Friday, April 02, 2004
coll whale...
If you are wondering what became of the Coll Whale....
this BBC news story may let you understand our quiet phase ...
I also suggest a good sleuth around the Island Blogs, particularly Coll Hotel Bar, (naturally!), Blog Blog, and journo. The comments on all these add to the picture.
And coll digital adds pictures and more.
this BBC news story may let you understand our quiet phase ...
I also suggest a good sleuth around the Island Blogs, particularly Coll Hotel Bar, (naturally!), Blog Blog, and journo. The comments on all these add to the picture.
And coll digital adds pictures and more.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
the oceania project
This overview page gives quick access to an abundant site.
Friday, February 27, 2004
homewards
Introduction to The People of The Whale - The Mirning Tribe,
who have communed with the Southern Right Whales
for over a hundred thousand years.
From this page, move way beyond...
who have communed with the Southern Right Whales
for over a hundred thousand years.
From this page, move way beyond...
trans-form-ation
Scottish sculptor-welder Artist Helen Denerley is on a rekke,
to Grytviken whaling base on the island of South Georgia.
She's been given the chance to transform
tonnes of derelict whaling station ironwork
into a sculpture embodying the spirit of the whale,
at the gateway to the Antarctic.
Here's the (rather slow to appear) news-story I found
- more when I find it...
...pics of some of her beauty-full previous work...
to Grytviken whaling base on the island of South Georgia.
She's been given the chance to transform
tonnes of derelict whaling station ironwork
into a sculpture embodying the spirit of the whale,
at the gateway to the Antarctic.
Here's the (rather slow to appear) news-story I found
- more when I find it...
...pics of some of her beauty-full previous work...
once seen...
colldigital - now-historical docuphotos;
of the Whale delivered to Coll, February 2004.
Exquisite panoramic shot, and photo-essay.
of the Whale delivered to Coll, February 2004.
Exquisite panoramic shot, and photo-essay.
Monday, February 23, 2004
Whale Diary
In mid-December I became a BBC islandblogger, writing a blog of what happened in the Coll Hotel bar each night after work.
February can get desperately dull, but once the whale arrived I really had something to talk about.
Below are all the bits about the whale taken from the barblog.
Sunday 1 February
We were at Carole’s when Brad told us a whale had been washed up on Feall beach.
Monday, 2 February
Tonight’s main topic of conversation in the bar was the whale. It is washed up on Feall beach down at the West End. Opinion in the bar says it is a fin whale.
Roy paced it out at 15 or 16 metres long and apparently minkes aren't that big. I'm going sightseeing tomorrow. Those who've seen it say it is AWESOME!!
We had a phone call from the BBC wanting to know about it, but trying to explain ferry times to someone who has obviously no idea about island life took half of the phone call.
Tuesday 3 February
An extra entry, nothing to do with the bar (I do have a life outside the bar).
We went to Feall to look at the whale. It is lying on its side so you can see its tummy. On top it is black and very smooth. It feels like touching a car tyre, solid and thick. Underneath it is white and ridged; each ridge is about one inch in a square corrugated pattern. It looks as though this would make it easier to swim, a bit like the tread on a tyre. It is still firm to the touch but you can push and then it wobbles; don't think about fermenting gasses in stomachs.
Half of the tail is buried in the sand and the other half sticks up, I thought it would be bigger. I paced out the head and the mouth is about ten feet long.
The tongue has swollen up and was wobbling in the wind in a very unpleasant way. There are no teeth but hairy filters like draught excluders; a row of flat black rubbery strips about 6 - 8 inches long, imagine them all parallel to each other and then twisted 45 degrees so there is a lot of overlap, but so they don't touch. At the bottom of these strips they sort of wear out into stiff hairs, like doormats, these are up to 3 inches long.
The eye was closed and he (I am guessing here) looks very peaceful.
It got very windy and we were being sandblasted by the beach, the waves were impressive but the tides are quite low this week so I don't think it is going to get washed away just yet.
PS: No sign of the BBC today, but there was a report on the front page of the Press and Journal.
Wednesday 4 February
More whale gossip. The BBC are helicoptering in tomorrow, weather permitting, with an expert which should be good.
General opinion in the bar is that the whale is a he, and after a Yorkshire accent misunderstanding he seems to be called Sandy!
