Whales in the Delta

Stories

You can read the Bee's complete coverage on the whales here. Also included here are stories from 1985, when Humphrey visited the Delta.

• Whales slip out the Golden Gate

  They were lost and accidentally turned thousands of people into whale fans. After two weeks in our neighborhood, Delta and Dawn are likely at home again in open waters of the Pacific.

• And away they go

  In the end, there was no question of herding them, prodding them, or luring them anyplace. Late Tuesday, the humpback whales Delta and Dawn were just four miles from the Golden Gate -- and they made it there on their own terms (5/30/07).

• Whales at last over the hump?

  Delta and Dawn, the wandering humpback whales, were spotted about a half mile east of the Carquinez Bridge late Tuesday morning, officials said (5/29/07).

• Whales head out again

  For the second Sunday in a row, the proverbial day of rest turned into a day of action for a pair of humpback whales stranded in the Deep Water Ship Channel (5/28/07).

• Scientists are finding that they, too, get swept up in the drama

  The spectacle of two humpback whales lost in the Sacramento River has been troubling enough to millions of spectators around the world. But it has been doubly so for the whale experts behind the scenes (5/27/07).

• Mother, calf get shots

  The whales might not be advancing, but science is (5/27/07).

• Herding humpbacks with hoses gives a spray of hope

  As Sacramento's humpback whales circled river waters near Rio Vista on Friday, scientists wrestled with the 40-ton question of how to lure a whale and her calf back to sea (5/26/07).

• Fire-hose test draws encouraging reaction from whales

  Scientists were optimistic Friday after experimenting with a fire hose to prod Sacramento's lost humpback whales out of the Delta and back to the Pacific Ocean (5/25/07).

• Whales have peaceful day, but concern remains

  Gently herding the whales with a flotilla of friendly boats didn't work. Nor did banging on pipes or playing scary recordings. So Thursday, whale rescuers are taking a break (5/24/07)

• Rescuers launch noise-making effort to push whales seaward

  Rescuers today launched effort to push Sacramento's wayward whales into saltier water after seeing troubling behavior by the mother and the worsening condition of their injuries. (05/23/07)

• Marcos Bretón: Bigger issues as elusive as stray whales

  For the entire time this whale story has been holding us hostage -- roughly nine days that have seemed all-consuming -- the great temptation has been to make fun of the whole spectacle. (05/23/07)

• Whales' return to ocean stalls near Rio Vista

  Animal rescuers trying to guide two wayward whales back to safety began banging on pipes Monday, hoping the unpleasant underwater noises would send the animals southward. (05/22/07)

• Whales head out

  The two humpback whales stranded in the Port of Sacramento's turning basin abruptly left the lake waters and began swimming southward Sunday afternoon. (05/21/07)

• Back Talk: A long way from home

  In unfamiliar waters, two lost whales at the Port of Sacramento make waves around the world. (5/20/07)

• Urban whale watch lures weekend crowd

  If kind hearts and positive thinking can make a difference, Sacramento's gypsy whales will be borne back to the Golden Gate on a wave of good karma. (5/20/07)

• Editorial: Whales getting attention as Delta smelt vanish

  It's easier for us all to understand certain problems...(05/20/07)

• Whale rescue to crank up volume

As squeals, groans and pops of fellow humpbacks again failed to coax two wandering whales away from the Port of Sacramento on Friday, rescuers began preparing to drive them out. (05/19/07)

• Rick Rodriguez: Big mammals, big story, big commitment by Bee

  It's the kind of story that can engage readers for days and prompt strangers standing along the river in West Sacramento to strike up conversations that they ordinarily wouldn't have. It can unify the community. And from a news point of view, it's a no-brainer.

• They're still homeless but no longer nameless

  It was a heck of a race, and the two leading candidates were fin-and-fin the whole way.

• Whales in the Delta: From sincere to spacey, rescue ideas abound

  After failing to lure two wayward whales back to sea with recordings of feeding whales, rescuers are poised to take a more aggressive approach: a flotilla of boats to herd them back toward San Francisco Bay.

• Rescue team to try different sounds to redirect whales

  A whale rescue team planned to spend Friday experimenting with beckoning sounds, varying pitch, frequencies and types of calls in an effort to coax a pair of whales away from the Port of Sacramento.

• Saving the whales

  This morning, a team of scientists and animal rescuers will find out whether the familiar sounds of humpbacks feeding will tempt a pair of lost whales back to their ocean home.

• Editorial: Whales, go home

  It goes without saying, but whales should not be in the Sacramento River. They shouldn't be sightseeing in Rio Vista. They certainly shouldn't be lost in the West Sacramento ship canal.

• Whales in West Sac

  Two imperiled humpbacks surfaced Tuesday evening in muddy waters near the port of Sacramento, so far upriver that federal wildlife officials launched frantic efforts to save the whales. (05/16/2007)

• Fluke appearance: Whale surfaces in Delta (10/15/1985)

• Delta whale taking a doomed course (10-16-1985)

• Whale's Delta fan club growing. E.T. Spends day cruising the Sacramento river near Rio Vista (10/18/1985)

• Whale picked right time to get lost (10/20/1985)

• Westward ho! Herders help wayward whale move 15 miles closer to Bay (10/28/1985)

• Whale's retreat throws rescuers for a loss (10/29/1985)

• What do they see? A whale's odyssey stirs deep human emotions (11/3/1985)

• Whale back in SF Bay. Humphrey lured 40 miles (11/4/1985)

• Humphrey finally high-tails it back to the sea (11/5/1985)

Multimedia

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  Audio slideshow: Delta and Dawn

  Photos of Delta and Dawn, with an original song written and sung by area jazz singer Beth Duncan.
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  Video: Missing whales

  To the surprise of researchers and fans, the two whales end up much farther north than Rio Vista
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  Video: Whale bail

  Plans to help the wayward whales are less than successful
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  Video: Zig-zagging whales

  Delta and Dawn turn back north, again (5/21/07)
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  Video: A noise-making effort

  Rescuers mount a desperate rescue effort, hoping to herd the wounded and distressed whales with a wall of sound (5/23/07).

Map and graphics

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  Google mapping the whales

  An interactive Google Map showing the whales' long and convoluted river journey
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  Rescue plans

  A diagram showing how rescuers planned to herd the whales using recording humpback songs and a small fleet of ships.
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  Downstream maze

  A detailed map showing the maze of sloughs the whales will have to navigate in order to make it back home.

External links

• Office of Response and Restoration

  The official webpage by the Office of Response and Restoration for this particular incident. Includes press releases and the recorded sound files used in herding the whales.

• The Office of Protected Resources

  A page detailing the endangered status of the humpback whale

• The American Cetacean Society

  A fact sheet about the megaptera novaeangliae, aka the humpback whale