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Bay Nature Talk: Sperm whales of the Golden Gate
Posted in Animals, Talks | Tags: Sperm whales of the Golden Gate
Heat and land use: Bees suffer in particular
University of Wurzburg reported
In a new study, researchers at the University of Würzburg are investigating the interaction of major global change drivers on insects.
The number and diversity of insects is declining worldwide. Some studies suggest that their biomass has almost halved since the 1970s. Among the main reasons for this are habitat loss – for example through agriculture or urbanization – and climate change.
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Climate change, Decline of Bee Populations
Invasive Crab With Furry, Mitten-Like Claws Detected for the First Time in the Pacific Northwest
Smithsonian Magazine reported
A commercial fisherman nabbed a large male Chinese mitten crab in the lower Columbia River late last month, putting biologists on high alert
Read more Invasive Crab With Furry, Mitten-Like Claws Detected for the First Time in the Pacific Northwest
Posted in Animals | Tags: Chinese mitten crab, Invasive species
Upcoming UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Events
See the events calendar for the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden at Garden Events
Posted in Class/Workshop, Garden | Tags: UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Events
Webinar: California Condors – Back from the Brink
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Channel Islands Restoration Environmental Experts Webinar Series Presents An introduction to this magnificent, critically-endangered species, including a brief overview of the California Condor Recovery Program. This presentation will include natural history details about the critically-endangered California condor from their emergence during the Pleistocene through their decline and their eventual status as “extinct in the wild”. The Condor Recovery Program, which has successfully reintroduced California Condors into the wild, will be discussed including captive breeding efforts, how the wild flock is managed, and ongoing threats. |
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Posted in Talks | Tags: California Condors
Biologists Rejoice as Extremely Rare Guam Kingfishers Lay Their First Wild Eggs in Nearly 40 Years
Smithsonian reported
The brightly colored birds are extinct in the wild, having disappeared from their native Guam in 1988 due to the introduction of the invasive brown tree snake. But now, they’re starting to make a comeback on Palmyra Atoll
Read more Biologists Rejoice as Extremely Rare Guam Kingfishers Lay Their First Wild Eggs in Nearly 40 Years
Posted in Birds | Tags: SihekGuam kingfisher
Racing to Save California’s Elephant Seals From Bird Flu
Marin Mammal Center reported
In late 2023, bird flu arrived on the rocky shores of the Valdés Peninsula in Argentina, ripping through the local colony of southern elephant seals. More than 17,000 seal pups died. It could take decades for the population to recover, experts announced in April.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Bird Flu impact on Elephant Seals
East Bay Regional Parks Upcoming Events
See upcoming events calendar for the East Bay Regional Parks at https://www.ebparks.org/calendar
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks
Iconic Yosemite hotel’s rodent infestation detailed in scathing report
SF Gate reported
A scathing report details rodent infestation at Yosemite National Park’s iconic Ahwahnee Hotel.
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite Hotels, Yosemite National Park
After 50 Years, Trout Population Is Restored to Historic Numbers in One of the Largest Lakes in US
The Good News Network reported
Through a combination of invasive species control and stocking with captive-raised fish, it’s now believed that a self-sustaining and harvestable population of lake trout has returned to Lake Champlain.
Stocking began back in 1972, but controlling sea lamprey started 18 years later. Sea lamprey is an invasive parasitic species.
Read more After 50 Years, Trout Population Is Restored to Historic Numbers in One of the Largest Lakes in US
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Habitat Restoration, Lake Champlain, Trout
Camouflaged creature found in ‘sacred forests’ of Madagascar. It’s a new species
MSN reported
As darkness seeped across a “sacred” forest in southern Madagascar, a scaly creature climbed along a boulder. Something about the camouflaged animal caught the attention of visiting scientists – and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
Posted in Animals | Tags: New Species, Paragehyra tsaranoro, Tsaranoro half-padded gecko
An unusual pairing of geese draws a gaggle of Portland-area birders
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported
It’s spring — the time when birds nest and lay eggs. And outside Portland, one unusual nesting pair has attracted the attention of birders drawn to a story of love across differences. It’s also a story about loss, and a lesson in the peculiarities of nature.
There are a lot of geese at the Blue Lake Regional Park along the Columbia River in Fairview. So rangers weren’t surprised when they found a nesting Canada goose — large, with a black beak and black and white face — near some picnic benches early in the season.
But there was something strange about the other goose guarding the nest. It was small, grayish brown, with a yellow beak and white face.
Read story and see video at An unusual pairing of geese draws a gaggle of Portland-area birders – OPB
Posted in Birds | Tags: Canada Goose, White-fronted Goose
Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It
Get Pocket reported
Wild parrots tend to fly in flocks, but when kept as single pets, they may become lonely and bored.
Posted in Birds | Tags: Parrots making video calls
Will the National Parks Survive Trump?
The New York Times has an opinion piece on the possible government cuts to the National Parks
Budget cuts proposed for next year would be catastrophic.
Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/06/01/opinion/trump-parks-budget-cuts.html
Posted in Park | Tags: National Park Cutbacks
In the Calls of Bonobos, Scientists Hear Hints of Language
The New York Times reported
After listening to hundreds of hours of ape calls, a team of scientists say they have detected a hallmark of human language: the ability to put together strings of sounds to create new meanings.The provocative finding, published Thursday in the journal Science, drew praise from some scholars and skepticism from others.
