Posts by Sonja Eisfeld-Pierantonio
How cigarette butts pollute the ocean and harm whales and dolphins
Today is World No Tobacco Day and you could be forgiven for wondering what that’s got to do with whales and dolphins. Sadly, it’s very relevant because cigarette butts pollute the marine environment with plastic and harmful chemicals. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that cigarette butts are the most common form of litter…
Read MoreDisturbance – from the dolphin’s point of view
Picture this: it is the weekend, you are spending time with your family in your back garden barbecuing, when a horde of people you have never seen before stops on the green across the street, revving the motors of their Harley Davidsons, shouting loudly, looking over your fence, climbing over it to snatch the burger…
Read MoreYou can help keep protection in place for European whales, dolphins and porpoises!
Please tell the EU not to mess with the Birds and Habitats Directive. I am deeply alarmed that the laws protecting our most important nature sites and wildlife species, the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, are under threat as part of a review by the European Commission, called the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT).…
Read MorePotential breeding ground identified for the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise
After two years of data collection and two years of statistical analyses, the EU Life+-funded project SAMBAH (Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise) has estimated the critically endangered Baltic Sea harbour porpoise population to approximately 450 animals. The data – harbour porpoise echolocation signals recorded through acoustic data loggers called C-PODs –…
Read MoreDon’t stroke the lions!
When you go to an animal park where they hold animals like lions or bears, there are signs that say “Don’t open the windows of your car!” or “Don’t get out of the car!” or “Don’t try to stroke the animals!” or “Do not reach through the bars!” And people generally follow these instructions because…
Read MoreRisso’s dolphins in North Wales – Bardsey fieldwork 2014
I can’t believe that this year’s Bardsey fieldwork has been and gone. Thanks to funding from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), we were able to be on Bardsey Island for two weeks in late August/ early September. Our team of two (Vicki James and myself) was reinforced by Ceri Wyn Morris, NRW’s new marine mammal specialist,…
Read MoreSo long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, goodbye…!
Wow! Six weeks over already! I can’t believe it, it went way too fast! It feels like I’ve only arrived on my magic island yesterday! But then again, it doesn’t, because so many things happened… You know it’s too windy to scan if you can stand in a 45 degree angle without falling over… Last…
Read MoreWhat a welcome back from the island
Pete Taylor, a WDCS science volunteer, and I, Vicki James, WDCS’s Science Assistant, arrived on the beautiful island of Bardsey for the third week of survey replacing Bea and James. We joined Harriet and our fearless leader Pine. I’m fortunate enough to be here for the next few weeks and have already relaxed and unwound…
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