For four days the wind blew strong from the north pushing the southerly migrating mullet offshore, and the dolphin had followed. They clearly didn’ t get the script, and I was getting nervous. But things were looking up. On day five the wind had shifted, and schools of large corncob mullet were streaming through the inlet. Tethered to what amounts to a high-tech car battery, I positioned the Phantom camera within range of two preferred stranding areas well back from the waters edge to not interfere with the behavior. All we needed now were the dolphin.
For this documentary, I had spent a great deal of time tracking tigers, lions, vipers, and many other predators all over the world. Our goal was to focus on the challenges they face in their secretive worlds with an emphasis on unique behavioral solutions to those challenges. I thought the 100 or so resident dolphin along our coast that strand would be a perfect fit for this series. Strand feeding is a world-class behavior and every bit as exciting to witness as any other wildlife spectacle across the globe. If only I could get the shots in time.
There was a haunting beauty to the chaos that unfolded over the next few days. Dolphin came crashing through schools of mullet sending them airborne in a panicked attempt to escape. Pelicans scrambled to grab the odd fish that was flung too far up the beach. Wing crashed into wing, fish thrashed chaotically, and there in the center were four fully beached dolphin, their bellies flushed pink with excitement, waiting for mullet to flop down the slope to their waiting mouths. To the naked eye, it played out in two or three seconds. In high speed, you can see all of the coordination and split second timing at play. You feel dread for the mullet that’ s floating five feet above the dry sand with predators in all directions. Numerous pelicans clamber over each other comically racing after fish in a way wholly unnatural to their bodies’ design. All of it is bizarre— fish on land, dolphin deliberately beaching themselves, and pelicans hunting on dry sand. It definitely takes on an other-worldly aspect in high speed.
It was challenging to have a telephoto shot ready, sharp, and rolling in the right spot for those initial moments as the first fleeing mullet broke the surface. The rich estuaries along our coast hide the dolphin from sight, and it comes down to a gut feeling as to where they are going to strand. There were some incredible moments and a few heartbreaking misses, but all of it was great fun and such a privilege to watch.
The Phantom camera opened our eyes to the beauty and grace of those first critical seconds and added perspective to what we all know. Strand-feeding dolphin are an absolute treasure, and we are fortunate to share this stretch of coast with them. NK
34 Naturally Kiawah