It's Dolphin Time!

Hey what's up everybody!
So this is my first time writing here since joining HKDCS as an intern, so let me introduce myself. I'm Hoson, Chinese from the outside and British from the inside. Born in the UK I have always dreamt of one day working in Hong Kong, which I have achieved now thanks to the HKDCS!

Even though I travel back to HK quite frequently I am still in awe of the natural and artificial landscape. There is nothing in this world that can compare to the HK skyline, definitely a sight to behold. However HK's natural landscape is nothing to sneeze at, especially since taking the boat with the team around Lantau. I don't want to go into detail about the work so far as I am still learning, but so far I've learnt a lot from the guys here at work. To be continued...

Everyone has been so friendly and helpful and, some of the things they discuss have been very funny. Each member of the team have their own personality and some are...well...emm...special...but in a good way. Although the guys like to joke around a lot at the expense of certain members, they have all been extremely professional when working. The working conditions are not easy at all, which I'm sure is worse in the summer, so props to the guys. Also learnt one of the guys are leaving, so just want to take the chance to thank him for all he's taught me and good luck to him in the future. All the best..

So far I've had many sightings of dolphins and porpoises! I have also seen the various behaviours like breaching, surfing and porpoising. They are indeed fascinating creatures that need to be protected. I'm especially fond of the finless porpoise's sly and cheeky smile...

Thanks, see you here soon...
Hoson

Surreal Experience.

So this is it guys, I am really sorry that I didn't keep up on my promise, I have only written three posts (including this one) during my time as an intern at HKDCS.  I will try to make this one as long as possible, also as fun and as interesting as possible.

Vincent was forced by the
 reporters to scan the ocean
with the legendary golden binoculars.

As title says, the past 3 months interning at HKDCS was one of the best moments in my life.  Words cannot possibly describe how much I have gained from this "surreal experience".  Everyone in the firm was absolutely professional at what they do, and from being a part of the team, I had been deeply infected with their passions in conserving dolphins in Hong Kong.  I have to be honest and say that it was not the easiest job in the world, these guys work 5 days a week, waking up at early hours when the sun has not even risen, working in the field even if it is raining; not anyone can bear these conditions.  


These hardworking people hold the key to the brighter future of the dolphins in Hong Kong and I was so lucky to be given the chance to meet these people and befriend with them all.  It is no secret that some of them are pretty unique, not necessarily in a positive way, but each and every single one of them means so much to me.  They all assisted me and taught me a lot throughout this internship.  I know I have said this a lot of times, but lots of lots of thank you to Perry and Tony (who's ditched us in Dec) who were patient enough to teach me things and offer me the guidance which I needed.  However, the best time I had spent with them was not during work, it was the silly things we do when we were off work.  From the bottom of my heart, I really hope these friendships will last for forever.

Group photo taken in Sunny Bay after a long day of cycling.

A good day in North West Lantau 

So, let me make a little recap.  I have gone from someone who had never seen any Chinese white dolphins and Indo-pacific finless porpoises, to someone who has made an effort to conserve these fascinating creatures; from someone who had no idea what a theodolite was, to someone who has partaken in countless theodolite surveys; from someone who had never been to Tai O, to someone who has been to every single land-based observation stations in one week; from someone who had never walked so many miles up and down hill just to get batteries, to someone who has done so.      
Good memories those are, and they are engraved in my heart.

             

Lastly, I would really like to thank everyone again for offering me this opportunity, not only that it has proved that there are few dedicated people who are willing sacrifice their time to help conserving animals, but also for widening my view and bringing up my interest in conservational biology.  Being someone who has been taught physiology and zoology for most of her life, I used to think conservation biology was boring.  Now i realise it is the integration of all biological disciplines that could help save an animal, not just from one solely. 

Dolphins surfacing on my very last day of work. WEEEEEH that was rewarding.

Well then, I guess this is when I should mark the end of my time at HKDCS.  Good luck to you all and please do keep up the effort.  I hope to return one day and seeing the dolphins living a better life.

P.S.: EAT LESS, HAYMEN & YUKI. ITS NOT GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH.

