And may the odds be ever in our favour!

After a long day and a short night on Tuesday, the pressure was starting to build on the C-CATS team. A promising good weather window was on the radar but our days in New Quay were numbered and with little time to spare, every one of our waking hours was planned to the second.

Clear skies and calm seas

The cliff team was up at the first light of dawn on Wednesday and barely had a dolphin free moment to catch their breathe in since sunrise. Both Islander and the hydrophone array, however, were still grounded on dry land and the latter was still in the tender loving care of Jens and Felix who were working tirelessly to ensure there would be no repeat of the previous night's accident. Spurred on by the cliff team's promise of dolphins, however, the array was back on Islander sooner than anticipated and the remaining team headed, hopeful and excited, towards Bird Rock. The cliff team who had kept a watchful eye on the dolphins in the meanwhile, however, had detected a worrying trend. The group of dolphins they were tracking was slowly but surely heading offshore and by the time Islander was in position and ready to record, they were nowhere to be seen. While this was a little bit dispiriting at first, the weather was still on our side and gave us the opportunity to continue working on both omnidirectional and directional playback directed at both the hydrophone array and another 'triPOD', Jemima 2.0.  Marta - with the help of  Magnus, the directional hydrophone- soon became an accomplished porpoise imitator and with not only low winds but also a bit of illusive Welsh sunshine on our side, the day was nevertheless a success!

Heading out to Islander

Wednesday was to mark the beginning of our change of fortune! Whether it was the increased determination or the C-CATS team or simply that the weather was now on our side, or a combination of the two, the following days brought many more successes.

Deploying the array

Thursday we set out with renewed determination, we had good playback data from both the array and Jemima, which in itself was something to be proud of but we were determined to record real live cetaceans. And we did. With only one or two days to spare, everything finally came together. Islander was fixed and both cliff and boat teams headed out first thing in the morning. The cliff team was in position first and did not disappoint, spotting dolphins close to the coast soon after. This time there was no delay with the array and when Islander came around the corner, the dolphins were still there. As one of the dolphins passed the boat with the deployed array for the first time, both teams erupted in the celebration, yells of triumph echoing from the New Quay cliff. After nearly three weeks of field work, everything came together in just over half an hour and even when the dolphins left eventually, the exhilaration of that one moment stayed with the team the rest of the day! Although there was a strong case for a late night celebrating, everyone voluntarily opted for an early night in order to make the most of the last day of calm weather on Friday morning!

Islander viewed from the cliff observation site

With little time to spare, and having missed out on early morning recordings during the previous days, the C-CATS team was determined to be up before the dolphins the next day in order to get as much recording time as possible. Unfortunately the dolphins either did not get that message or did not care as they did not turn up at all until later that morning. When they did arrive, however, they were cooperative and we were prepared! Two dolphins remained foraging in the bay for the most part of the morning and early afternoon, on several occasions making close passes at the boat, surfacing metres away from the array and providing us with textbook quality recordings of echolocation scans! Within a couple of hours and only a day away from the completion of the project, we recorded all the data -and more- that we could have hoped for!
Now it was only a matter of dismantling everything, getting the PODs back in, packing the van in preparation for the drive to Germany and downloading all the data, a daunting amount of work squeezed into just under one and half days - but after the success of the project hanging by a fragile - and weather dependent- thread and this exhilarating turn of events, everyone was more than ready to give it their all! At least after a well deserved lie in and sneak peak at the data on Saturday....

First glimpse of the data!

After a well deserved rest and a first glance at some textbook examples of dolphin clicks and a brief introduction by Jens as to how these can be used to localise animals in the water, the C-CATS team was invigorated and gripped anew with determination to get all the remaining jobs done in the very limited time that was given to us. We had just under a day before Jens and Felix were headed back to Germany but after all the adversities we had faced during the past few weeks, all of us were confident we could pull it off- and once again we did. Although it took us a while to get it all done, finally all the PODs were cleaned, packed, data were downloaded, saved, backed up (again and again and again) and baggage was packed before midnight on Saturday-and we still found time for a very important celebratory barbecue!

Relaxing after a successful end to the project

As exhausting and frustrating as the project had been at times, we were all sorry to pack up and leave New Quay, but as Jens pointed out, this is only the start and nine tenths of the work is still to come! So stay tuned and keep checking back, the real results are still to come!