Read more In the Calls of Bonobos, Scientists Hear Hints of Language
Posted in Animals | Tags: Hints of Language in Bonobos
Xerces Society Events
The list of events will be updated regularly. To view past webinars, please visit our YouTube channel. We also announce events on social media and via our e-newsletter. If you have questions, please email outreach@xerces.org.
To see current list of events go to Events | Xerces Society
Posted in Talks | Tags: Xerces Society Events
Once in Dire Straits, Atlantic Sturgeon Are Staging a Comeback on the East Coast
Smithsonian Magazine reported
From Maine to Florida, the endangered, prehistoric fish is rebounding, but a recent study shows just how vulnerable the U.S. population remains
Wildlife Conservation Board Awards $59.5 Million in Grants to 25 Habitat Conservation and Restoration Projects
California Department of Fish and Game News Releae
The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) has approved $59.5 million in grants to support 25 habitat protection and restoration projects in 21 counties across California. Awarded at WCB’s May 22 meeting, the projects will safeguard nearly 23,000 acres of the state’s most ecologically important landscapes.
Posted in Uncategorized
Marin County and Nearby Botanical Events
Upcoming Marin Chapter Events
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Other Native Plant Activities in Marin, Nearby, or VirtualPosted in Walks & Hikes, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Marin County Botanical Even
Upcoming CNPS Events
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
Golden Gate Recreation Area Upcoming Events
To see the current schedule of upcoming events at Golden Gate Recreation Area go to See all upcoming events
Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes | Tags: Golden Gate Recreation Area Events
Bay Area whale deaths rise after Point Reyes discovery
KRON4 reported
A dead gray whale that washed ashore late Wednesday at Point Reyes National Seashore was confirmed to be the 14th so far in 2025, according to the California Academy of Sciences.
The discovery came on the same day KRON4 reported that five dead gray whales were found in the San Francisco Bay Area over the course of one week.
Read on www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/bay-area-whale-deaths-rise-after-point-reyes-discovery/
Posted in Animals | Tags: Whale Deaths
It’s not march of the penguins, but the great migration of flies is major force in ecosystems and economies
In a new paper, scientists make a compelling case for preserving migration corridors for hundreds of species of tiny flies.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Insect Migration
An update about the Inn Fire near Mono Lake
Mono Lake Committee reported Inn Fire and damage to County Park
The Inn Fire n ear Mono Lake is now 70% contained at 728 acres in size thanks to the diligent efforts of more than 500 fire personnel who responded quickly
Read on www.monolake.org/today/an-update-about-the-inn-fire-near-mono-lake/
Updates now say fire is 82% contained.
Posted in Environment | Tags: County Park, Inn Fire
The Very Territorial Caterpillar
The New York Times reported
When territorial animals are confronted by intruders, they instinctively protect their turf — no matter how small.For warty birch caterpillars, that means patrolling one of the tiniest territories on Earth: the tips of birch leaves. Scientists observed the caterpillars warding off intruders with loud vibrations that advertise they are in command of a domain that stretches a few millimeters across.
Read more and see video at The Very Territorial Caterpillar
Posted in Animals | Tags: Animal Behavior, Territorial Caterpillars
Bonobos combine calls in ways that resemble human language
Mongabay reported
Bonobos, one of humanity’s closest relatives, appear to string together vocal calls in ways that mirror a key feature of the human language, a new study carried out in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has found.
While bonobos (Pan paniscus) produce grunts, peeps, whistles and hoots, they also combine these calls to create new meanings, researchers found, suggesting they may share a trait once deemed uniquely human: a complex language structure called nontrivial compositionality.
Read more Bonobos combine calls in ways that resemble human language, study finds
Regional Park Botanic Garden Photos May 27, 2025
Photos taken in the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on May 27, 2025.
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a botanic garden of California native plants. The Garden is open Monday through Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California. It is a 10-acre garden for many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. To learn more about the garden visit the website at www.nativeplants.org .
DR Congo: Rare Upemba Lechwe antelope captured on camera as experts say under 100 exist
The BBC reported
The picture of the Upemba Lechwe was taken through the window of an aeroplane during a survey.
See photos and read on www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx0kn124w0o
Posted in Animals | Tags: Upemba Lechwe antelope
Researchers reveal why young plants may be more vulnerable to disease | ScienceDaily
ScienceDaily reported
From toddlers in daycare to seedlings in forests, young organisms tend to get sick more easily than adults — a phenomenon that has long puzzled parents and scientists alike.
University of Maryland biologists offer new insights into this mysteriously universal pattern in a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 4, 2025. The new study on baby plants shows that fighting disease at a young age often comes at a steep cost to growth and future evolutionary fitness — or their ability to reproduce.
Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250404201343.htm
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Disease risk in young plants
California gardeners plant native species in parks to prevent wildfire spread
The Guardian reported
Volunteers, organized by landscape architecture firm Terremoto, clear invasive plants and restore native fauna: ‘It’s a years-long relationship with the land’
See article and photos at : California gardeners plant native species in parks to prevent wildfire spread – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian
Posted in Garden | Tags: Native Plant to Prevent Wildfire Spread
Natural History Wanderings 