Bay Nature stories about the Pacific Ocean.

On the Rocks, with a Pup

February 20, 2009 •  by

If you’re looking for northern elephant seals, there is no place better to visit than Ano Nuevo State Reserve, home to the world’s largest mainland breeding colony.

Gray Whale Migration

February 6, 2009 •  by

Now is the time to see gray whales migrating along the California coast and maybe even appearing inside the Bay.

Give Me Shelter

October 1, 2008 •  by

Harbor seals, migrating seabirds, and other wildlife find shelter in the productive waters of Drakes Estero at Point Reyes.

Letter from the Publisher

October 1, 2008 •  by

Springtime certainly has its charms–the hills turn green, wildflowers emerge, the days get longer. And summer is the traditional time to get outside. But fall is the season I look forward to most. True, the days are shorter, and the … Read more

Whales at the Farallon Islands

July 11, 2008 •  by

Picture hungry tourists swarming around an all-you-can-eat buffet. Only the tourists are 100 feet long and weigh almost 200,000 pounds. These are blue whales, the largest animals ever, and they’ve come to feast on some of the tiniest animals on the planet: millions upon millions of tiny shrimplike krill.

Mole Crab Decline

July 1, 2008 •  by

On sandy beaches from Alaska to Baja, you’ve likely seen plovers, sanderlings, willets, and other shorebirds foraging for food in the swash zone, where waves perpetually cover and uncover the sand. One of the creatures the shorebirds are hunting is … Read more

Ocean Noise Pollution

July 1, 2008 •  by

We hadn’t yet reached the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, but we were far enough outside the Golden Gate that Angel Island looked like an extension of the Marin Headlands, an optical illusion that kept early explorers from … Read more

The Beach as Office

July 1, 2008 •  by

I go to the beach in January. Sometimes I bring a sweater and a hat. I go to the beach in June in work clothes and roll up the cuffs. It reminds me why I’m still in California, what my rent really includes, that I’m alive…