Comment Now to Keep our Underwater Sanctuaries Safe

  The summer of 2017 is turning out to be a Humpback whale extravaganza in the San Francisco Bay. Yesterday, I saw five whales spouting, breaching and eating for about two hours. With wildlife so close to our urban world, who doesn’t want to marvel at these behemoths jumping out of the water? While theyContinue reading "Comment Now to Keep our Underwater Sanctuaries Safe"

Keeping an Eye Out for Birds

This time of the year, California is a stop-over point for birds heading down to their wintering range. Watching birds fly in groups over the ocean or land is a spectacle of beauty that I seek out each year. This past weekend, I headed over to a brickyard in San Rafael, where Vaux Swifts stop off for a coupleContinue reading "Keeping an Eye Out for Birds"

California Winter Wildlife Are Here

Anyone who’s traveled to Point Reyes more than once realizes that the weather is completely unpredictable. This is my fourth year as a docent, and still can’t predict how the weather will play out during the day. I always bring four layers of clothing, including long underwear, fleece, my Gore-Tex jacket and some mittens. ButContinue reading "California Winter Wildlife Are Here"

Beach Beauties of Summer

Ocean Beach offered up all sorts of uncommon visual marvels this past Tuesday, including Vellela (commonly known as by-the-wind sailor), different types of algae, and remnants of all sorts of hard-shelled creatures. Nature created the compositions the way that I’ve captured them here. I haven’t styled any of these photos. I invite you to enjoy the beach’sContinue reading "Beach Beauties of Summer"

Bandar’s Bones Return

On Thursday, May 16, the Skulls exhibit will open at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The exhibit features a collection of skulls that will provide a fascinating look into nature's engineering while telling us all about the lifestyle of many animals. Perhaps as fascinating (if not more) is the story of the manContinue reading "Bandar’s Bones Return"

The Sadness of Spring

The only sadness that spring brings for me is the end of my Winter Wildlife Docent days up at Point Reyes. Today was the last day that I spent talking to visitors about whales and elephant seals and whatever other topics came up (i.e., hunting white-tailed deer, smart birds, the appearance of orca whales, theContinue reading "The Sadness of Spring"