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Bay Area Rainfall Ushers in Mating Season for Amorous Amphibians
Endangered California tiger salamanders find refuge in the Bay Areas hills. (John Clecker, USFWS/Wikimedia) We’ve had so much wonderful rainfall this week that’s been collecting in puddles, soaking...
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UC Berkeley Study Says Migratory Birds Use Infrasound to Avoid Storms
Shorebirds migrate from their northern breeding grounds to San Francisco Bay during the winter to feed on the abundant intertidal animal species. (Ingrid Taylar/Wikimedia) The turning of the days and...
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10 Years After PBDE Ban, Bay Area Wildlife Shows Promising Signs of Recovery
Harbor seals can live up to 30 years and have long exposures to toxic chemicals in the San Francisco Bay. (Dr. Brandon Southall, NMFS/OPR/Wikimedia) On a recent winter morning, 30 bird watchers and I...
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Rescuing Seabirds from Mystery Goo in the Bay
Surf scoters, cleaned and recuperating in a pool at IBR await release back into the wild. (Courtesy of IBR) “Check the shoreline for surf scoters. We’ve got a couple hundred reported from San Leandro...
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Strongest Natural Material in the World Discovered: Limpet Teeth
Limpets are found on rocky shorelines, clinging tight to the surface with their large foot and protected by their conical shell. Their tiny teeth have been found to be the strongest natural material...
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Bee Decline Linked to a Combination of Stressors
There is concern that the decline in native bee and honeybee populations could ultimately impact our food supplies. (Gardenkitty/Wikimedia Commons) With the clear warm days we’ve just enjoyed and more...
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Drought Hasn’t Dampened Gorgeous Bay Area Wildflowers Display
Carpets of California poppies color the hillsides golden. (Christine/Wikimedia) As we head into the fourth year of a severe drought, evidently the wildflowers find there’s been enough rain at the...
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River Otter Populations Are Expanding in the Bay Area
The otters’ dense whiskers are used for hunting underwater. (Brenden Collett-Grether/ROEP) Cavorting along stream banks, sliding on their bellies, munching crayfish with relish, river otters seem to...
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Western Bluebird Populations Expand in the Bay Area
Both bluebird parents feed their hungry fledglings, mostly with insects. (Courtesy of Allen Hirsch) With a flash of brilliant blue wings, the Western bluebird arrives, swooping to the ground to...
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Bird Watching “Big Day” Goes Global
Local birds like this American Avocet breed in the Bay Area while other bird species only spend part of the year here. (Barbara Wheeler/Wikimedia Commons) You may have noticed the dawn chorus...
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Converting Your Lawn to Native Plants Can Save Money and Benefit Wildlife
Signs of the drought are everywhere as we enter our fourth summer of browning lawns along with clever signs in parks reading “brown is the new green.” On the upside, with more people converting thirsty...
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Toxic Algae in Local Lakes Puts Damper on Summer Swimming
For the upcoming 4th of July weekend, two lakes in the East Bay Regional Parks will be closed to swimming due to toxic blue-green algae — Temescal in Oakland and Quarry Lakes in Fremont — and warnings...
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New Studies Reinforce the Benefits of Getting Outdoors
We’ve long known that getting active outdoors can reduce stress, improve mental health, and help us get fit or lose weight. Recently, several studies completed or underway are looking for definitive...
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What Happens When The Birds And The Bees Don’t Show Up On Time
High summer, with its brown hills and warm bay waters, beckons insects to blooming chaparral plants and songbirds to nest. It all runs according to a complex but precise natural clock. Or at least it’s...
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Drought Makes Being a Shorebird More Difficult
This is one of the riskiest times of life for migratory shorebirds like willets, dunlin, marbled godwits and others. As these birds migrate along the Pacific Flyway, they normally stop to rest and...
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Restoring Marshland and Protecting Bay Shoreline From Rising Tides and Storm...
The San Francisco Bay and Delta were once ringed by a deep fringe of marshes. They acted as the lungs and kidneys of the ecosystem, filtering water and providing homes to millions of shorebirds, ducks,...
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Move Over California Poppy: This State Has a New Symbol
On New Year’s Day, lace lichen, a stringy green organism often called “Spanish moss” that hangs from oak trees around California, joined the grizzly bear, California poppy, California quail and gold as...
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