NBC Bay Area reported
Three people were hospitalized in Napa County over the weekend after eating mushrooms.
Read on www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/napa-mushrooms-poison-california-22257807.php
Posted in Mushrooms | Tags: Mushroom Poisonings
Discover
Learn how cockatoos figure out what’s safe to eat by watching each other, and how that knowledge moves through a flock in just days.
Read more This Wild Parrot Species Copies Its Peers to Figure Out What Food Is Safe to Eat | Discover Magazine
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird Communication, Bird Learning, Cockatoos, Wild Parrots
Check out the latest events and news for Sonoma Land Trust at OUTINGS & EVENTS
Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes
Discover Wildlife
The researchers discovered a hidden world of life among the roots of Chile’s ancient alerce trees. Here’s why that’s important.
The towering conifers of Chile’s southern rainforests do far more than shape the skyline. Research in Biodiversity and Conservationreveals that these ancient trees are hubs of hidden biodiversity, highlighting their crucial role in the forest ecosystem.
Read more Scientists looked beneath one of oldest trees on Earth. What they found is astounding
Posted in Environment, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Hidden Biodiversity
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Flowers, Garden Photos
The three high-school birders, dubbed The Pete Dunnelins, have one day to count as many bird species across the state of New Jersey as physically possible. Here’s what it takes.
— Read on www.npr.org/2026/05/12/nx-s1-5801539/world-series-of-birding-new-jersey
Posted in Birds | Tags: Teenager Birding
From Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Read more How to Create a Bird-Safe Backyard – Golden Gate Bird AllianceAs spring rolls in, bird migration ramps up, and birds begin flying north through one of themost important migration corridors, the Pacific Flyway. Each spring and fall, roughly 1 billion birds travel through this route, passing through our homes and making the greater San Francisco Bay Area an important stop along the way.
On their journey north, migrating shorebirds and waterfowl move through our neighborhoods and local environments each year. The San Francisco Bay Area is recognized as an international biodiversity hotspot, providing these migrating birds with critical habitats. As a stop along the Pacific Flyway, the greater Bay Area serves as a crucial resting point where birds can fuel up and prepare for the long journey ahead. However, as California continues to grow, urban development unintentionally harms birds by removing native plants and disrupting the local biodiversity they depend on year-round.
While your backyard may seem like an insignificant stop, creating a bird-friendly space can help rebuild our ecosystem and support local environments by providing food and shelter for migrating birds.
Posted in Birds
NPR reported
Read more To save salmon, a tribe near Seattle is flooding farmland : NPRThis flood-prone river mouth north of Seattle changed dramatically in October when the Stillaguamish Tribe removed two miles of earthen levee. The ridge of dirt kept the river and the tides from spreading onto nearby farmland. Once a giant excavator bit into the levee to breach it, the tribe welcomed tidewater onto the land for the first time in over a century.
“Before, it was a dairy operation, and now it’s a big tidal marsh,” Boyd, a Stillaguamish tribal member and fisheries manager, says while looking out at the new 230-acre wetland.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Wetland Restoration
See upcoming events calendar of hikes and programs at https://www.abdnha.org/calendar1.htm.
ScienceDaily reported
Plants make chemical weapons to protect themselves, and many of these compounds have become vital to human medicine. Researchers found that one powerful plant chemical is produced using a gene that looks surprisingly bacterial. This suggests plants reuse microbial tools to invent new chemistry. The insight could help scientists discover new drugs and produce them more sustainably.
Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030546.htm
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Microbial Tools
Los Padres ForestWatch, one of the premier land and wildlife advocacy organizations along California’s central coast, is seeking a Land Stewardship Manager. The role is responsible for overseeing our 157-acre nature preserve and working with partners and volunteers to plan and execute habitat restoration and other field work throughout Los Padres National Forest. This full-time exempt position is based in Santa Barbara, California with a substantial amount of field work coupled with a flexible combination of remote and office work.
See the full job description and how to apply at https://forestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/LPFW_LandSteward2026.pdf
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
For World Migratory Bird Day check out this video on bird migration
The Boreal Forest is one of the last great intact forest systems on Earth and the heart of North America’s bird nursery. Spanning from Alaska to Newfoundland…
— Read on www.youtube.com/watch
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird migration
Your Central Valley reports
The National Forest Service says it’s not okay to spread wildflower seeds across the countryside, despite how good your intentions may be.
Read more Forest Service says don’t spread wildflowers | CBS47 and KSEE24 | News from YourCentralValley.com, Fresno CA
In a Thursday email to YourCentralValley.com, they explained that sowing the seeds could be dangerous to the local native plant community.
“[People] may want to help the land heal after a wildfire or feel compelled to supplement natives with more colorful flowers. The truth is that these practices are damaging to wildlands and impair the long-term diversity of native plants (and animals) that inhabit wildlands.”
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: California Poppies, Habitat Protection
Theodore Payne Foundation inspires and educates Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes.We are located on 22 acres of canyon land in the northeast corner of the San Fernando Valley. Our full-service native plant nursery, seed room, book store, art gallery, demonstration gardens, and hiking trails are open to the public year round. We offer garden tours and classes for adults and families, as well as field trips to TPF and in-classroom programs for children. Friendly on-leash dogs are welcome and there is no admission charge!
