orcaguardian – Page 2 – Orca Guardians Iceland

About orcaguardian

Posts by :

4 Jun 2018

3rd International Naming Contest – Orca Male “Gunnar” (SN068)

Our third international naming contest to name an orca that migrates between Scotland and Iceland started on the 25th of May, 2018, and was held parallel to the annual Orca Watch Week in Scotland, as an online event that was open to the public. This time, we decided to name Scottish/Icelandic orca male SN068, who is likely the oldest offspring of the most famous Scottish-Icelandic migrant, orca female Vendetta/Mousa (SN069). We have records of SN068 since January 2014 – as part of Vendetta’s group he is a regular throughout the Icelandic winter season, and often subsequently spotted in Scotland during the spring and summer. When the contest started, SN068 had been last spotted in Iceland in December 2017 and January 2018.

In our search for a male orca name we gratefully received support from several organizations both in Iceland and the UK, such as Living Seas NW Highlands / the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Caithness Sea Watching, Shetland Wildlife, Sea Watch Foundation, Láki Tours, the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel Reykjavík, Whales of Iceland, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, Special Tours Iceland and British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

The same jury as in the first two contests had to choose 4 out of 270 names suggested by the public, resulting in the finalists “Hopper”, “Murphy”, “Gunnar”, and “Dave”. These names were given for public vote in the second part of the contest, which closed on the 3rd of June, 2018. 1145 voters decided over the winner, and the name “Gunnar” won the competition, suggested by Lisa Dry as a “Viking saying that means brave and bold”. She chose to adopt juvenile Rainbow (SN004) as a reward.

Orca male SN068, henceforth known as “Gunnar”, in November 2016

Gunnar among his core group in November 2016

9 May 2018

by Lionel Davoust

Observing marine mammals in the wild begins by being able to find them, and there is no real shortcut for that: it requires, above all, long hours of patience and concentration, using, first and foremost, a pair of trained eyes.

There is almost a meditative quality to watching the ocean thus. Whether under the radiant sun, or the snow, or the rain amidst cold winds, being a spotter requires keen eyes, a high tolerance for weather and constant attention. Often the thoughts start wandering, the eyes see the waves, but stop looking at them; that is when the mind brings them back gently to the present moment, which is exactly what meditation is about.

As we are scanning the horizon, we are looking for the tell-tale signs of whales: above all, the blow, mistaken for ages for water, is a mixture of water vapor, condensation in the air and mucus. In the sometimes rough seas of Iceland, where white caps abound, it can be very difficult to spot. Splashes of whales breaching and dolphins jumping are much easier to see, but rarer; and of course, there are the big, pointed dorsal fins of orcas (which earned them in older history the nickname of “orca gladiators” or, in French, épée de mer, meaning “sea sword”). Observing and spotting whales requires such knowledge that marine mammal observers (MMOs) are actually trained and recognized professionals and consultants who participate in conservation surveys or make sure wildlife guidelines and codes of conduct near whales are respected on many commercial vessels.

The blow of an orca is one of the most tell-tale signs of their presence; it can be seen at several hundred meters by a keen spotter.

For orcas especially, the big black fin of males is quite easy to spot. It can reach a height of 1,80 meters.

Of course, when you’re lucky, playful cetaceans can also produce all manners of splashes that can be seen from afar!

Human beings only really travel at the surface of the seas. Most oceanic life happens under the water, and only a few meters of depths already constitutes a mystery to us. This is the first great challenge of marine biology – to infer accurate and broad conclusions from sparse data, of which every item is thus precious. Statistical and computer models help us reveal hidden patterns and trends in numbers gathered in the field just like oceanic depths revealed from the surface; but above all, regular and consistent data collection is invaluable for this subject – and Orca Guardians is very fortunate to be associated with Láki Tours, which enables the researchers to go out on the water and collect data every day that the weather allows, surveys which would be otherwise costly and fragmented.

