A young humpback whale which wandered from its usual migratory route right up to Sydney\u2019s Harbour Bridge has left the harbour.<\/p>\n
The sub-adult whale had left the harbour, with no sign of it on Thursday, a government source told Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n
Separately, a spokesperson for the NSW environment department confirmed \u201cwe have had no sightings today\u201d.<\/p>\n
The whale delighted onlookers and experts after it was first spotted swimming at Circular Quay<\/a> on Wednesday morning before moving east on what experts tracking the mammal called its \u201cfull harbour experience\u201d.<\/p>\n Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a whale expert on board a New South Wales Maritime boat on Wednesday, confirmed the whale was \u201cnot in distress, quite the opposite\u201d. It appeared to be inquisitive and relaxed, visiting various harbourside locations, she said.<\/p>\n The whale\u2019s appearance was a \u201creminder that Sydney Harbour is very wild\u201d.<\/p>\n It was last seen at Rose Bay on Wednesday evening, Pirotta said on Thursday.<\/p>\n The founder of the citizen science project Wild Sydney Harbour, which works with organisations including the NSW government, said ordinary people who spotted the whale throughout the day helped experts know where it was. The process was \u201ccitizen science at its very best\u201d.<\/p>\n There had been no sightings of the whale on Thursday to her knowledge, Pirotta said.<\/p>\n Pirotta said while the whale may have left the harbour, she cautioned it could resurface.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just all over the place [on Wednesday]. So just when you think that it\u2019s probably had enough, maybe it hasn\u2019t, and maybe it could pop up where we least expect it.\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The whale at Circular Quay on Wednesday. Photograph: @manly_drone\/The Guardian<\/p>\n She encouraged anyone to report sightings to NSW National Parks and Wildlife<\/a> Service.<\/p>\n The Port Authority of NSW had cameras monitoring the harbour, and they were an \u201cincredibly important part of yesterday\u2019s mission\u201d, the whale expert said on Thursday.<\/p>\n