FUN

Hello people, it's me again :D. Its been long since I last updated my time in the HKDCS.  The past few months have been great, I have learnt a lot of things from the guys from being on-effort, to learning new acoustic tracking techniques.  You can never ask for a better working environment than in the HKDCS.  Anyway, besides all the serious work we normally do on our working days, last month we managed to gather around on a saturday for a day of great fun.

We organised us a cycling plus picnic day.  We cycled from Tung Chung to the Disney Inspiration Lake, which was a 2-hour ride.  And then we settled at the Inspiration Lake for lunch.  We, like any other day of work, met up in Tung Chung MTR station, and as always, Viena was late xD.  Before heading to the bike rental, we went to get us some snacks for the picnic from the supermarket.  Once we all got our bikes, we took a group photo and started our day of cycling.  The scenery along the cycling path was fascinating, and it was an easy ride until we reached Sunny Bay, in which we had to cycle up a steep road.  It was terribly rough especially after 1.5 hour of cycling.  Some of us had no choice but to hop off the bike and push, while the rest were so much stronger and biked all the way up the road.  Once we reached the peak, everything became effortless and we arrived in Inspiration Lake in no time.

We set up a perfect spot for lunch overlooking the lake, Karen prepared lunch for everyone, there were bolognese spaghetti, and chicken wings.  Although I could not taste the chicken wings, but I could tell they were good, just like the spaghetti.  While everyone was away getting drinks, I witnessed something totally ludicrous, Viena and Yuki rolling on the grass like 5 year-old children.  Apart from eating, we also played board games together.  When the sun started to set, it marked the end of our fun day, so we began cycling back to Tung Chung, remember I mentioned about the scenery on the way to Sunny Bay? With the scene of the sun setting, the scenery along the cycling path was 10-times prettier, it was breathtaking.

After returning our bikes to the bike rental, we left Tung Chung for a tummy-filling dinner in Mongkok.  At the end of the day, it was generally an enjoyable day, it was a day where we got to know each other better.  Anyway, I guess this is where I should end the story :D I will see you guys next time.

Not the end yet!

For the past three months, my time with HKDCS has been very fruitful. I am fortunate to join the team, meeting wonderful people and gaining new experiences every day. For those who are looking into the field of cetacean research and marine conservation, this internship is certainly a great opportunity to explore your interest and most of all, you won’t regret it!

One might think that research work is always boring, however, this is not the case when it comes to the research done in here. Since we cannot predict what sightings we can get during the surveys, I always look forward to what I will experience each day. Among all field surveys, I particularly like to spend my time with the dolphins and finless porpoises at sea. It is never tiring to see them especially when you can recognize a few through photo identification. Just weeks ago, I was able to get a picture of the mother and calf pair near Lung Kwu Chau using the 7D camera. My photography skills were better this time and I was able to capture the moment when the calf peeped out of the water. It was really cute indeed!

Apart from conducting field research, I was glad to be involved in other related works such as data analysis, the DRT show, school talks and many more. Recently, I have spent a lot more time working on the SROI project. We did several questionnaire surveys already and most went well. Regarding the issue on the third runway project proposal, the supporting and opposing voices were both strong. Through the process of setting up objectives, creating questionnaires and conducting interviews, I learned that the work of conservation involves good communication and the collaboration between researchers and other parties such as the general public. It is a difficult job but I believe every change starts with a small step.

All in all, this internship was really memorable and the experiences I had will certainly last for a lifetime. It has inspired me to explore further in the field of cetacean research and was useful to help me plan my future career. Also, the staff members were extremely helpful and it was my pleasure to work with them. Though my internship period has ended but at the same time it has turned a new page in my life. In the coming months, I am glad to continue to work at HKCRP (as one of the staff this time J) and surely there will be more exciting events waiting for me ahead.  

I got to say bye now. All the best to future interns!

Tiffany =)

The DRT show and more...

Hi,

It’s time for me to recall some exciting events happened in the past weeks. First of all, I was so happy to take part in the Diving and Resort Travel Expo, held on the 13^th to 15^th December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The HKDCS was able to set up a booth this year, so other than selling books related to nature and marine animals, we were able to educate the public specifically on Chinese white dolphins and finless porpoises. It was exciting to know that many people were actually interested to learn more about these marine creatures and the ways to protect them. 

