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Dovekies, beached pilot whale
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Dovekies, beached pilot whale
- From: Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz@duke.edu>
- Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 11:15:47 -0500
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
On Saturday (2/8/03), I went in search of the Dovekies that had been
sighted north of the Rodanthe (NC) pier. I did not find the Dovekies
there, though I did find them (2 or 3) later across from the old refuge
headquarters on Pea Island. They were actively diving and flying, so I
know there were two at least.
While searching for them in Rodanthe, I noticed a large black object
bobbing in the surf. At first I thought it was a large inner tube, but
then realized it was a cetacean, being washed southward with the
current. A short time later, I met a birder named Nate (didn't get his
last name) and together we watched, helplessly, as the pilot whale was
floundering in the surf.
The all-black whale was 12 to 15 feet long, square-headed with a long,
stout dorsal fin and long pectoral fins that swept backward from its
body. I did not have Mike Tove's "Offshore Wildlife" book with me, so I
don't know whether it was a Short-finned or Long-finned Pilot. The former
seems more likely, given the range Mike describes in the text.
We called Prof. Ann Pabst at UNC-Wilmington, one of the directors of the
cetacean stranding program. Ann told us that even though the whale seemed
to struggle its way back out from the surf a couple of times, it would
eventually become completely stranded. Apparently whales like this become
so exhausted and confused, rescuing them is all but hopeless. We left when
a ranger from the National Park Service arrived and took charge of things.
A sad tale. A beautiful animal.
Norm
***********************************************************
Norman Budnitz, nbudnitz@duke.edu
919-684-3592 (day), 919-383-0553 (eve), 919-660-7293 (fax)
(work) Biology Dept, Duke Univ, Box 90338, Durham NC 27708
(home) 4115 Garrett Drive, Durham NC 27705