Killer Whales and Their Prey in Iceland

This expedition is my 9^th with Earthwatch and is Bryan’s 3^rd. It is, however, our first one together! 12 days on the island of Vestmannaeyjar, to study and protect killer whales.

We joined two other couples for the expedition: Marty Goldenberg & Christine Somers from N. Carolina/New York, and Stuart Saslow & Jesse Hutt from Colorado.

The house they rented for us had three bedrooms upstairs, so it worked out perfectly: each couple got their own room, with one bathroom between us all. Downstairs, we shared the kitchen/dining/living space – each taking turns cooking dinners and fending for ourselves for breakfast.

Dr. Filipa Samarra was our Lead Investigator on the project; she had 5 students working for her as well as 2 boat captains. All of them were perfectly wonderful people, and each one went out of their way to make us all feel welcomed and valued.

Filipa - Lead Investigator from Portugal

AYÇA (pronounced Eye-Sha) - Project Coordinator from Turkey

EILIDH (rhymes with Haley but without the H) - Project Photographer from Scottland

Joe - Student Scientist from London

Lena - Student Scientist from Germany

Lucy - Student Scientist from London

Aly - Boat Captain from Pennsylvania

Magnus - Boat Captain from Germany/Portugal

Our first day “on the job” was spent learning what the job is and how to do it. We got presentations by numerous students, learning all about Killer Whales and the surrounding area. The office where they do their work is very modern, with offices, labs, a kitchen/break room, and easy access to the boat harbor right across the street.

We basically had three jobs:

Photo ID = each time they go out on the boat, the photographer takes as many pictures as possible, trying to get good photos. We then took the photos and compared them to the database, one at a time, trying to make an identification.

BOAT WORK = if weather conditions allow, you go out on the boat and look for whales. Once a pod is located, you try to get good photos for ID purposes, take biological samples if needed, attach telemetry tags if available, observe behavioral patterns, and record vocalizations.

LAND WORK = when not doing either of the two jobs above, we were out at the far end of the island observing all species of whales using high-magnification binoculars. We recorded the positions and behavior of any whales observed and helped record data on environmental factors. We were also in contact with the boat crew (if they were out that day) to inform them of the whale’s location.

Our house was only about a mile and a half from the office, if we had office work that day, we would walk to work (unless it was too stormy, then they would come get us in the car). Vestmannaeyjar is a cute little town, and we got to know it fairly quickly. They even had a public pool so Bryan could soak in the hot water each evening.

All in all, we had a great time. I would highly recommend this expedition to all of you!