December 2, 2012

Report Details

Visited mile 175 this morning to check out the beached whale. The 28-foot male humpback was spotted on Baker Beach three weeks ago by a Coast Guard helicopter. Apparently it died because its tongue had been bitten out by another predator and it starved to death. Beach rangers took samples off of the carcass after it was discovered, but decided not to remove the whale. It will be left to decompose naturally. The spot is easily accessed by parking at the end of Baker Beach road and hiking over the sand dune on the horse trail. The trail is flooded in two places, so it is necessary to wade ankle-deep in order to get to the beach right now. The whale is approximately ¼ mile south of where the horse trail comes out on the beach. The whale is not visible from this spot as it has mostly turned grey and blends in with the beach sand from a distance. The whale was surrounded by birds, including seagulls , crows and hawks. There were also coyote tracks leading up to the carcass. The whale is largely intact and remarkably odor-free. I packed out one small bag of miscellaneous plastic and foam garbage from miles 175-176, including one Japanese light bulb. This is the first piece of Japanese debris that I have seen in several months.