UPDATE: Additional information from Nehalem Bay State Park manager Ben Cox – A team from Portland State was out yesterday to collect some initial samples as part of a collaboration with NOAA, Seaside Aquarium and PSU. Here are some additional details from NOAA: “It’s a young male humpback, about 34 feet long, less than the full-grown size of close to 50-60 feet. There was no obvious cause of death and nothing to suggest any connection with the tar washing ashore.”
Drone Video by Akshar Patel
On Sunday evening May 26th, local drone pilot Akshar Patel launched a drone from Nedonna Beach area as there are restrictions regarding the air space over Nehalem Bay State Park, and located the whale that many had been watching. The drone footage shows the beaching of the humpback whale that had been floating off the Rockaway Beach area for 24-48 hours. Patel’s video shows the whale beaching north of the Nehalem Bay entrance, near the Nehalem North Jetty at Nehalem Bay State Park. The video shows the power of the ocean to move the tonnage of whale onto the beach – humpback whales can weight up to 40 tons.
On Monday May 27th, NOAA and OPRD put up signage and issued a statement about the beached whale which is in a protected snowy plover habitat area with restricted access.
The whale can only be accessed from Nehalem Bay State Park’s day-use area and walking down the wet sand to the stranding location. It’s a fair hike (over a mile); the whale is close to the jetty near the south boundary of Nehalem Bay State Park Snowy Plover Management Area. The rules of the SPMA apply. No dogs, bikes, kites, noise-producing equipment or vehicles are allowed. You’ll want to come when the tide is out. It is illegal to walk through the dry sand, either north/south on the beach or cutting west over the dune from Jetty Road on the spit. Please obey the rules of the Snowy Plover Management Area, according to the state park, “It has been the largest challenge for us.”
For more information go to https://www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/wheres-the-whale-north-oregon-coast-watch-whale-float-by-rockaway-beach-whale-beached-north-of-nehalem-jetty-may-26th/