Winter 2023 Almanac: Fireballs and Butter
Keep your eye out for these winter wonders.
Wildlife
Naturalist’s Notebook: Thrush Henge
You can use thrushes as a sort of seasonal calendar, as they fly in and out of the Bay Area.
After 2022’s Fatal Algal Bloom, Scientists Fear the Bay’s Sturgeon Could Go Extinct
At Point Pinole, 21 sturgeon carcasses––some more than seven feet long––lay strewn along a mile-long stretch of beach in late August 2022, baking in the relentless heat. It was the peak of the largest harmful algal bloom on record in … Read more
How a ‘Sturgeon Surgeon’ Tracks the Bay’s Giant, Stealthy Living Fossils
Researchers are investigating the secrets of our two resident sturgeon species, which have razor-sharp armor and shlorp up clams with their vacuum-shaped mouths.
Cheeky Bobcat Kitten, Owl on the Hunt: How a Young Wildlife Photographer Gets the Goods
You don’t have to go far. But it helps to spend all your spare time in the woods. That's what Vishal Subramanyan, 20, does.
The Sea Otter That Stole a Surfboard in Santa Cruz Remains Free … For Now
She was born in captivity, it turns out. And she'll only get to stay free and wild if she behaves—so humans should definitely not feed her, take selfies with her, or try to be her friend.
Bats Tell Us How Healthy the East Bay’s Habitat Is
A Bat Brigade of volunteers has been helping collect data at the "bat castle," watching when bats leave their roosts to forage.
How Healthy Is the East Bay’s Habitat?
NatureCheck assesses East Bay habitat by looking at indicator species like ground squirrels, rainbow trout, hoary bats and golden eagles. You can help!
Room to Roam: Habitat Connectivity
To improve habitat connectivity, Midpen is working with partners to supplement a dark, narrow culvert under Highway 17 near Lexington Reservoir with another underpass designed specifically for wildlife.
Spooky, Scary Scorpions? Actually, Not So Much. (You Aren’t Worth the Venom.)
A little too hairy and a little too pinchy to classify as charismatic, scorpions strike fear in the hearts of many—through no fault of their own. A scorpion expert sets the record straight on these gentle loners.