Just Push Play

The ring of alarm of alarm bells marked the begin of Thursday morning at the C-CATS base in New Quay. Roused at 4:30 AM, there was just enough time for a direly needed cup of coffee before the team split up to take advantage of calm seas. While Gemma, Winnie and Katrin scaled the coastal path up to the cliff with only head torches illuminating their path, Hanna, Luke, Katie and Marta made their way down to the harbour to prepare the boat for a morning of playback experiments.

An early start for the C-CATS team: New Quay before dawn

On the cliff, the practice sessions with the theodolite paid off and the equipment on the cliff was set up just as the sun rose and the Islander arrived at the grid of PODs. It was not long before the cliff observation team could put their experience to the test; a group of six bottlenose dolphins, including two calves, appeared at 7 AM and delighted the cliff team (or C-team) with their high energy displays; breaching, tail slapping and lunging for fish at the surface. They stayed in the area for over 2 hours and were successfully tracked with the theodolite throughout that time. Not having anticipated such a long encounter, however, meant that there was now a shortage of forms and Gemma had to call for reinforcement from the home base. Jens gallantly volunteered to trek up the cliff with the forms himself but unfortunately missed the last dolphins of the day, a pair of adults travelling swiftly through the grid, by about five minutes.

Panoramic view of the cliff observation site

Directional transducer for playback

Excitement was also at an all time high on the Islander. After days and days of preparations, the calm seas finally allowed for systematic playback experiments. During these experiments, the team aimed to play artificial and real porpoise sounds to a specific set of PODs to determine factors that may affect the likelihood of PODs detecting the animal. For this purpose, in addition to the existing deployed PODs a special 'triPOD' was designed; a set of three C-PODs set in a triangular wooden frame, lovingly named 'Jemima'. The team deployed Jemima within the existing grid of C-PODs and then proceeded to play back artificial porpoise sounds at varying distances and volumes. They used two different type of playbacks, omnidirectional, broadcasting sound 360 degrees from the source, and then directional, using a specific setup to direct the sound towards the C-POD in a way that more closely resembles the narrow echolocation beam of a porpoise. Although the weather was an improvement on previous days, the winds did pick up significantly throughout the day and by early afternoon, the crew had to battle choppy waters while trying to stay put during playbacks. Nevertheless, they were not deterred, determined to make the most of brief window of opportunity and successfully conducted both directional and omnidirectional playbacks at 3 separate stations - all without any seasickness casualties!

Playback from the 'Culticave'

In the early afternoon however, the boat team was forced to return to New Quay harbour to pick up a spare battery to power the laptop from which the playbacks were conducted. Having exchanged the battery and a couple of crew members, everyone was ready to get back to work. Apart from the Islander. As Luke tried to start the engines it became apparent something was very wrong. One of them was not starting at all. After a preliminary look to see if any superficial problems could be spotted, Hanna called New Quay's lifeboat mechanic who came down to have a look. While the problem itself turned out not to be serious, the next supplier stocking the required part was located a 4 hour roundtrip from New Quay. Frustrated after being stopped short in our tracks after such a successful day, we decided to call it a day. There was only one problem. Jemima was still out there and with the winds picking up, leaving her to her fate could have meant losing her -and all the data- permanently. While everyone else headed home to get some dinner, Luke and Hanna stayed with the Islander, discussing our options. Finally, the decision was made that we would attempt to retrieve Jemima. On empty stomachs and over 12 hours at sea, Luke and Hanna manoeuvred the Islander through stormy New Quay waters on just one engine and Marta's support. Despite the fading daylight and crashing waves, Jemima was successfully retrieved and her safe return- and of course Hanna's, Luke's and Marta's as well- came as a great relief to everyone.

Experiencing the highs and lows of Welsh weather...

Monday- If you fail at first, try, try, try and TRY again!

The new calibration point

With the weather forecast promising a good weather window on Tuesday, Monday was a day of last minute preparations. The cliff observation team headed up along the coastal path with Felix to measure the calibration point for the theodolite as well as the position of the buoys marking the location of the PODs. While Marta and Winnie began measuring the position of the buoys, Felix and Gemma set off to measure the calibration point for the theodolite; a white MOD trailer located further down along the coast. Unfortunately, this expedition was soon met with complications; possibly because it is the property of the Ministry of Defence, Gemma and Felix could not get close enough to measure it. Not wanting to compromise national security but in desperate need of a measurable reference point that would allow us to calibrate the theodolite, the decision was made to choose a new point, a large corner fence post. Changing the reference point, however, meant that all buoy positions Winnie and Marta had been busy measuring, now could not be used anymore and that all measurements would need to be redone. Although initially frustrating, it was still a good exercise, allowing the cliff observation team to get familiar and comfortable in the use of the theodolite.

