The mourning cloak butterfly, Nymphalis antiopa, is one of the most widely distributed butterflies in the world, ranging across most of the northern hemisphere. In some places like the British Isles it’s quite rare and to find one would make … Read more
Timely news, art, ideas and science from the natural world of Northern California.
People Should Physically Distance from Sea Otters, Too
Kayakers and boaters approaching too closely could be leading some sea otters to starve, scientists say.
After Losing Several Key Battles Over Water, Delta Advocates See Hope in the Last Option Remaining: the Law
Is bad news good news for the Bay and Delta’s diminishing flows?
A Whale’s Death Shows Us the Way Marine Giants Live
“When a whale washes up it’s kind of like being a doctor on call,” says Moe Flannery, senior collections manager at the California Academy of Sciences. Flannery’s day job means caring for more than 140,000 bird and mammal specimens at … Read more
The City Nature Challenge, Modified, Returns
The global species-finding competition returns on April 24, minus the competition.
Environmental Groups Oppose U.S. Army Corps Plan to Dredge the Bay for Bigger Oil Tankers
Conservation groups say the environmental assessment avoids considering environmental justice or marine life
The Beautiful Geometry of Short-eared Owls
I’m not usually masochistic. But then I spent three months this winter trying to observe extremely elusive short eared owls in a busy park in the inner Bay Area. (I’ll omit the location in order to preserve a semblance of … Read more
Can AI Read Scientific Literature to Help Save Animals Like Otters?
When Kyle Van Houtan, the chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, first began publishing research in the 1990s, he had to physically mail a typed manuscript in an envelope to a scientific journal, with a copy for each reviewer. … Read more
Live Biodiversity
There’s a certain predictable expression that frequently settles on the face of the friend or family member I’m talking to when I say the word “biodiversity.” I’d call it tolerantly bored.
Bay Nature During COVID-19
Dear Bay Nature reader, Like all of you, we at Bay Nature are struggling to adapt and understand our new world of COVID-19. First of all, we hope everyone is doing OK and staying healthy. Our next thoughts are of … Read more