The other great challenge is the challenge of science itself, which presents itself even more acutely in life sciences, and that is to observe without changing the phenomenon which is observed – that is, to observe without disturbance. It is fortunate that marine biology is shifting more and more towards non-invasive research, which provides a wealth of data. Beyond the obvious ethics of endeavoring to not hurt those magnificent animals, any behavioral change caused by a scientific study ruins the whole point of the data collection – it is irremediably flawed and, worse than ignorance, may lead to biased and ruinous conclusions. Passive acoustic monitoring, photo-identification surveys and behavior observation are all techniques that enable researchers to observe whales and dolphins directly and indirectly and to crack the secrets of the depths.

But it all starts, and cannot do without, those long hours of gazing at the sea.

Sperm whales have a very characteristic blow, low and slanted.

Some whales dive headfirst, revealing their characteristic flukes on the horizon… to live a life we can barely guess the secrets of.

30 Apr 2018

by Lionel Davoust

Can science prove the intelligence of whales and dolphins?

This has to be the most common and sought-after question about these fascinating animals, starting from diverse ideas about their possible “language” to their self-image. Are cetaceans intelligent?

Do we share the world with another intelligent species? What does that tell about them – about us?

Actually, the question of intelligence is two-fold. Strictly speaking, it is a matter of cognitive abilities, where creativity applied to problem-solving expresses itself. That question has largely been solved: yes, cetaceans do exhibit a stunning variety of creative behaviours that we get to see here in Icelandic waters, whether it is the coordination and astuteness expressed by orcas that are carousel feeding on herring, or simply seeing them surfing the waves when the swell is high.
But strict problem-solving is not what the human mind, deep down, looks for with this question. Otherwise, Siri and Alexa would be called intelligent. What we are looking for, the real question that lies behind the matter of intelligence, is sentience. Sentience is self-awareness; it is the ability to view yourself as a sensitive being and experience the fact of experiencing the world. Just as we, humans, feel ourselves as existing, as beings conscious of ourselves and of what we feel and think – in other words, we can define ourselves as objects through a thought process that is one step removed from our direct experience of the world.

That is the grand question of cetacean intelligence. (And of animal intelligence in general.) Are there other beings, beyond our species, that are sentient to a level that would be comparable to our own?

Science multiplies methods and processes to observe the world and infer conclusions from data, from recent drone observations of animals to complex statistical models. With these methods and thanks to the ever-evolving frame of mind of researchers and scientists, we have observed, for instance, enigmatic behaviours of dolphins staying near the body of a dead comrade and exhibiting apathy – something that it is hard not to call “grieving”. We know dolphins have signature whistles that identify themselves uniquely among a pod – something that is hard not to call “a name”. We know many species of whales sing a huge variety of songs and that some of those are repeated, propagated from pod to pod, as they take on – something that science is resolutely calling “culture”.

So what does that tell us? Are cetaceans sentient? Ultimately?

There is a catch.

That question cannot be answered by science and fact.

Science deals with observations, with objectivity. We can infer dolphins grieve, we call their songs culture, but these are emanations and not causes. Of what nature is the mind behind these emanations? Look at a fellow human. See him or her go about his or her day. Postulate a foreign mind, alien maybe, looking at this – how could it be able to infer sentience from the outside?

You, as a human being, you can. You can because you are sentient yourself, and therefore, when looking at a member of your own species, you attribute sentience to him or her, as you feel yourself being so.

But you act, really, on faith. You do not get into the other’s head to experience his or her point of view – you cannot.

I would like to submit this to you: ultimately, sentience cannot be demonstrated. We can pile facts upon facts about the fascinating behaviours of whales and dolphins – and it is capital for research and conservation to always know more; but we will never have enough to answer the question of sentience. Sentience is a little like Gödel’s theorem – a famous mathematical proof which says, in layman’s terms, that a coherent system cannot demonstrate its own coherence. Just like a dictionary of a given language is forced to use its own words to explain what other words mean – there is no outside explanation possible.

