It's a small story, but it's worth a moment of your time, because it touches on something we care about here: individual citizens stepping up where government infrastructure can be opaque or absent.

If you find a tagged dead bird in California, the right move is to report it to the U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding Laboratory at reportband.gov. They track migratory patterns, population health, and disease spread — including avian flu, which has been a growing concern along the Pacific Flyway. You can also contact California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which monitors unusual die-offs that might signal environmental hazards.

The fact that a regular person had to crowdsource this information tells you something. There are no signs at Baker Beach — or most San Francisco beaches — explaining what to do if you encounter dead wildlife. The National Park Service manages Baker Beach as part of the Presidio, and you'd think a simple posted notice or QR code linking to reporting tools wouldn't exactly break the budget.

This is the kind of low-cost, high-value public information that government agencies should be handling proactively rather than leaving citizens to play detective. We're not asking for a new department or a six-figure consulting contract. A laminated sign would do.

As one local put it, the tide was already washing the birds away before anyone could act. That's data — potentially important epidemiological data — lost to bureaucratic invisibility.

So here's your public service announcement: if you find dead birds on any Bay Area beach, snap a photo of any tags or bands, note the location, and report to reportband.gov or call CDFW's wildlife incident line. Don't wait for the city to tell you how. They probably won't.