Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Tag A Giant: Friend to all creatures



















Well, we didn't get to many tunas tagged today, but we had a great day on the water nonetheless. We started out the morning by releasing four rehabilitated sea turtles into the Gulf Stream. They seemed happy to get out of the cold morning air and into the 74 degree water. The bite was a bit slower this morning and we ended up with one fish of about 170 pounds tagged with an archival tag and four smaller bluefin tagged with conventional tags. We also saw spotted dolphins, a couple of hammerhead sharks and some turtles swimming along the edge of the Gulf stream. One of the highlights of the day was when we were joined by a little feathered friend who hung out with the boat for the better part of the day (extra bonus points to anyone that can identify him from the attached picture). We offered him bread and water and Heather made him a birdbath from a container of wasabi peas. After a bite and a bath, he was on his way to greener pastures, but not before buzzing the tower in a show of thanks to his new found friends aboard the Sensation.

3 comments:

Dr. Steven Wilson said...

Dendroica coronata

Dr. Andre Boustany said...

Well done Steve. You win a Civil War commemorative napkin set and a bottle of Glenora whiskey.

Jeff said...

aka Yellow-rumped Warbler-what was this doing out there?
It is a common nesting bird across much of the montane west of the United States as well as across a large area of Canada and Alaska. The species is quite hardy, especially for a warbler, and winters across the southern half of the United States, even in very cold temperatures. This species is one of the warblers that even beginning bird watchers become quickly familiar with. At times in the winter in the southern United States, the "butter butts" seem to be everywhere!