Later that day, it was still too rough to take the boat out but the team spent most of the afternoon preparing the Islander for the promised lull in the wind. The famous 'Culticave', was also allocated a permanent position on the boat and was successfully set up and secured on deck. Felix also used this time to measure the boat and array with the inertial measurement system which compensates for the rotation roll, pitch and angle of boat as well as measuring the angle to the north during acoustic recordings, this way we will be able to tell how the roadie bar is aligned at all times. However, these measurements had to be cut short due to the quickly rising tide. On dry land, once again, Winnie, Felix and Jens spent a long evening disentangling hydrophone cables, ensuring they were coiled separately and safely and ready to use the following day. After a long day, the team headed home, hoping for better weather for Tuesday.

Tuesday- All systems go!

Preparing the acoustics equipment

Tuesday was the big day, the window of opportunity we had all been waiting for! With the wind predicted to be at an all time low in the afternoon, there was an air of anticipation around the house as everyone did their bit to ensure that the first run with the full hydrophone array would be a success.

The array was assembled on the pier, and for the first time, the hydrophones attached! All electrical equipment, 2 laptops, batteries, the recording unit and amplifier, was assembled under the protective cover of the Culticave. Originally designed to be a greenhouse, it also very efficiently retains heat, which may prove to be a bonus on cold days, but was a bit of a concern in Tuesday's atypically sunny weather with not only all electronics but also Jens and Felix squeezed snugly under it's protective plastic roof! Finally, after breaking for a well deserved lunch in the sun (including home made cream tea courtesey of Hanna and Kati!), the cliff observation team, Marta, Winnie, Gemma and Katrin, set off to prepare the site while the boat team, Hanna, Luke, Felix, Jens and Kati, made last minute adjustments, ready to set off as soon as the last white caps disappeared from the horizon.

Calibrating the theodolite

Having had plenty of time to practice on the friendly neighbourhood cows, and encountered and resolved many error messages under the careful guidance of Felix, the cliff team confidently set up the theodolite- just to be set upon by error upon unknown error! Undeterred, they consulted the manual, made notes and tried the well known 'switch it off and back on again' technique, before resorting to calling Felix on the boat who swiftly resolved the issue once again. Calibrated, centred and ready to go, the team was now ready to record the positions of all the buoys marking PODs (all of which were present and intact despite the scare with Patricia!), as well as scanning for cetaceans and keeping an eye on the Islander.

Meanwhile on the boat, the first trial run with all hydrophones in the water was in full swing and although there were no animals in the vicinity to record, the boat team successfully recorded and located the echosounder using the acoustic array! Despite the limited practical application of this achievement, it was nevertheless a very important step forward, as it allowed the team to test whether the equipment was working correctly. They also had some time to attempt the first playback experiments; playing back sounds with the aim to study the likelihood of the static PODs picking up sounds at different volumes and distances. In the early evening, with storm clouds gathering overhead, the wind picking up again and the rumble of distant thunder in everyone's ears, both teams headed home after a successful day!

Islander as viewed from the cliff top observation point

Wednesday- Gone with the wind-again

All hopes of resuming boat or cliff based work were literally gone with the wind early on Wednesday morning. As gale force winds racked New Quay, there was little to do but to resign ourselves to the fact that we would be confined indoors for most of the day. However, as always there was plenty of odds and ends to do -such as updating the blog and replenishing our diminished food supplies as well as downloading data from the theodolite and working out the kinks in the electronic set up.

In the afternoon, Felix, Luke and Katrin headed back down to the Islander to complete the inertial measurements during low tide. Waiting patiently for the waves to retreat, the flooded 'Culticave' was dried out and the electrical equipment set up while further storm clouds gathered overhead. Slightly concerned about this development, as some of the measuring equipment is sensitive to water, the team checked the time to gauge how much time they had to complete the measurements- only to find that low tide had come and gone and at no time had Islander been completely on dry land! Unfortunate as this development was, we resigned ourselves to the fact that the weather and tides were not under our control and headed back home.

Waiting for the low tide that never was! 

Meanwhile, Hanna had checked the weather and discovered a brief good weather window early on Thursday morning- however just how early 'early' was remained a matter of mystery and much discussion for a while. We did not have long to dwell on this somewhat ominous announcement as Jens commanded all our attention for a pre-dinner talk on TOAD; Time of Arrival Difference, the method used to localise vocalising animals using a hydrophone array. After dinner the real meaning of 'early' was finally revealed and we headed straight to bed to be awake- bright and 'early' the following morning!