Thursday 5 February
We went down to have another look at the whale. The BBC were there so we watched their helicopter take off. The whale has moved and it seems longer, before it was 14 paces, now it is 17. The skin is beginning to peel off, the black skin is about 2 millimetres thick and still feels just like rubber. We were wrong; it is female and the whale equivalent of a teenager. There is talk of a post mortem. Also talk of burial and blowing it up.
The BBC report was on newsround and showed the kids with the whale, it weighs 25 tons. The newsround stuff was more informative than the six o'clock news story but there were some good shots of the beach.
I wonder if anyone will remember Coll's name?
Last night there was talk of eating whale, those who had didn't seem to recommend it, too fishy. Today Mum said they ate it in the war because it wasn't on the ration book. It was the colour of horse meat and had a meaty texture but a different flavour. She said you had to tell yourself it was whale, you couldn't pretend it was something else.
There is a rumour the HWDT are coming on Tuesday to talk to the kids about whales, hopefully there'll be a talk for adults too, and please not on Tuesday (I've got Wednesday night off). Another rumour says the whale will be wrapped in a net, towed out to sea and tied to a mooring. When the flesh has gone the bones will be collected. Not sure if I believe this. At one point the bar was all set to butcher the whale and get the bones first, but they settled for another drink instead.
Friday 6 February
Whale update first. I haven't seen it today but it is white all over, the black bits have peeled off. It is looking a bit scraggy and the seagulls are starting to take an interest. The HDWT are doing their talk on Wednesday; great, I wonder what we'll do with our project volunteers.
Tuesday 10 February
There was a bit of confusion between Wales and whales, the HWDT were in to eat. I had to be incognito when I was taking notes for tonight’s blog as they were talking about this site.
Message from Gary of Tobermory about the Cuvier’s beaked whale:
‘I know something of how your dead whale smells after today. Took the kids round to Calgary beach and passed the rotting remains of a Cuvier on the way back. It was 100+ yards away but the stink was quite unpleasant. Sort of very strong cheesy smell.’
Wednesday 11 February
On Wed the HDWT gave a talk at the village hall. It was their standard talk but made more personal using information from our fin whale and the beaked whale washed up on Mull. That whale died because it had been eating black plastic. The picture of it after they had cut the head off was a bit gruesome but very interesting. The turnout was excellent and we had to put more chairs out. The kids have certainly gone whale-crazy. On our whale the baleen plates, which were the mouth bits I thought were like bristly doormats, have now disappeared. If I had took one I would have had 'whalebone' and could have made my own corset (might have needed more than one). You also get cat-gut from the baleen plates.
To HWDT thanks very much, you explained loads and I'm glad I know it now, but I'm also glad I could observe the whale without having the information then. Weird to think their nose (blowholes) and mouth don't join up though, even if it does save them from drowning.
Wednesday 18 February
We went down to see the whale on Tuesday. The beach is in sand deposition mode and walking on the soft sand was quite tiring. On the landward side of the whale a fair bank of sand has built up, the tail is almost completely covered. On the seaward side there is less sand but the whale is firmly settled and it will take a rough sea to shift it. There is a large pile of kelp nearby which smells very kelpy but I couldn't detect any smell from the whale. Practically all the skin has gone and what shows on the surface is smooth and yellow and wet. I guess it is the blubber. The birds aren't making any progress eating into it. The head end and mouth looks fairly gory but the rest is still very peaceful and you still get the feeling of size. I could see the blowholes. I hadn't noticed them before but the HDWT talked about them at their talk last week. Funny to think I hadn't seen something before I knew it existed but could see it straight away when I knew it should be there!
There doesn't appear to be anyone doing anything with it now. If they aren't quick I think the wind and tides will bury it anyway. I wish I knew where some of the stories came from, everybody knows someone who heard somebody was coming to do something, but no details. I hope it stays there now, even if it compromises Feall beach for the summer, although the amount of traffic hasn't done the ground any good at all.
Thursday 19 February
Heard a rumour, followed by an email confirming it that the whale is to be taken away. Sorry the mainland, it isn’t environmentally sound to bury/dispose of it on Coll so you’ve got to have it. To be honest I’d rather it got left, personal opinion only. Anyway the council are sending men in to dissect it, put the bits into 40 foot containers and take it away on the ferry. I have heard this might need a special permit from Calmac. Some Edinburgh University wants the bones, maybe they could display them at Holyrood. Not sure if the main aim is scientific research or rubbish removal. I suppose it matters more to the accountants than anyone else (cynical moi?).
