Tin Can Bay, just a few kilometers from where we are staying, is the site of a daily dolphin feeding. We rose early to catch the morning event. It is coordinated by a group of volunteers who make sure the dolphins are well taken care of. They are only fed about 10% of their daily requirement to ensure they don’t become overly dependent on human handouts. Members of the public are allowed to wade into the water in close proximity to the dolphins and even feed them (but not touch them). This is certainly the closest I have ever been or likely ever will be to these creatures – pretty remarkable really.
Two dolphins and a couple dozen homo sapiens showed up on the morning of our visit. The former showed a sense of humor when they slapped their tail fins on the water surface to send a nice spray in the direction of the latter. They added a few aerial leaps for our entertainment, or perhaps their own, or maybe to scrape parasites off their skins.
After the marine mammal breakfast we walked a long path following the shore, sharing our limited knowledge of Australian birds and trees with Myra. We saw many familiar faces (beaked ones), but also some new ones. We stopped for coffee halfway through the walk. Much to Deborah’s amazement, we did so at MY suggestion. I still don’t drink coffee but I have grown uncontrollably fond of Chai Lattes. Deborah is pleased at my new addiction, and the opportunity it presents to insert civilized interludes in what would otherwise be unrelenting marches to the far corners of the world.
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Low tide.
Australian Honeyeater
Really low tide.