Has this gray whale visited Bremerton in the past?
December 4th, 2009 by cdunaganUPDATE, Thursday, Dec. 11,
Shawn Ultican and Newton Morgan of the Kitsap County Health District were in a boat on Sinclair Inlet yesterday to take some marine water samples when the gray whale surfaced near them. They told me it was a rather delightful surprise.
The whale has now been around at least two weeks, seen by
someone practically every day.
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UPDATE, Monday, Dec. 7, 2:30 p.m.
Our gray whale is still hanging around. I just came from the
Manette Bridge, where I saw the animal mid-channel off the end of
the Turner Joy.
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A gray whale has been observed in Bremerton’s Port Washington Narrows the last two days, and Joanne Jenks of Manette thinks it is the same whale she has seen about this time almost every year.
“This whale is having a love affair with the Turner Joy,” she tells me.
As I write this, folks at the Boatshed restaurant say they have been watching the whale much of the morning.
If past visits are any indication, the animal will stay in the area for at least a week. The Boatshed or shoreline on the Manette side, or off the end of the Turner Joy on the downtown side, would seem like good places to watch when the whale is milling around its favorite location.
The Manette Bridge is another good observation point, though you won’t be able to hear the whale blow if there is traffic on the bridge.
I’ve tried to find out if whale researchers have photos that could tell us if this whale is the same one that has been here before. It requires spotting some unusual markings on the animal, and a picture of the fluke (tail) can be helpful. So far, they’ve been unable to find photos from past years that are good enough for ID.
Here’s the story I prepared for today’s Kitsap Sun:
Gray Whale Spotted in Waters Off Bremerton
A gray whale with a special fondness for a winter trip to Bremerton has returned, reports Manette resident Joanne Jenks.
Jenks believes it is the same whale that has come to Bremerton each December or January for years — with the exception of last year, when the animal did not show up. Jenks feared the whale had died, but now it is back to its old pattern, she said.
Jenks believes it is the same gray whale, not only because of its timing but because it tends to stay in the same place off the Bremerton boardwalk and the Turner Joy, though it sometimes heads up past the Manette Bridge or out into Port Orchard Passage.
Customers at the Boat Shed in Manette watched the whale swim past the restaurant Wednesday, but it was back near downtown Thursday morning. By afternoon, the animal was closer to the Point Herron channel marker at the tip of the Manette Peninsula, Jenks said. She expects it to stay a week or more, based on previous patterns.
John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research in Olympia said it is difficult to explain why a whale would return to Bremerton again and again, especially in winter.
Most sightings of gray whales in Puget Sound occur during the northern migration between March and May, when they are returning to their feeding areas off Alaska. Because of limited food supplies in Baja California, the whales are probably coming into Puget Sound for something to eat before continuing their journey north.
The winter months mark the southern migration, when the whales are returning to calving areas in Mexico. Whales come into Puget Sound from mid to late December until early January and stay only a short time.
“We are a little ahead of that right now for sightings in Puget Sound,” Calambokidis added. “I cannot explain why a whale would return year after year on the southbound migration.”
For those who wish to see the whale, Jenks advises that people find an open area where they can watch the waters in the vicinity of the Turner Joy. The whale stays down between five and six minutes at a time, then comes up with a blow that releases a cloud of mist.
Tags: Bremerton, gray whale, Manette
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
December 4th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I was reading the article and it stated that it never came here last year, I actually work in downtown Port Orchard, and I was outside one morning and saw it come into the inlet, ( it was around December) I grabbed my co-workers and they came and saw it, it came in by the foot ferry, and then back out of the inlet, it would go down for a about 5 minutes, and than come back up and blow air out. and then throw its tail in the air, it was pretty cool.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Thanks, Jessica. I’ll take that into account. It sounds like the one you saw is either a different whale or else the same whale that decided not to stay a week or more, as it usually does. If anyone else saw a gray whale in the area about this time a year ago, please let me know.
December 7th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
UPDATE, Monday, Dec. 7, 2:30 p.m.
Our gray whale is still hanging around. I just came from the Manette Bridge, where I saw the animal mid-channel off the end of the Turner Joy.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
UPDATE, Thursday, Dec. 11,
Shawn Ultican and Newton Morgan of the Kitsap County Health District were in a boat on Sinclair Inlet yesterday to take some marine water samples when the gray whale surfaced near them. They told me it was a rather delightful surprise.
The whale has now been around at least two weeks, seen by someone practically every day.
December 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Last night at around 6:30, while walking my dog along Shore Drive, I heard the now familiar blowspout. We were at about the 400 block. We paced the whale, who came up for air every 2-3 minutes and was moving quickly out the channel. It hugged the shore. We walked alongside the whale until the 900 block (Bachmann Park). At this park I was able to get a very close view, though it was dark and hard to make out. At 6:45 the ferry passed through the channel, and in its lights, reflected on the water, I could make out a perfectly silhouetted fluke. I think he was waving goodbye to Bremerton.
December 29th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
We saw the whale today in VanGeldern Cove, in Lakebay. (South Sound) It hung around for about 4 hours circling in the bay. It breached, coming completely out of the water at one point. It was really cool!
December 29th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I haven’t heard much lately about the gray whale. Has anyone else seen the animal? Is there a chance that a second or third gray whale has been around?
February 10th, 2010 at 7:45 am
9 Feb 2010 1500hrs off Point Defiance, Tacoma, we were cruising in our Mckinna when my wife and I saw the distinctive hump and tail of a gray whale break the surface twice. This is the second time we have seen a gray whale in this neighborhood. The last time was ten years ago when we saw one break the surface in Gig Harbor. Looks like it will be around for a while.
February 14th, 2010 at 11:47 am
On 2/9/10 at about 4:40 PM I was walking near Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA when I spotted a whale. It was closer to the Vashon side of Commencement Bay. It was heading west at a regular pace and seemed to be alone. I saw it come to the surface for air about 4 times before it dived with its fluke coming up out of the water. The whale was dark with a minimal dorsal fin. I took a photo, but it’s from far away. It was very exciting to see a whale in Commencement Bay!