look forward to welcoming our third and final group of the 2024 season.
On Tuesday high waves and strong winds were prevailing, but given that the weather forecast for the whole week was looking grim, we decided to give it a go in the morning anyway and find a bit of shelter north of Faial. Quickly, it became clear we were not going to venture out very far from the coast; our balancing skills were put to the test, no railing on the boat was left unexplored and all waterproofs were deployed, for the data sheets, gear and expeditioners.
Against all odds, our observers managed to spot a group of common dolphins in the high waves. Later, we came across a pod of 40 bottlenose dolphins joined by 20 common dolphins surfing the waves, bowriding and clearly more at ease with the rough sea conditions than us. We observed several calves of both species, another highlight, and managed to get good photo-ID shots. It was an adventurous morning and we thank our skilled skipper Norberto for sailing us back safely to the harbour. A rainbow over the sea surface was an extra bonus, as well as a nice โafter-seaโ drink at the legendary sailorโs โPeter Cafรฉ Sportโ.
Wednesday, we had an early start leaving the harbour at 08:00 trying to put in a few hours of monitoring before the weather map turned โpurpleโ with wind gusts up to 90 knots and 5โ6 metre waves. We ventured eastwards of Faial and then up north and found part of the same bottlenose dolphin pod seen the day before. The graceful Cory shearwater and yellow-legged gull seemed to enjoy gliding in strong winds and are always a pleasure to watch. They accompanied us back to shore, where the team did some more important photo-identification work, while the stormy weather intensified outside.
Thursday, the team enjoyed a windy day off and set out to explore the fascinating landscape of the landmark volcano Capelinhos, the last one on the island of Faial that erupted between 1957 and 1958, creating new land โterra novaโ 65 years ago. This site is a good reminder that each single Azorean island is merely the tip of a huge underwater mountain chain on the mid-Atlantic ridge.
Group 2 experienced a flying start on their first day with intensive training. Only Sundayโs weather forecast looked good to go out to sea, so we made sure to focus our training on all citizen science tasks on board to be ready for it.
After many rainy and windy days, Easter came with blue skies, calmer seas and lots of eagerness from the expeditioners to get started and test their sea legs. A lone bottlenose dolphin feeding just outside the harbour welcomed the team. Shortly after, when crossing the channel to Pico, we sighted a pod of common dolphins. A promising start!
With north-westerly winds prevailing, we headed back out to the south of Pico, our main search area, lowered the hydrophone in the water to eavesdrop on a single sperm whale spotted by the โvigiasโ on land, but could not locate it. We tried our luck further offshore, in search of an โunidentifiedโ baleen whale. A large blow in the distance got us excited โฆ for many on board it was their first encounter with the largest living animal on the planet, the blue whale. Lots of โooh and ahsโ of admiration when the giant passed by, dwarfing our 12-m catamaran displaying its fluke not just once but several times. The day became even better when we spotted another slightly โsmallerโ blue whale. Kari did a great job capturing it all on camera in high waves, Jรผrgen and Renate were busy collecting POPA data on the upper deck, Rebeca noted down sightings data on the lower deck, while Uta was perfectioning her bucket-throwing skills to measure water temperature.
On Monday the weather gods were merciless, with strong winds and high waves making it impossible to get out to sea. Onshore days are ideal for photo-identification, so we spent the day matching sperm whale flukes, as well as sorting out Rissoโs dolphins, false killer whale and sei whale photos. We finished our day with a nice home-cooked enchilada dinner, dreaming of better weather and more sightings.
The weather gods turned against us on Tuesday and Wednesday. The โWindy appโ displayed ominous shades of orange and red, signalling wind speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour and waves reaching four metres. Clearly, these conditions were far from ideal for spotting cetaceans, even for those with sturdy sea legs!
Having said this, shore days provide a good opportunity to learn about cetacean photo-identification. Half of the team focused on matching sperm whale flukes using the Flex, Europhlukes Match, and Happywhale algorithms. Meanwhile, the other half meticulously sorted through our Rissoโs dolphin shots to determine the number of individuals in each group. This preparation is needed before going through the existing local Rissoโs dolphin photo catalouge. Step by step, these matches unveil insights into the life history, migration patterns and group sizes.
We also used our two days ashore to honour a longstanding tradition in Horta: the vibrant paintings on the breakwater in the harbour. Trans-Atlantic sailors initiated this tradition many years ago, believing it would ensure safe passage to their next destination. We hope the same holds true for our expeditioners departing this morning in rough weather conditions. Biosphere Expeditions is grateful for your hard work and dedication to cetacean citizen science, with lots of good humour and an excellent team spirit. Obrigada!
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