We cannot, in the foreseeable future, get into the heads of whales and dolphins. We have ample demonstration of their amazing range of expression and we keep learning every day. Are they sentient? This is not a question that can be empirically solved. Ultimately, it is an act of – yes – faith on our part as individuals, and as a species. What do we choose to attribute to other species that exhibit such a stunning range of expression and behaviours? How do we consider them?

In the end, that answer will be telling much more about us than it will about them.

Almost daily observations are needed to understand and follow the ever-evolving, complex social ties of orcas.

Complete weaning takes two years for an orca calf, a period during which he or she learns the refined hunting techniques of the pod.

Seeing dolphins playing in the wake of a boat reminds us of an age-old fascination that seems to go both ways between man and animal.

Humpback whales exhibit an astounding variety of songs, some of which are adopted and propagated over long distance in what amounts to a form of culture.

Orcas can travel up to 120 km per day and show astonishing knowledge of their environment using senses like echolocation, that are alien to us.

Sperm whales can regularly be seen around Snæfellsnes in groups of males called “bachelor pods“. Little is still known about their presence here – what they feed on, for instance.

10 Apr 2018

by Lionel Davoust

Weather and nature are not to be commanded, and especially not in Iceland…
I have had the pleasure of arriving in Grundarfjörður at the beginning of the week, back with the Orca Guardians team. I have worked along researchers before, but orcas have always been especially fascinating to me, and having the opportunity to observe them in the wild, to learn about them and make a small contribution to their conservation, is an amazing perspective! All through the long journey to Grundarfjörður on several buses, the weather was wonderful, and I admit my breath caught at seeing the fjords here under the glory of the afternoon sun, thinking: “Wow. This is where I’m going to work…!” So, of course, I have been looking forward to my first trip to sea here, after having been a tourist several times in the area…

… but strong winds have us confined to land for two days. And by strong, I mean really strong: walking counter to the wind is like walking uphill. (A temperamental hill that occasionally wants to throw you off its back.) And yet I can hear the locals laughing already: it seems it’s still very tame compared to the real storms that can happen around here!
But… this is the way of the wild. And I feel that this apparent lack of luck is, on the contrary, an invitation to meditate on the resistance to our wishes. That wildlife and nature require patience and mindfulness, in a way that the developed world, all with its instant notifications and e-mails and things to do and pulls on the attention All! Requiring! Action! Now! may have forgotten. The beauty of nature and of approaching it lies as much in the journey, in the effort, in the waiting, as in seeing what you came to see. The richness of the experience lies also in the fact that mankind must abide by its rules, and that means, sometimes, accepting that your plans do not necessarily work out – a valuable lesson in a world of instant gratification.

OK, so, obviously, this is inconvenient for someone on vacation, with a tight schedule… Last time I was here, as a tourist, I could only go out to sea once on a stay of four days. But when you don’t have a choice, why not reflect on that fact and make the most of it instead of feeling frustrated? To settle down, to look, to take the time. To think. And even, maybe, to be grateful for that thinking imposed by nature frustrating our desires; an increasingly rare occurrence in today’s developed world. When coming to see orcas, the experience of not seeing them is in line with their life and habitat. Their absence is as telling as their presence. They are not to be commanded. And this, maybe, is also an experience in itself. It is an opportunity, especially in the wild and demanding landscapes of Iceland, to face oneself, to find oneself anew, by taking stock of what can and cannot be.

Orcas on my previous trip in April 2017

Another image from one year ago

2 Apr 2018

by Shilpa Shah

I’ve been in Grundarfjörður, West Iceland, with Orca Guardians for a week now. Last week started with bad weather and we were stuck on land – a good time for meetings and planning projects. We’ve been out on the water six times since Thursday. A big snowstorm started yesterday. Orca Guardians founder Marie and I are currently snowed in, catching up on admin and blogging.

