Martinez Beavers
Standing in the first light of dawn at the corner of Castro and Escobar streets in downtown Martinez, I searched the dark water for the town’s newest celebrities: four members...
Wildlife
Lord of the Burrows
Ask most people to name the most important species of our grassland habitats, and they'll probably pick coyotes, golden eagles, or even rattlesnakes. But experts say that the strongest contender...
Naturalist’s Notebook: The Herd Shot Round the Bay
In a few spots in the Bay Area, you can get a glimpse of our state's signature grazer: the tule elk.
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...
The Frog Days of Winter
On rainy days, wildlife watching outdoors is probably not at the top of your list, but there is one group of animals that reigns supreme during this season: amphibians. Salamanders,...
What native land snails live in the Bay Area?
Q: What native land snails live in the Bay Area? Where do the common garden snails come from, and what’s the status of our native snail populations? [Erica, Mountain View]...
Book Review: Raptors of California
Raptors of California, by Hans and Pam Peeters, University of California Press, 2005, 305 pages, $17.95 Here in California, we are fortunate to have 27 species of raptors, a designation...
Book Review: Field Guide to Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions
Field Guide to Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions, by Arthur M. Shapiro and Tim Manolis, UC Press, 2007, 359 pages, $18.95 www.ucpress.edu That butterflies are...
Caching In
Think of the western scrub jay: screeching, assertive, a bully and glutton at backyard bird feeders. But also, as Judith Larner Lowry has noticed in her West Marin yard, caching...
Book Review: Neptune’s Ark: From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas
Neptune’s Ark: From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas, by David Rains Wallace, UC Press, 2007, 313 pages, $27.50 www.ucpress.edu The thin continental margin that is today the Pacific coast of North America...