Sunday 22 February
A cold but sunny morning. We went back to Feall to look at the whale. I confess it was smelling a bit. The yellow layer is now also peeling off, underneath is white. In some places something has started to chew it and you can definitely see meat. The bits partially buried by sand are also showing signs of degradation, wonderful word, but sometimes long words say exactly what you want them to. The sand has firmed up a bit because the tides are high at the moment. The mouth is very wide open; it is awesome to think of the amount of water it could filter through the baleen plates to get its food.
In an amazing coincidence we found a bone. It looks ridiculously like a shoulder blade, about sixteen inches across. I don’t know whether to say it is off a whale, or get some confirmation, but we hardly ever find anything on the beach and this was just amazing.
I feel quite related to the whale, partly because generally people here have stopped talking about it.
February can get desperately dull, but once the whale arrived I really had something to talk about.
Below are all the bits about the whale taken from the barblog.
Sunday 1 February
We were at Carole’s when Brad told us a whale had been washed up on Feall beach.
Monday, 2 February
Tonight’s main topic of conversation in the bar was the whale. It is washed up on Feall beach down at the West End. Opinion in the bar says it is a fin whale.
Roy paced it out at 15 or 16 metres long and apparently minkes aren't that big. I'm going sightseeing tomorrow. Those who've seen it say it is AWESOME!!
We had a phone call from the BBC wanting to know about it, but trying to explain ferry times to someone who has obviously no idea about island life took half of the phone call.
Tuesday 3 February
An extra entry, nothing to do with the bar (I do have a life outside the bar).
We went to Feall to look at the whale. It is lying on its side so you can see its tummy. On top it is black and very smooth. It feels like touching a car tyre, solid and thick. Underneath it is white and ridged; each ridge is about one inch in a square corrugated pattern. It looks as though this would make it easier to swim, a bit like the tread on a tyre. It is still firm to the touch but you can push and then it wobbles; don't think about fermenting gasses in stomachs.
Half of the tail is buried in the sand and the other half sticks up, I thought it would be bigger. I paced out the head and the mouth is about ten feet long.
The tongue has swollen up and was wobbling in the wind in a very unpleasant way. There are no teeth but hairy filters like draught excluders; a row of flat black rubbery strips about 6 - 8 inches long, imagine them all parallel to each other and then twisted 45 degrees so there is a lot of overlap, but so they don't touch. At the bottom of these strips they sort of wear out into stiff hairs, like doormats, these are up to 3 inches long.
The eye was closed and he (I am guessing here) looks very peaceful.
It got very windy and we were being sandblasted by the beach, the waves were impressive but the tides are quite low this week so I don't think it is going to get washed away just yet.
PS: No sign of the BBC today, but there was a report on the front page of the Press and Journal.
Wednesday 4 February
More whale gossip. The BBC are helicoptering in tomorrow, weather permitting, with an expert which should be good.
General opinion in the bar is that the whale is a he, and after a Yorkshire accent misunderstanding he seems to be called Sandy!
Thursday 5 February
We went down to have another look at the whale. The BBC were there so we watched their helicopter take off. The whale has moved and it seems longer, before it was 14 paces, now it is 17. The skin is beginning to peel off, the black skin is about 2 millimetres thick and still feels just like rubber. We were wrong; it is female and the whale equivalent of a teenager. There is talk of a post mortem. Also talk of burial and blowing it up.
The BBC report was on newsround and showed the kids with the whale, it weighs 25 tons. The newsround stuff was more informative than the six o'clock news story but there were some good shots of the beach.
I wonder if anyone will remember Coll's name?
Last night there was talk of eating whale, those who had didn't seem to recommend it, too fishy. Today Mum said they ate it in the war because it wasn't on the ration book. It was the colour of horse meat and had a meaty texture but a different flavour. She said you had to tell yourself it was whale, you couldn't pretend it was something else.
There is a rumour the HWDT are coming on Tuesday to talk to the kids about whales, hopefully there'll be a talk for adults too, and please not on Tuesday (I've got Wednesday night off). Another rumour says the whale will be wrapped in a net, towed out to sea and tied to a mooring. When the flesh has gone the bones will be collected. Not sure if I believe this. At one point the bar was all set to butcher the whale and get the bones first, but they settled for another drink instead.
