{"id":21617,"date":"2021-04-16T15:58:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T22:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/?p=21617"},"modified":"2021-04-16T15:58:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T22:58:11","slug":"wildlife-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/2021\/04\/16\/wildlife-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Recognizing individuals through repeated field encounters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"By Kameron Strickland, MLML\u00a0Ichthyology Lab<\/a> & CSUMB Image Analysis Lab<\/a><\/h3>\n

Our pursuit for statistical power involves repeated trials and non-trivial sample sizes.\u00a0 After hundreds of fish dissections or thousands of water samples, big data can become a big chore.\u00a0 Once exciting field observations are converted to numbers, I find myself occasionally forgetting the amazing individuals we are fortunate enough to study.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve enjoyed photographing both fish and birds for a few years.\u00a0 Through repeat encounters, I\u2019ve come to recognize specific individuals both on land and on sea.\u00a0 If you have had the same experience, you will understand the excitement in recognizing these individuals time and time again.\u00a0 Sexual dimorphism, unique behaviors, and physical markings are all indicators that can be used for identifications.\u00a0 Here, I provide small anecdotes about some of the individuals I\u2019ve met through my photography.<\/p>\n

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Scarred Kelp rockfish<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I just logged my 400th dive in\u00a0my SCUBA career. \u00a0A majority were around the Monterey Peninsula, most being in the Carmel Bay. \u00a0While studying microhabitat associations of Kelp rockfish in Carmel, I recorded more than 1,000 observations of the species. \u00a0Kelp rockfish display a wide range of color morphs and patchiness patterns, from a ghostly white to earthy greens and browns. \u00a0I recognized this specific individual across a few dives due to the\u00a0distinct white scar its left side.\u00a0 After an hour of deep depths and freezing temperatures, it was exciting to find this fish hanging around the same patches of kelp.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if the feeling was mutual!<\/p>\n

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Two Vermilion rockfish in Carmel, CA<\/u><\/h3>\n

Just across the bay live two large Vermilion rockfish. \u00a0The smaller of the two is much more orange, while the larger one has more complicated silver patches on its body. \u00a0These large, vibrant rockfish stand out from the other species on the reef.\u00a0 When I dove nearly every day during the summer of 2018, I would see these individuals in almost the exact same places. \u00a0Because of their large size, I believe these two individuals could have easily outcompeted other rockfish for the best crevices along the rocky reef.\u00a0 Since 2018, this kelp forest has turned into an urchin barren with only a few opportunistic Macrocystis <\/em>and Nereocystis<\/em> fronds remaining.\u00a0 Yet the Vermilions remain \u2013 I just saw one of them last week!\u00a0 It still feels as if these two fish purposefully come out to greet me on dives.<\/p>\n

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White-tailed kite<\/u><\/h3>\n

During runs, I\u2019ve passed this White-tailed numerous times while it was perched on the same tree.\u00a0 I\u2019ve made it a mission to return with camera gear and try to photograph it, but have only succeeded twice.\u00a0 Their bright red eyes have always fascinated me.\u00a0 If my presence doesn\u2019t scare it off, turkey vultures and crows seem to always chase it away.<\/p>\n

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Anna\u2019s hummingbird in Moss Landing<\/u><\/h3>\n

I discovered this Anna\u2019s hummingbird at a location I frequent weekly for shorebirds.\u00a0 This individual favors flying back and forth between three perches.\u00a0 It was shy when I first discovered it, not letting me approach very closely. \u00a0I began using my camera\u2019s electronic shutter to shoot silently and minimize disturbance on its natural behavior.\u00a0 After many weeks of returning to this individual, it has become more comfortable with my camera gear. \u00a0It now lets me move closer and will even return to me after flying away.\u00a0 Over a the past few months, this bird has become a part of my weekly photographic routine; I like to think that I am a part of its week as well!<\/p>\n

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Pair of Eurasian collared doves in Moss Landing<\/u><\/h3>\n

Not far from the hummingbird I visit, two Eurasian collared doves that have claimed a tree as their own.\u00a0 These two are inseparable.\u00a0 Although I am no dove expert, I suspect they may be a breeding pair.\u00a0 Since their tree is near the busy Moss Landing harbor, they sometimes have to other flying fauna.\u00a0 In my opinion, these goofy doves have one of the most hilarious calls.\u00a0 Unfortunately they are hesitant to drop down at eye level, which makes it difficult to capture photos.<\/p>\n

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Photographing wildlife is an enjoyable break from the hard science I feel is prioritized during grad school.\u00a0 These small encounters have highlighted some of the interesting routines and personality traits of my subjects.\u00a0 I hope you are able to recognize individuals across your scientific endeavors.\u00a0 Happy research!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kameron Strickland, MLML\u00a0Ichthyology Lab & CSUMB Image Analysis Lab Our pursuit for statistical power involves repeated trials and non-trivial sample sizes.\u00a0 After hundreds of fish dissections or thousands of water samples, big data can become a big chore.\u00a0 Once exciting field observations are converted to numbers, I find myself occasionally forgetting the amazing individuals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":21625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[153],"class_list":["post-21617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drop-inblog","tag-ichthyology-lab"],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"MLML Student Life","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21617"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21636,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21617\/revisions\/21636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlml.sjsu.edu\/student-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}