Seeing Dolphins never gets old…
There was an exceptionally high tide that morning, allowing Dolphin to explore beyond their normal range.
These Dolphin would have traveled more than ten miles from St. Helena Sound to reach this point. Follow all the twists and turns along the yellow line I’ve drawn:
This spot is a dead end for their travels.
The pair swirled around in this pool a few times then disappeared back the way the came.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
May 15, 2022
Wow. It’s hard to imagine dolphins that far inland, but your photos show the results of their amazing journey. Thanks for including the map, which helped me understand the twists and turns the dolphins navigated.
They are quite amazing, Mike, and surely they know when to turn back so the receding tide doesn’t strand them.
I’m glad to know the map was helpful—a picture worth more than the thousand words I could have used and still been lacking 🙃.
Perfect spot, and you took full advantage of it. 👏👏👏
Thanks to you for spotting the action!
Ooh, What a surprise! I’m glad you shared the map as well.
Glad you found the map helpful, it really is something they go that far and read the changing tide to know when to return to deeper water.
Amazing— I didn’t think dolphins would leave the open seas – beautiful creatures 🥰❤️
Yes, they travel up and down the rivers, around the barrier islands, and into the channels all over the coast. It’s my understanding that they stay in a general geographic coastal area, probably with regular routes following their food source.
Dolphins are sometimes observed having “fun” that is not part of feeding behavior, like jumping in the surf or doing flips. I’ve wondered if they have a bit of adventurer in them that would account for this exploring. 🐬
We were out on our boat in the Chesapeake Bay above Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge a few days ago and saw a pod of 30+ dolphins exploring the upper bay. We have an app to report our CBay sightings for research and tracking (which I did). Nice spotting, Ellen!
Wowee, what an awesome experience, Donna! Thirty together and in that area! Thanks!