Bat Rays Gather in San Francisco Bay in the Spring
What’s the cutest fish in the sea? To some biologists, it’s the bat ray, which cruises along the floor of local bays and estuaries, chomping on clams and other creatures.
Author Archives: Joe Eaton
Joe Eaton lives in Berkeley and writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and Estuary News.
The Color of Flight
From migrating monarchs to giant yellow swallowtails to tiny pygmy blues, butterflies are endlessly enthralling. For folks like retired East Bay Regional Parks naturalist Jan Southworth and artist Liam O'Brien,...
A Squabble of Gulls
Gulls don’t inspire the awe that a golden eagle or red-tailed hawk does. Or the affection we feel for hummingbirds. But the Bay Area’s dozen gull species are true survivors: Adaptable, voracious predators,...
Rafting Time for Diving Ducks
The great rafts of ducks on San Francisco and Tomales bays, mostly surf scoter, greater and lesser scaup, and canvasback, are a wintertime spectacle. Scoter flocks can range from many...
A Refuge in the Harbor
Within view of Richmond, Brooks Island today is a haven for nesting terns. That's just its latest incarnation. A short paddle across the harbor to this island refuge takes you...
Hayward Haven
At Hayward Regional Shoreline, East Bay Regional Park District staff and volunteers have created new nesting habitat for the endangered California least tern. Here's the recipe...
Raptor Rapture
The Marin Headlands is justifiably renowned as a great place to see raptors. But did you know that the world’s highest density of breeding golden eagles is found near Altamont...
Fall of the Buckeye Ball
The dramatic fall silhouette of the California buckeye shows off its giant seeds, that largest of any of our native plants.
Patience Rewarded
You might be taken by surprise at this marshland wildlife area, with its plethora of wandering elk, playful otters, acrobatic owls, and diverse waterfowl. Just be sure it's not hunting...
