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By Jody Zaitlin
Fall is harvest time for crab fishermen, who place "crab pots" offshore to catch Dungeness crabs. The crabs, the largest species on the West Coast, have a complex lifecycle that takes them form the open ocean to the Bay and back again.
by Jody Zaitlin
Every winter, coho salmon return to coastal streams, though only 1 percent of the half million fish that once filled local streams. But you can still see them, and even help them survive.
by Kate Brittain
As April showers are to May flowers in other parts of the country, so are autumn rains to the rain beetle here in the Bay Area. The rainy season's first soaking precipitation (an inch or more) beckons forth this remarkable insect.
by Kate Brittain
Every fall, thousands of graceful sandhill cranes arrive in the Central Valley to spend the winter. They're a sight not to be missed!
by Jody Zaitlin
You can still see tule elk, the smallest of North America's elk, fighting for territory, mating, and raising their young in the Bay Area.
by Jody Zaitlin
Fall is prime time to see hundreds of hawks, falcons, and other raptors flying south over the Marin Headlands.
by Jody Zaitlin
Studies elsewhere in the country suggest that bats may be suffering even more than birds as more and more windmills get built. And there are no easy answers: New, larger windmills considered safer for birds might be more dangerous to bats.
by Jessica Taekman
There are many local farms in the Bay Area where families can visit to learn about how food is grown and raised and meet the farmers who make it happen.
reviewed by Ann Sieck
From the Oct-Dec 2008 issue
Published October 01, 2008
Length:
by Jody Zaitlin
More than 900,000 shorebirds use San Francisco Bay sometime during the year, and fall is a great time to see them.
by Kate Brittain
Whether you're cautiously curious or already avid, autumn is the time to go tarantula-spotting in the Bay Area. It's mating season for the hairy critters, and, accordingly, the males are venturing forth from the ground in search of potential partners, who coyly await their suitors on their burrows' "doorsteps," and try to eat them after the fact.
by David Carroll
Thousands of volunteers from around California will converge on beaches, lakes and rivers for the 24th annual Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 20. You could be one of them!
by Laura Hautala
The Presidio's Tennessee Hollow watershed is steeped in history. And it's a magnet for wildlife. Now, the Presidio Trust is embarking on an ambitious restoration project. Find out how you can take part.
by Sue Rosenthal
Hot days and a dry year mean major fire danger in the Bay Area. But many plants are adapted to fire, and some even need it to reproduce. Even so, there's a lot we don't know about the natural rhythms of fire.
by Laura Hautala
Look in your backyard right now, and there's a decent chance you'll see the ornate webs of our local orbweaver spiders. After feeding on insects all spring and summer, banded garden spiders and yellow garden spiders get big and very noticeable in fall, just before they lay their eggs and die.
by Jody Zaitlin
Watch for hungry dragonflies and jays darting about: That can be a sign that the termites are emerging! Termites live mostly underground (or in our walls!) but as winter approaches, they grow wings and take to the air in droves to form new colonies.
by Sue Rosenthal
The classic image of a redwood forest is one of stately tall trees, dense shade, and lots of green. The columnar trunks of the giant trees draw our gaze up to the high canopy, but if we follow them down to the forest floor instead, in summer months we may find unexpected points of brilliant color. These are the colorful fruits (mostly berries) of the smaller plants that live in the shelter of the big trees.
by David Carroll
In the early hours from moonset to dawn between August 8 and 14, skywatchers in the Bay Area will be able to see the spectacular annual show put on by the Perseid meteor shower. At its peak on August 12, the tiny cast-off comet particles will streak across the sky at rates up to 60 per hour. Stay up late, grab a blanket or a lounge chair, find a spot away from streetlights, and enjoy the show!
by Jody Zaitlin
During summer, this glowing Pacific fish makes nests in the muds of the San Francisco Bay and attracts a mate with humming.
By Laura Hautala
The Ventana Wildlife Society, which leads California condor restoration efforts, is looking for public support after Big Sur's massive wildfire wiped out its rearing and release facility.
