Gray whales are showing up in San Francisco Bay ahead of schedule this winter, with at least three different animals documented by the end of January and one first reported to scientists on Jan. 18. That timing is unusual because gray whales typically do not enter the Bay until mid‑February. Researchers are now zeroed in on these visits, trying to figure out whether the whales are stopping to eat, to rest, or a bit of both as their migration patterns continue to shift.
Early sightings and what researchers saw
Marine Mammal Center field researcher Bill Keener said a ferry skipper first reported a whale near the Richmond terminal on Jan. 18, and that he later photographed that animal and two others lingering in the Bay. As reported by SFGATE, the…..