Drones have really changed nature photography. Well, they have for some. I find it hard enough to keep the things in the air, let alone find sea creatures in an enormous expanse of water, all the while dealing with battery warnings and the inevitable wind.
But for talented drone operators like Ashley Sykes, capturing stunning images and footage is only part of the appeal. Over the past couple of weeks, Ashley has filmed two leatherback turtles feasting on large swarms of jellyfish. Not only are these animals listed as endangered but they’re rarely seen this far south.
“The first one I just completely randomly stumbled across at one of the beaches I go to regularly to try and find wildlife… I knew immediately what species it was because it’s quite a recognisable shape,” Ashley said.
In one of those strange coincidences that social media opens up for us, Ashley had randomly come across a Sydney-based drone operator who had himself filmed a leatherback turtle a couple of weeks earlier.
“Initially I assumed that it would probably be the same one [turtle] because that seems logical,” Ashley explained. “But once I compared the images of the one that the other person spotted and the one I spotted, they were definitely two different turtles.”
Considering their endangered status and their generally accepted distribution, sighting two turtles over a couple of weeks would be significant in itself but Ashley went on to discover another unique individual, off the same Illawarra beach, a couple of days later.
So why are they this far south? Ashley has a few theories. “There’s a lot of jellyfish off the beach at the moment, like loads… so I definitely think they’d come down to eat jellyfish. And also the water at this time of year is not only the warmest it normally is but I think it’s also been unseasonably warm as well.”
He also suggests another theory, one that has backing in a recently published study. While previous information suggests that leatherback turtles are rarely seen south of tropical waters, Occurrence of leatherback turtles around Australia suggest that the species is found around the country, throughout the year and has a wider distribution than previously reported.
Ashley said: “I think that [the previously reported low numbers] is because until the last five or 10 years we didn’t have drones out, looking there.
“Those two turtles that I found would never ever have been noted otherwise.
"No one would have seen them. There’s just no way we’d find the amount of interesting things that we find and wouldn’t have the ability to understand that they are here and maybe more commonly than we think they are, as no one’s going to be coming across those things in the middle of the ocean, without drones.”
There are strict rules relating to the minimum height a drone must be above marine mammals such as dolphins and whales, but the beauty of modern drones is that they are equipped with excellent image quality and zoom. The drone Ashley uses, for example, shoots in 5K and has a 7x zoom meaning there is no need to get close to the animal to get incredible footage.
Along with capturing exceptional footage, and adding to the scientific record for local species, the veterinarian enjoys taking to the skies for another reason.
"I just love it so much," Ashley said.
"I worked until one last night and then I was back out there at 7:30 this morning looking for more wildlife. I just love seeing what’s out there, especially those things that people don’t know are out there.
"It gives me such amazing pleasure to film and see those things."
Follow Ashley on Instagram for breathtaking footage of whales, sharks, dolphins and, of course, turtles from around the Illawarra
The CASA regulations for drones can be found here