Thursday had calm, glassy waters. We observed fifteen orcas in the morning, including SN280. We saw fifteen in the afternoon, including Von, Whirlwind, the cheeky Katla and family. The mood seemed relaxed, in the water and out. The orcas were cruising along fairly slowly. The humans on the boat enjoying watching them against the pinkish romantic sky and clear view of the glacier.

Friday morning’s trip was disappointing, with only a few white-beaked dolphins spotted at a distance. The wind was strong and sharp, sometimes making my face sting when scanning the horizon. Then in the afternoon we saw two small groups including Thor, Odin and Skadi. Marie sees these orcas fairly regularly; it was wonderful to see her greet them with a smile, like old friends.

Yesterday we had two very different trips. A fairly chilly, calm morning, where we quickly came across 12 orcas, including a number of youngsters. One slapped his/her tail repeatedly on the water in a way that seemed playful (we can’t tell the gender until they get older). At one point a small group started porpoising towards the back of the boat (porpoising is travelling fast, lunging out of the water rhythmically). They dived under and surfaced on the other side and headed away from us. I wondered if they were chasing something under the surface and felt the familiar achey frustration of only being able to witness their air-based world.

In the afternoon… snow. Everywhere. The thick, slow, Christmassy kind of snowflakes. We head out, with the crew regularly having to brush snow from the boat windows. Visibility drops. A cheeky snowball is thrown. Then suddenly: Gannets! Gulls! Orcas! Feeding frenzy. A number of large males and youngsters are particularly prominent, near the boat. They are surfacing all around us. It is hectic and incredible.

I watch Marie taking hundreds of photographs with a determined focus. On each trip she collects data on each orca, adding to her understanding of who is in which group, where they are going, what they are eating, how they behave. She is painting a picture of their existence here over time, which is building a strong case for their conservation. And she does this entirely in a non-invasive way, allowing them to be just as they are without disturbing them, or trying to collect samples from them.

I couldn’t feel my toes until the evening and my fingers didn’t de-freeze until a hot drink was placed into my hands, but the glow from seeing the orcas looking well this week surrounds me like a warm duvet. They currently seem to be feeding enough, and we have seen a number of energetic youngsters in the group (those under two years old have orangey patches, which turn white as they get older). I’m glad Orca Guardians is doing its part to help protect the orcas and their way of life, just as it is.

You can find the codes and photos of orcas mentioned here, and many others, collected in the Orca Guardians ID catalogue.

Orcas breathe together in front of the glacier

A lone orca against the pinky afternoon sunset sky

Gannets, gulls, orcas... all after the herring!

Young orca surfaces with relatives while feeding

A young orca playfully tail-clapping near the boat

20 Mar 2018

by Shilpa Shah

Today I write from London. I’m off to Iceland soon, to work with Orca Guardians for a few days, supporting organisational strategy development and, of course, being your trusty correspondent on this blog.
I will join Orca Guardians and Láki Tours on the daily boat trips, for research and whale-watching with tourist passengers.
This is my third opportunity to look for orcas.
My love for orcas is second only to my love for… I am struggling to finish this sentence. So I am very excited, of course. And there is something else; nervousness and anxiety.
I notice different voices inside, battling it out.
There is the Excited Me, cartwheeling and whooping ‘Orcas! Orcas!’ Like a chant at a football match.
And Slightly Anxious Me, biting her nails. She whispers ‘I have experienced trips where I spent three hours looking at a blank horizon…. What if I don’t get to see ANY orcas?’
Somewhere in the background sits a quieter, more practical, Chilled Me. In fact, she looks a bit like me right now, sitting in the library, looking out the window at birds on the pond while I write this.
Chilled Me clears her throat and addresses the other two in a voice that sounds like silk. She says ‘You know what sweethearts, it’s nature… ‘
Excited Me interrupts – ‘YEAH but ORCAS… yee ha!’
Chilled Me takes a breath. ‘Look, you both know the orcas go where the herring goes. The herring goes where it can find food. We have absolutely no control over that – and neither do other human beings.’
Slightly Anxious Me snaps back ‘But what if we don’t see them, it would be so unfair!’

