Guide to Wildlife of the San Francisco Bay Area

The Bay Area is a prime destination for discovering the wonderful and wild world of California wildlife. From the cool, blue depths of San Francisco Bay, to the sage-covered hills of Mount Diablo, the Bay area offers a multitude of species - mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. There is a great variety of natural places with varying habitats for the nature lover to explore.

This website, sfbaywildlife.info, will help you discover what there is to see, where to see it, and most importantly how to go about it. With detailed checklists for mammals, birds and other animals, identification resources and extensive guides to viewing locations, sfbaywildlife.info provides a unique, yet comprehensive portal to the world of Bay Area wildlife watching.

Current Highlights

Participate in your local Christmas Bird Count - counts are held between Dec 14 and Jan 5. ...link
The White-crowned Sparrows are back for the winter. ...link
Now is the time to see wintering Monarch Butterflies ...more
Naturalist-led Creek Walks to see Spawning Salmon, Lagunitas Creek Watershed, West Marin County, November 14th through mid-January. ...link
Winter is a great time to see Grey Whales, as whale-watching in California is excellent. ...more
South Park Drive in Tilden Regional Park is closed to autos November 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010, to protect migrating newts.
Recent blog entries: Field Trip to Las Trampas and Field Trip to Morgan Territory.
See our videos of San Francisco Bay animals on YouTube! ...more

Featured Location - Big Sur

Big Sur, located South of Monterey Peninsula on Highway 1, although somewhat distant from the Bay Area, is well worth the drive. ...more

Featured Species - Burrowing Owl

The Burrowing Owl - Athene cunicularia - is an endearing bird found in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is not too difficult to see if you know where to look. The owls are losing habitat and their numbers are going down. They need all the help they can get from friends like Scott Artis. ...more

News

Many State Parks keep hours despite cutbacks, SFGate, 3 Dec, 2009 ...link
2 new lawsuits to save S.F.Bay-delta smelt, SFGate, 15 Nov, 2009 ...link
East Bay Parks buys ranch near Pleasanton, SFGate, 22 Oct, 2009 ...link
Save Mount Diablo signs agreement to acquire a 165 acre property on the slopes of Mt. Diablo's North Peak, 11 Sep, 2009. ...link
Petaluma group badgers officials for open space, by Carolyn Jones, SFGate, 24 Aug, 2009
Paula Lane Action Network, a grassroots group in Petaluma, is trying to arrange for the purchase of 11 acres of American Badger habitat in western Petaluma. ...link
Sonoma Salamander battle expected to heat up, by Peter Fimrite, SFGate, 19 Aug, 2009
The Obama administration's decision to preserve land in Sonoma county for Tiger Salamanders is open for public comment. ...link
Young porpoise dies after rescue from creek, SFGate, 7 Aug, 2009 ...link
News Archive