Friday 6 February
Whale update first. I haven't seen it today but it is white all over, the black bits have peeled off. It is looking a bit scraggy and the seagulls are starting to take an interest. The HDWT are doing their talk on Wednesday; great, I wonder what we'll do with our project volunteers.
Tuesday 10 February
There was a bit of confusion between Wales and whales, the HWDT were in to eat. I had to be incognito when I was taking notes for tonight’s blog as they were talking about this site.
Message from Gary of Tobermory about the Cuvier’s beaked whale:
‘I know something of how your dead whale smells after today. Took the kids round to Calgary beach and passed the rotting remains of a Cuvier on the way back. It was 100+ yards away but the stink was quite unpleasant. Sort of very strong cheesy smell.’
Wednesday 11 February
On Wed the HDWT gave a talk at the village hall. It was their standard talk but made more personal using information from our fin whale and the beaked whale washed up on Mull. That whale died because it had been eating black plastic. The picture of it after they had cut the head off was a bit gruesome but very interesting. The turnout was excellent and we had to put more chairs out. The kids have certainly gone whale-crazy. On our whale the baleen plates, which were the mouth bits I thought were like bristly doormats, have now disappeared. If I had took one I would have had 'whalebone' and could have made my own corset (might have needed more than one). You also get cat-gut from the baleen plates.
To HWDT thanks very much, you explained loads and I'm glad I know it now, but I'm also glad I could observe the whale without having the information then. Weird to think their nose (blowholes) and mouth don't join up though, even if it does save them from drowning.
Wednesday 18 February
We went down to see the whale on Tuesday. The beach is in sand deposition mode and walking on the soft sand was quite tiring. On the landward side of the whale a fair bank of sand has built up, the tail is almost completely covered. On the seaward side there is less sand but the whale is firmly settled and it will take a rough sea to shift it. There is a large pile of kelp nearby which smells very kelpy but I couldn't detect any smell from the whale. Practically all the skin has gone and what shows on the surface is smooth and yellow and wet. I guess it is the blubber. The birds aren't making any progress eating into it. The head end and mouth looks fairly gory but the rest is still very peaceful and you still get the feeling of size. I could see the blowholes. I hadn't noticed them before but the HDWT talked about them at their talk last week. Funny to think I hadn't seen something before I knew it existed but could see it straight away when I knew it should be there!
There doesn't appear to be anyone doing anything with it now. If they aren't quick I think the wind and tides will bury it anyway. I wish I knew where some of the stories came from, everybody knows someone who heard somebody was coming to do something, but no details. I hope it stays there now, even if it compromises Feall beach for the summer, although the amount of traffic hasn't done the ground any good at all.
Thursday 19 February
Heard a rumour, followed by an email confirming it that the whale is to be taken away. Sorry the mainland, it isn’t environmentally sound to bury/dispose of it on Coll so you’ve got to have it. To be honest I’d rather it got left, personal opinion only. Anyway the council are sending men in to dissect it, put the bits into 40 foot containers and take it away on the ferry. I have heard this might need a special permit from Calmac. Some Edinburgh University wants the bones, maybe they could display them at Holyrood. Not sure if the main aim is scientific research or rubbish removal. I suppose it matters more to the accountants than anyone else (cynical moi?).
Sunday 22 February
A cold but sunny morning. We went back to Feall to look at the whale. I confess it was smelling a bit. The yellow layer is now also peeling off, underneath is white. In some places something has started to chew it and you can definitely see meat. The bits partially buried by sand are also showing signs of degradation, wonderful word, but sometimes long words say exactly what you want them to. The sand has firmed up a bit because the tides are high at the moment. The mouth is very wide open; it is awesome to think of the amount of water it could filter through the baleen plates to get its food.
In an amazing coincidence we found a bone. It looks ridiculously like a shoulder blade, about sixteen inches across. I don’t know whether to say it is off a whale, or get some confirmation, but we hardly ever find anything on the beach and this was just amazing.
I feel quite related to the whale, partly because generally people here have stopped talking about it.
Whale Dreaming
'the legends of the whale' site, which offers several treats.