 Fascinating art piece from Shark Savers

Other than helping at the booth, we also took the opportunity to conduct a questionnaire survey for the SROI project I mentioned before.  Among the visitors, many of them were divers and conservationists, so we were fortunate to get lots of valuable opinions. The expo was really an eye opener for me because I wanted to learn diving for a long time. There was so much information about diving courses and beautiful diving locations worldwide. Surely, I will recommend anyone who likes diving to visit this expo!!

Our booth ~ Good job everyone :)

Apart from the DRT show, we were also busy working on the SROI project. We conducted a few questionnaire surveys and have interviewed Hong Kong residents and foreign tourists. Through their participation in the questionnaires, we wanted to know their views on the proposed Hong Kong airport’s third runway project and experiences with dolphin-watching tours. I was glad to conduct the surveys as they helped to raise public awareness about the threats posed on Chinese white dolphins.We are halfway through the project now, so hopefully it will turn out well!

Tiff :)

G' Day :D!

      Hello hello, so this is my first ever blog entry since I've joined the HKDCS family.  Where do I begin!?  I'll start by introducing myself I guess.  My name is Cherie, I study Zoology in Australia, I applied this internship programme because I didn't want to waste my holiday doing nothing, plus being able to work a job that is within my discipline would be a great opportunity for me to experience what it is like when I graduate.  

      Now that I have been working for roughly three weeks, I am finding myself fitting in quite well, everyone has been more than helpful to me, I have learnt so much since.  For example, scanning dolphins and porpoises with a pair of binoculars, filling in survey effort data sheets, working with other staff as a team.  Most of these skills are not difficult to get a hand on, it may sound cliche, but in my opinion, this is the best job in the world.  It's a day of work, staying on board on a fairly large yacht, scanning for dolphins without having the slightest chance of getting wet and dirty, seeing dolphins occasionally for free while others have to pay hundreds of dollars to see, getting the chance to admire the fascinating landscape of Hong Kong during dawn and dusk and learning knowledges in which no other job can offer.  However, I cannot say the same for land-based survey, it is less comfy than working on a boat of course.  Most of the stations are pretty remote, so you actually have to walk a couple of kilometres to get there, with equipments weighting a few stones.  Lucky for me, it is winter at the moment, and I am a pretty strong girl, but I bet I won't be saying the same if I work during the summer period.

     Apart from the usual boat survey and land-based survey, last week I also had the chance to help at the Hong Kong Diving Resort Travel expo, it was a day of great fun.  Besides giving out questionnaires and educating the public about the resident cetaceans of Hong Kong, I also had the chance to walk around and getting good bargains for diving gears. :D

Well, I guess I will stop here for now, I will keep you guys updated very soon.

Days in Shum Wat =)

Finally, I was able to visit Shum Wat twice! It is one of the important stations for land-based survey, so I was hoping to go there for a long time. The station in Shum Wat was far away from the bus terminal and took us about 45 minutes of walk to the survey site. On our way to the hiking trail, I was able to enjoy the rural scenery of Tai O, especially for the stilt houses inside the village. Since I don’t usually come here, I felt like I was going for an outing more than work =)

Tai O village and wala wala boats

Stilt houses

On my first time to Shum Wat, the wind was pretty strong and we got a record of Beaufort 4-5. Although it was quite difficult to do the scans, we were able to spot two dolphins appearing about 300 m away from the shore. They were swimming towards the Shum Wat Bay but we lost track of them shortly afterwards. I think it was one of the closest encounters I ever had when doing land-based surveys; I could even see their skin patterns clearly through the binoculars! As for the second time, the weather was very hazy and since the dolphins were spotted far away, we failed to track all of the groups. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time there. Apart from the dolphins, I have noticed the construction area of the HKZM Bridge has been expanding ever since. The structure of the main bridge could be clearly identified now and there were more construction boats stationing in the area. Knowing that the Chinese white dolphins also live in the waters near Shum Wat, I hope we can still see them around after the bridge was built.

                                  Shum Wat station, with the HKZM bridge construction site at far

                                                              

                                          Our little friend basking in the sun

Tiff =)