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I actually thought of that too as I was paddling back to shore this morning. I was going to try claiming Tuross Lake as my backyard and see what the reaction was.Quote:
Originally Posted by weeds
The problem was that I had already submitted a photo of some obscure Brazilian bird that I had mistaken for a native Aussie.:p
Then again as someone has objected to my previous photo on the grounds that the bird was not an Australian native, does that mean I can try again with a dolphin photo? :D
Dunno, they could be the rare Japanese Dolphin or something .. lol
How are these dolphins going? Did any more return to the ocean?
They have now been in the lake for six months and still appear to be healthy and happy.
The baby has more than doubled its size and for the last month or so has been seen sometimes swimming independently from its mother. For the first few months they stuck so close to each other that they seemed to be joined at the hip (so to speak).
Unless the dolphins can work out a way to cross more than 100 metres of dry sand between the lake and the sea, then they aren't going anywhere.
The mouth of the lake closed off a month or two after they arrived, so they haven't had the option of leaving for some time now.
The salinity level appears to be still acceptable. The evaporation rate must be balancing the small inflow of fresh water down the Tuross River.
As far as I know there are still no plans to do anything except monitor their health and the salinity level of the lake.
They continue to provide a bit of excitement for kayakers and people in boats, especially children.
Until some low life does something to them:mad:.Quote:
Originally Posted by vnx205
Awesome experience. Thanks to share it with us. :)
"In spite of the worries of some fishermen that they will deplete the fish stocks in the lake"
Stuff them, tell them to eat more chicken;)
I thought it appropriate to revive this thread because the dolphins have now been in the Tuross Lake for exactly a year.
The Tuross Head Newsletter claims this is week 51, but I know that is not correct because I saw them in the week before I left for England at the end of August last year.
They appear to be still in good health but the mouth of the lake is well and truly closed, so they will not be going anywhere for some time yet. The baby has grown a lot and for several months has been prepared to stray some distance from its mother.
In spite of their enormous appetite for fish, fishermen are still able to catch fish in the lake.
During the first few months on their confinement it was almost certain that I would see them if I went out in the kayak. Now I would see them less than half the time. They are ranging much wider now and are often seen in quite different parts of the lake. That could be because the water level had slowly risen since the lake closed and they can explore new areas, or perhaps because they became bored with staying in the same few places.
Funny, I was thinking about this thread the other day and was wondering if they managed to swim out over winter. Can you often see them from the shore? I'm passing by Tuross Lake next weekend and might pop in for a look.
Initially your chances would have been good because they spent most of their time in the main basin. If you had a cup of coffee at The Boatshed, there was a good chance they would swim past. Some patrons have even been treated to the sight of them rounding up a school of mullet.
However, while I have seen them several times from the shore, there are now plenty of places they can go where you wouldn't see them.
You never know your luck though. A friend of mine hired a canoe a couple of weeks ago and within 5 minutes, the dolphins were hanging around the canoe.
So there are no guarantees.