Hundreds flock to shipping channel to watch whales

Hundreds of people with coolers, kids and dogs in tow lined the shores of a West Sacramento shipping channel today, eager to catch a glimpse of the two hapless whales that have swum 70 miles into the heart of California and gained international renown.

It was too great a show for people to miss, and too great an opportunity for opportunists to make a buck. There was a guy selling sodas for a buck a piece, and Francisco Mondragon, 32, of Sacramento forked over $10 for a "Whale Watch 2007" hat. The lure of a 45-foot humpback whale and her calf proved irresistible, he said.

"I just wanted to see something unique," he said. "This is history in the making. Whales have a special charisma about them. They draw your attention."

He planned to stick around until noon, when he figured he'd go home for a bite to eat. In deference to the whales, it won't be tuna, he said.

"Let's just hope they make it back home," said Mondragon, who was 11 years old when the excitement over Humphrey, the last humpback to enter the delta, reached a fever pitch. "Thanks for visiting Sacramento," he told the whales. "I hope they enjoy their stay."

The two whales swam north through the Delta on Sunday and have spent the past week calmly circling the turning basin at the Port of Sacramento, occasionally breaching the surface with a spectacular exhalation through their blowholes. Experts believe the two cetaceans, which have set the inland travel record for their species, became disoriented during their annual migration north.

Readers of SFGate.com have named the whales Rio and Vista because they were first spotted in the delta near the town of Rio Vista. Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who played a key role in organizing the rescue effort, has suggested naming the mother "Delta" and the calf "Dawn."

The whales have become a huge tourist draw. People have come by the dozens over the past week; today being the first day of the weekend, there were up to 800 to 1,500 who showed up along a dirt road on a levy to watch the spectacle on a sunny day.

The whale watchers came with spotting scopes, cameras and dogs. Police were on hand to help maintain order and direct motorists to parking spots as a gentle breeze sent dust flying in the air.

Onlookers stared at the glassy, smooth surface of the channel as a Coast Guard boat patrolled the waters. A cargo ship that's taken on a load of cement could be seen across from the channel; officials hope to bring the ship out Monday morning without hurting the whales.

Not everyone was impressed with the spectacle. Jeff Spradlin and his wife, Jenny came from Elk Grove with their sons, Noah, 8, and Cole, 6, "just to see the whales submerge." But Cole didn't see what all the fuss was about. He gave it 90 minutes, but by 10 a.m., he was eager to return home to stage a race between a tortoise and a rabbit they'd captured in the backyard.

"It's so boring," he said of the whale-watching. "Not cool."

Wildlife rescuers are giving the leviathans the weekend to rest up after the past week's attempts to coax them from the channel failed. They've placed speakers underwater to broadcast recordings of whales, hoping the animals would follow the sound back to sea. The rescue effort will resume Monday with further broadcasts; if that fails, the experts might try herding the whales downstream with a flotilla of boats.

Although the animals appear to be in good shape, marine experts are concerned about their welfare. The whales are in a freshwater environment that cannot provide nearly enough food to sustain them. Humpbacks typically consume huge quantities of small, oil-rich fish such as anchovies, herring and sardines.

Both animals sustained relatively minor injuries during their sojourn, possibly by the propeller of a ship or the keel of a sailboat.
Source :http://www.sfgate.com