See upcoming events at Theodore Payne Foundation Events – Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Posted in Class/Workshop | Tags: Theodore Payne Foundation Upcoming Events
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate Watch
NPR reported
The Devils Hole pupfish, a critically-endangered species and an icon of conservation, ekes out a precarious existence in Death Valley National Park. There, in the scorching desert, guarded by fences and video surveillance, this fish swims around in a sunken fishbowl made of rock that’s been its only natural home for millennia.
About a year ago, the population abruptly dropped to just 20 fish. Wildlife managers were so alarmed that, for the first time ever, they decided to release some pupfish that they’d been breeding in a huge tank for over a decade as a kind of insurance policy. They started by putting 19 captive-bred fish into Devils Hole, and later added about 50 more.
Read more at As federal scientists faced turmoil, the Devils Hole pupfish reached a crisis point
Posted in Animals | Tags: Death Valley Pupfish
Xerces Society reported
Bumble bees are important pollinators in both natural and agricultural ecosystems, and well known for their round and fuzzy appearance. But there are a lot of questions — and sometimes misinformation — about bumble bees out there! So we are bringing you answers, straight from our many bee experts.
Do bumble bees sting?
You are not likely to be stung by a bumble bee, even if some of them are technically able to do so.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Buble Bees
Science daily reported
A tiny piece of moss helped expose a cemetery scandal in Illinois, where workers allegedly dug up graves and resold burial plots. By identifying the moss and analyzing its chlorophyll to estimate its age, scientists proved the remains had been moved recently—evidence that helped secure convictions.
Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260305223215.htm
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Moss
Inside Climate News
The American buffalo—those ornery, hairy prairie beasts that reign as the official mammal of the United States—have joined wind turbines, electric cars and climate researchers in the cross hairs of the Trump administration.
Acceding to anti-bison grumbling from cattle ranchers and Republican politicians in Montana, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in January proposed canceling leases for buffalo grazing on federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.Read more Trump Administration Targets Bison on Federal Grazing Lands – Inside Climate News
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Clarkia Flower Festival
See the calendar of upcoming free events for Marin County Parks Events Calendar – Marin County Parks
Posted in Park
SF Gate reported
Yosemite National Park’s monthly visitation numbers for March grew by over two-thirds this year, according to recent data. The rise in visitors comes as the park approaches a reservation-free and potentially chaotic summer season.
According to a monthly public use report published by the National Park Service, Yosemite recorded 225,817 recreational visitors in March. That’s up about 45% from the 155,758 visitors recorded in March of last year, and the highest number of visitors the park has seen in March since 2016.
Read more at Yosemite visitor numbers explode as park does away with reservation system
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite National Park
Audubon reported
Bird species are on the decline across the U.S. for all different reasons, including habitat loss. But a new program in Washington hopes to create bird habitat by working with private landowners to improve bird habitat on their ranches. Keep reading
Posted in Birds | Tags: Habitat Creation
SF Gate reported
Velella velella are related to jellyfish and travel the ocean via clear “sails.” Thousands, or possibly millions, have shown up along the California coast.
Read on www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/el-nino-sea-creature-22236398.php
Posted in Animals | Tags: Velella velella
On Tuesday May 12th, 2026, at 7 pm, the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park are pleased to welcome Danaé Mouton, a wildlife biologist with the Ventana Wildlife Society.
To participate in this Webinar, please register in advance using the following link. There you need to put in your name and email address to register. You will then get a confirmation email with further instructions, and reminder emails closer to the event.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PO6TcXKIQnmO5Penjk-zUA
On a Zoom webinar, she will present her lecture entitled “California Condors on the Central Coast: a journey of recovery and resilience.” She will discuss how perilously close to extinction were the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and the steps taken to try to prevent this from occurring. She will also discuss the efforts taken to reintroduce the endangered condors back on the Central Coast after all individuals were removed from the wild. The California Condor is still endangered but its numbers in the wild are on the increase. Join us for this incredible journey as Danaé discusses the help and tools needed on the way to a successful species recovery.
· The lecture with Q&A will last one hour.
· Questions will be submitted in writing using Zoom.
Posted in Birds | Tags: California Condors
The Guardian reported
Researchers find that across 195 US cities, winters are on average nine days shorter than they were in 1970-1997
Read more at Winter getting shorter in 80% of major US cities, new data shows
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate change, Winter Getting Shorter
SF Gate writes about Wild Turkeys in the Bay Area
Wild turkeys, not native to California, have thrived in the Bay Area due to ideal suburban habitats. Their population has surged since the 1970s, reaching an estimated 250,000 statewide. While some residents find them a spectacle, others see them as a nuisance, especially during mating season when males become territorial and may attack vehicles or humans.
Read story at How wild turkeys ended up everywhere in the Bay Area
Posted in Animals | Tags: Wild Turkeys
See the calendar of upcoming events for the East Bay Regional Parks at https://www.ebparks.org/calendar
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks
See the calendar of upcoming events of the California Native Plants Society at https://www.cnps.org/events
Posted in Talks | Tags: Upcoming CNPS Events
SF Gate reported
The species can produce 1 million offspring in a single year
Officials in San Joaquin County declared an emergency on Wednesday due to an infestation of an invasive species of mussels, which are clogging infrastructure and damaging the environment.
Golden mussels have spread rapidly in the delta after first being detected in 2024.
Read more at www.sfgate.com/centralcalifornia/article/california-delta-invasive-species-22232619.php
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Golden Mussels, Invasive species
Natural History Wanderings 