The last couple of weeks have been so busy I can't remember if I remembered to eat or sleep, spent an average of 10 hours at the library/day. I've been studying pretty hard, handing out multiple papers every week and also working at the library labeling/shelving/soting out books. It's very hard to believe it's mid October already.
But it has not all been just hard work and no play..
Went to Port Stephens for a weekend to chill
The sand dunes in port stephens were quite something else, did we come to Kalahari? There were even some camels strolling on the beach..
I spent one of the best weeks ever at Jervis Bay helping out MMR (Marine Mammal Researc)studying Humpback whales..how maginificient creatures they are! I consider myself extremely lucky being able to take part in this sort of research and call it work.. How many times do you break up into a frenzy of clapping or hoist your hands up in the air screaming of joy during an average day in the office? :D I had a blast! Most probably going back for a long weekend in November hoping to get out in the water to join the whales with Kayaks since we didn't have time this trip. Might also be going back in January to do some work with dolphins.
Going to field in the morning
A whale at 11 o'clock! :)
We were photographing fluking Humpbacks for identification: the fluke of a Humpback is like a fingerprint, no two are the same
Identification was also done by comparing individual markings on the back and the shape of the dorsal fin; here a baby spy-hopping next to mommy
There is hardly anything cuter than a breaching baby Humpback!
Baby humpbacks "little" rostrum popping out from the water just a meter from our boat
Saw lots of common dolphins and Bottlenose dolphins daily as well.
Some pods had up to 400 dolphins on them, quite a site
Bow riding in front of our boat
Fur seal colony
Hilarious fighting roos on the front garden of our cottage
Photos: Kimmo Savolainen
