Habitat and Humanity
With millions of people and millions of acres of open space, the Bay Area is a lively, and sometimes uneasy, blend of wild and urban. In the East Bay, dozens...
Wildlife
Marbled Murrelet, Mariner of the Old-Growth
This is a story about a little-known bird that's no owl, eagle, or peacock. It's not featured on a stamp or in a Disney cartoon. Most people haven't heard of...
Painted Wings
MaryAnn Nardo's luminous watercolors capture species' whole life cycles, from larvae feeding on host plants to winged adults in search of nectar.
The Ants Go Marching One by One
How the heck do all those ants find you every time you sit down at a park for a nice picnic? The short answer is: sheer numbers and good communication....
Welcome Back, Snowy Plovers
Despite the fog, we still think of summer as beach season here in the Bay Area. And that's one thing we have in common with the western snowy plover, a...
A Most Unlikely Refuge in Pittsburg
At the western edge of the Delta lies a most unexpected gathering of wildlife. Here peregrines hunt from tall towers, beavers lodge in protected waters, and hummingbirds nest in the...
Why Do Birds Flock?
Q: I recently saw a video of a cloud of birds moving in wild patterns. Then I saw shorebirds doing the same thing. Why do birds do this–other than because...
A Bird in the Hole
Imagine raising your kids on a precarious bunch of sticks on a tree branch. Some birds had the same thought: Yikes! These cavity-nesters take shelter by excavating nest holes in...
Counting Butterflies
On June 7, butterfly lovers in San Francisco will be out taking a count, and you can help.
Native Son
The Pacific Coast of North America has only one species of native turtle: the western pond turtle. Just 80 years ago, a naturalist found more than 100 of these creatures...
