Baby misbehaving

This evening we skimmed out with nature enthusiasts to bird, photograph and meet our dolphins. We found our dolphins right away working their way in from the gulf. It was Canopener, finally after months of being on her high matriarchal route she is back and will stay for the summer to nurture the mothers with new babies here.
As we headed towards her group and we were still a good distance when we realized she was with a mother having some trouble with a new baby. All of a sudden the water exploded near our boat as the baby must have come towards us and the mother and Canopener took matters into their own hands and literally tossed the baby into the air and sandwiched the baby between them after a few good tosses to manage this feisty little fellow.
In the ten years I have been with these dolphins and have watched Canopener teach the ways of the elders to the new mothers , I have never seen this explosive behavior where the baby just sped off like a torpedo and had to be raced after and tossed around with some force to get the baby to behave. The mother, Reagan, gave the baby a few tail slaps of warning to behave and Canopener and the mother slipped away with the baby in check. We were all in awe of this new experience of how stern these mothers and grandmothers can be with a new born that has mind of its own.
It took my breath away and as we slipped into South Bay to admire shore birds in the setting sunlight , I could not help but think of how the mothers manage their youngsters and how much effort is put into their upbringing on a daily basis just as we do with our youngsters. I also wished I had had my video to capture this event of film instead of photos to be able to capture the motion and power of these mammals of the sea.

asking for faces with my dolphins

Today we went out on a short trip to visit our dolphins and within minutes the young four to eight year old males were all together wandering up the shipping channel. Most of their mothers are with new babies this year. As Angel, Buddy, Gumdrop, Scar, and others were playing I was whining to them that I had missed a wonderful photo op last night with two youngsters showing their faces at the same time, a photo I have still to manage after ten years with them. I laughed with them as they rubbed their tummies along the pontoon hulls of my research vessel and begged them for a great shot as my camera was ready. The couple that joined us on the boat looked at me with disbelief as I spoke to my wild dolphin study group. Then there it was , and here it is, the few seconds they gave me. They are incredible... and more blog tomorrow on new babies!!!! Oh and we had a great rare bird yesterday at the South Padre Island Convention Center too. A Black Whiskered Vireo!! See that photo on our spinaturecenter.com site... 

Dolphin Babies

Our baby dolphins have a great life here in the Laguna Madre Bay. I have come to realize that the baby boys are much more fiesty than the baby girls for sure. We are fortunate to get to know these babies and their mothers and watch them grow up. The males play with us much more than the females. We have two new babies so far this year but I have yet to spend time and film them. It is very windy on the water this time of year and my reseaserch vessel is being worked on right now. But there is no hurry and the mother's need their time with the newborns. They will start bringing them to meet me in a few weeks. It will be fun to see the first year mothers that were just little girls when I met them. Some of the young females remind me of the teenage human mothers we see, as if they should still be growing up instead of having a baby! These babies will have fun being raised here in the bay learning from their family and friends what to eat, learn their liquid language, how to use their echo location capabilities, how to stay safe around all the human water activities, how to get along with one another and how to stay healthy. Living up to forty five years in the wild they have a long life of learning. Here is mom playing with her baby.

Dancing with Dolphins Today

Dear sweet Natcho, she is now falling into the role of Grandmother.
I have been with her now for ten years. She is one of the first wild dolphins of South Padre Island's bay that I came to know and see almost everyday. She must have been at least ten plus then or may be a few years younger.
She loved to bowride with any fast boat in the bay. She is easy to recognize being very light in color and having a distinct notched fin. Of course I did not know Natcho was a female until one day, April 14th, many years ago now, she brought her newborn baby to us. I knew it was a boy he was so feisty, I named him Titan. He was pure black at birth and then turned white. Natcho took on the role as mother and a very good one.
Today I spent many hours with her and her large family group and see that she has slowly taken on the more serious role of matriarching. She had her days of play and now she is in charge of the welfare of so many of the new mothers and babies.
She looked at me many times today and came close several times. She seemed to understand my grieving the very recent loss of one of my sons. She gave me strength and seemed to know that I too have understood their grieving when they loose a family member.
Dear Sweet Natcho I love you so

With winter days, warm as spring, today was so very pleasant on the bay.
Natcho with her large family group meandered lazily up and down the shipping channel that runs east from the Gulf of Mexico westward to the Port of Brownsville. It is the deepest part of the bay and well used be the inshore dolphins here.
The three year olds had permission to play with me while the little ones stayed close to their mommas. They thrashed around a little begging to play but were not allowed. They still have alot to learn. Natcho spent several minutes with me as if remembering the younger, more carefree days. Her son Titan and all the other young teens that are Titan's buddies were not around today.
The Roseatte Spoonbills are acquiring their bright breeding plumage and so pleasing to watch. The orange tail feathers against the hot pink wings is a unique color combination. Laughing Gulls are beginning to laugh. Brown Pelicans eyes are turning blue and the western strain have pouches so red that they are a Valentine's bird. Spring is nearing.
Soon there will be new dolphin babies. Purdy is pregnant for sure as her son Ponga is spending more and more time with his buddies Gumdrop and Droopy and Angel. They are already familiar with their new siblings with their built in sonar. The births will be a family affair.
This will be my tenth spring with them. I feel blessed.