Chilled Me replies – ‘The Laki Tours people know their stuff – if there are orcas there, you know they will find them. I understand it would feel difficult to miss them, but it’s not actually unfair is it? It’s unlucky for that trip. It’s nature doing its thing. You just have to be prepared to try again.’
Slightly Anxious Me isn’t convinced. ‘But I worked hard to get here! I deserve to see them! Someone totally has it in for me if I don’t get to see them!’
Chilled Me loses her cool. ‘You know what, darling. That’s nonsense. No-one has it in for you! Orcas do not exist only for your pleasure. They are gloriously wild and free. Seeing them is a real blessing, a magical experience. This is one of the best places in the world to do so. You need patience! If you’re demanding that you should DEFINITELY see them on a boat trip, how different is it to going to see them – with 100% certainty – in a tank in a water park?’
With that she turns back to the window and crosses her arms.

My current window view in London

All voices go quiet for a minute and the message sinks in.
‘Wildness is not found but revealed’, said conservationist Paul Gruchow. As the different voices in me relax, I notice I feel deeply grateful. Grateful for the wildness of orcas and grateful for the chance to enjoy whichever revelations may come my way.

6 Feb 2018

Laila (8 years old, from Germany) was very excited for her search of orcas with us when she came to West Iceland with her mum in late February 2017. They had followed what was going on with our orcas and their stories via our adoption program, and the orca trip with Láki Tours was booked even before their flights!
And, after several previous attempts in other places, this was indeed the first time Laila and her mum were actually successful on a whale watch. On a clear sunshine day, they especially got to see several very impressive fully-grown males next to the boat and in front of the glacier Snæfellsjökull.
When back home, Laila did a presentation on her trip and the orcas in front of her class, including pictures from the encounter. She was so taken by the orcas and her experience, that she decided to found a “nature and animal protection club” with her friends at school. With this club, they have been campaigning for school trips to go to the museum of natural history instead of the zoo, as not to support the captive industry. The club has also approached nature guides to inform the kids about forest animals in the school’s surrounding area, initiated school projects on animal protection, and grown plants in the garden of the day care center.

Laila in West Iceland in February 2017

Orca male Flurry (yet to receive an ID)

We were very impressed by their dedication and the effort that Laila and her friends made for nature and animal conservation. Therefore, we offered them the opportunity to name an orca from our population – a small reward for a great commitment, but Laila and her friends became super excited about it. They picked a male orca that Laila had seen on her Láki boat trip with us, and who had not received a name yet. After some discussion in the club, they gave the name “Flurry”, expressing both their own excitement and the wild soul of the orcas, as they stated. Awesome!
Even though Laila and her mum had already followed our orcas via the adoption program, they adopted yet another orca for Laila personally – the female Snowflake (SN054). Laila and her mum are also planning on yet another visit to Iceland in the future. And there’s no doubt which seats they will, once again, secure first.

Laila in her club shirt, with an orca drawing and her picture from the Láki boat trip

Laila and her mum on the Láki II in February 2017

Laila and her class with posters from a school project on animal protection

Flurry tail-clapping in front of the glacier - he is indeed a wild soul!

5 Feb 2018

Dan (13 years old), Alannah (11 years old) and Jude (8 years old) from England went out on the Láki Tours boat with their parents in February 2017. Right from the beginning of the trip the three showed great interest in the orcas and their names in the on-board ID catalogue. They would ask a lot of interesting questions that even made their parents wonder, and got really excited when they were allowed to name an orca from the catalogue. Their decision to name orca male SN150 was followed by a heated debate on the name, while they were sitting next to the captain in the wheelhouse. In the first hour of the trip, the kids changed the name over and over again, until they finally agreed on Dan’s suggestion “Black Ice”, which seems just apt for an orca in Iceland. Later on during their tour, they got to see a group of white-beaked dolphins that approached the boat and swam beside them – and the hot chocolate given out was definitely a highlight, too!

