The small cetacean carcass was still there this morning: a little more beat up, rolled by the surf so you couldn't see the dorsal fin any more, and smelling a whole lot worse. It measured 136 cm or so (I was reluctant to touch it with the tape measure). At 136 cm it's within the size range for a harbor porpoise. But harbor porpoises don't have beaks, which this critter seems to have. If I am understanding what I see. So identification still in doubt. Images (large, for OCNMS & COASST):
beak1
beak2
with 30 cm ruler
tail
pecfin
see earlier post for other image links
Later I talked to a park ranger. He said there were a couple of dolphin or porpoise carcasses moving up and down the beach with the tides, and a harbor seal. He had already reported at least one. I showed him pictures in the camera of the one on the jetty beach; he thought it was new, not yet reported.
So on I went, to survey the Ellen Creek beach segment. Such a gorgeous morning, tide rising now from a considerable low, large numbers of backpackers coming south along the beach.
And there in the surf line, looking at first like any small rock or small mound of seaweed, was a Bird. Intact, flexible, a bit sandy, the incoming waves washing around it.
I ran up the beach to park my gear, ran back down and carried the little dead bird up above last night's tide line. There followed a long struggle with tools and field guide and gloves and camera. I think it's a common murre. Formal identification photos (1)(2)(3).
Made a complete hash of working in an orderly fashion, gloving up and ungloving and gloving up and finally abandoning the gloves. And I couldn't remember where I was supposed to put the tags if I had an intact bird. Tagged the wrong place; should have been the right wing; but in fact I'd have hesitated to poke holes in the little fresh body even if I'd remembered that's what I was supposed to do. I'll do better next time.
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