I like it's creators intention. And...
It led me to this Whale Dreamings page,
which tells of Aboriginal Australian Whale Myths, People of The Whale,
and plenty more.
I like it's creators intention. And...
It led me to this Whale Dreamings page,
which tells of Aboriginal Australian Whale Myths, People of The Whale,
and plenty more.
they click
specific species
Cetacea.org. Specific species info. Clear.
This is their page for our recently-beached-on-Coll whalefriend's family.
This is their page for our recently-beached-on-Coll whalefriend's family.
enchanting
Thursday, February 19, 2004
in process
Whale update from a Coll weblog...
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
phenomenal portal
Whale Watching Web. Massive. I'll be exploring this for years...
encore
Hear a jam between a guitar-playing man and an eighteen year old orca here. I swear.
sweet sounding
interactive doesn't always involve gazing at a screen... a deeper kind of singalong, audible here...
Monday, February 16, 2004
Properly Introduced
The intention motivating me to create 'the whalefile' is my desire to make a place where many good Whale-centric sites, pics, and stories can be brought together, and made easily accessible. Sometimes that'll be thru link only, sometimes I'll include quotes and/or descriptions.
(I don't intend to duplicate the long lists of whale pages that already float around the w-w-waters: there will simply be links to any of those which I have found, and enjoyed.)
Instead, I want to weave some whalethreads which won't be found together in other sites.
A fine soup: with many disparate subtle flavours adding to a delicious unique synergy...
People's connection with Whales is made manifest in many, many ways, I found...
My Love of Whales runs deep, so2speak. I live in London, UK, so I don't see any live ones.
Last year Whalerider rekindled my passion for the magnificent beings, but I didn't feel called to action till recently, when a Whale beached on Coll island, off the West coast of Scotland.
I might not have heard much of this, had I not been enjoying reading the Island Blogs in the months between seeing the film and the whale appearing on the beach.
As I wrote in 'mediations', (3-8 February entries), it was an article pointed to by the 'blog blog' writer there which set me off on this new trail of investigation. The navy's use of low and mid frequency sonar is something I was unaware of, till then.
Now I know about it, I hope to find ways to help to bring a sweeter-sounding ocean back into being. I'll create another page for information about this process. It'll be called SeaHear. And you'll see it here, before long...
Meanwhile, in my searches for whaleness I found all sorts of treasures...and I'll bring these to the whalefile first.
I also contacted one of the people of Coll, and she agreed to contribute to this project.
Her words, too, I hope, will be here soon.
Descriptions of her experience of this beached Whale have helped me feel more connected to the Living/dying reality.
Whalefile will be a space to document that process too. Particulars: this whale, this place, this time. What will become of...
Welcome to our proudly presented, electric-connected, communication zone!
(I don't intend to duplicate the long lists of whale pages that already float around the w-w-waters: there will simply be links to any of those which I have found, and enjoyed.)
Instead, I want to weave some whalethreads which won't be found together in other sites.
A fine soup: with many disparate subtle flavours adding to a delicious unique synergy...
People's connection with Whales is made manifest in many, many ways, I found...
My Love of Whales runs deep, so2speak. I live in London, UK, so I don't see any live ones.
Last year Whalerider rekindled my passion for the magnificent beings, but I didn't feel called to action till recently, when a Whale beached on Coll island, off the West coast of Scotland.
I might not have heard much of this, had I not been enjoying reading the Island Blogs in the months between seeing the film and the whale appearing on the beach.
As I wrote in 'mediations', (3-8 February entries), it was an article pointed to by the 'blog blog' writer there which set me off on this new trail of investigation. The navy's use of low and mid frequency sonar is something I was unaware of, till then.
Now I know about it, I hope to find ways to help to bring a sweeter-sounding ocean back into being. I'll create another page for information about this process. It'll be called SeaHear. And you'll see it here, before long...
Meanwhile, in my searches for whaleness I found all sorts of treasures...and I'll bring these to the whalefile first.
I also contacted one of the people of Coll, and she agreed to contribute to this project.
Her words, too, I hope, will be here soon.
Descriptions of her experience of this beached Whale have helped me feel more connected to the Living/dying reality.
Whalefile will be a space to document that process too. Particulars: this whale, this place, this time. What will become of...
Welcome to our proudly presented, electric-connected, communication zone!
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