From left to right: Dan, Jude and Alannah with the orca ID catalogue

Orca male Black Ice (SN150) in January 2014

4 Feb 2018

Thor (6 years old, from Canada/Québec) visited Grundarfjörður with his mum in July 2016. He is an avid orca fan and wanted to see orcas above all else. Unfortunately, orca sightings in July are irregular. There were no orcas spotted on the tour that Thor and his mum and aunt were on, but they did see a huge group of pilot whales and white-beaked dolphins instead! The evening before the whale watch, they also went on a puffin tour, and even got to see a Minke whale.
Thor was so impressed by these experiences that he became a bit obsessed with the Láki boats and advertising. When asked which bedtime story his mum should read out to him, he answered she should read the Láki Tours flyer! His mother had to read this handout to him for a solid six nights during the week of their visit, and she was not allowed to even skip the contact details on the back. We guess that by now nobody knows the brochure as well as Thor (and his persevering mum).

Thor with the orca ID catalogue and a postcard of the orca male Thor (SN082)

Apart from the newly won knowledge about Láki Tours, Thor also already knew a great deal about orcas when he arrived. His astounding vocabulary as a 6-year-old included the fluent use of words like “marine mammal” or “echolocation”. He was super excited to meet up with Marie and talk orcas for a whole evening. While looking through our orca ID catalogue, he even found a mistake (a juvenile was not marked as juvenile on one page)! Well, Thor, we’ll have you back anytime to proof-read our catalogue!
For helping us out big time with his knowledge and attentiveness, Thor was allowed to name an orca from our catalogue, and decided to call the orca SN175 “Töpsó”. Thor speaks three languages (English, French, and Swedish), but in his own imaginary language “Töpsó” means “sweetheart” or “super sweet creature”. A very good pick! (The alternative was “Tusse, the herring slayer”!) We hope that Thor returns to Grundarfjörður one day, for another chance to spot the orcas. (On the right: Riding the newly built orca statue!)

Thor watching a large group of pilot whales from the Láki II in July 2016

Young orca male Töpsó (SN175) visiting West Iceland in June 2015

True model pose with the handout in front of the Láki I, July 2016

3 Feb 2018

Nina (15 years old), Nils (12 years old) and Till (9 years old) from Germany visited Snæfellsnes with their parents in March and April 2015. There were several orca groups in the area at that time, and everyone became hooked on watching these orcas right away – both from land and on the water.
The boys helped Marie with hydrophone recordings during the boat trips, and the whole family would scout for orcas from land in any wind and weather. After hours and hours of patiently waiting in the rain or snow storm (often really early in the morning!) they were rewarded with numerous close and captivating orca encounters from the coast.
The kids had quickly picked “their” orca: SN106, offspring of Aurora (SN105), and a newborn calf at that time. They named it “Niniti”, using the first two letters of their own names, and, from then on, were always eager to find out if Niniti was sighted and what was going on with its family.
Nina, Nils and Till loved it so much that they convinced their parents to come back one year later, in April 2016, to try and spot orcas (and especially Niniti) again. They missed Niniti and its family by one day, but had some other great close orca encounters on the boat, and got to see orcas far away when spotting from shore as well.
During both visits in 2015 and 2016, they never got tired of checking with their binoculars from land, day after day, for the orcas to come in. After their second visit, the whole family adopted Aurora and Niniti. They all hope to come back yet again to watch orcas at Snæfellsnes sometime in the future. Until then, they are rooting for Niniti from home!

Till, Nils and Nina (from left to right) in front of a map of Iceland - Note: All orcas swim towards Snæfellsnes!

The kids with their mum, spotting orcas from shore in April 2015

Nils and Till on the Láki Tours boat in April 2015 - they came on the boat again one year later!

Aurora (SN105) and her calf Niniti (SN106) in April 2016

The whole family and Marie in front of the Láki Tours boat in April 2016