Guide to San Francisco Bay Area Wildlife

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

This website, San Francisco Bay Area Wildlife, will help you discover what there is to see, where to see it, and most importantly how to discover the hidden wildlife of the Bay Area. With detailed checklists for mammals, birds and other animals; authoritative resources and extensive location guides encompassing the many terrains and ecosystems of California, San Francisco Bay Wildlife provides a unique, yet comprehensive portal to the world of Bay Area wildlife watching.

Current Highlights

We have a new blog! Please check it out, we will be posting things there on a routine basis! ...link
URGENT: Sadly, many of the Bay Area's natural places could be closing in the near future, the San Francisco Chronicle lists the state parks in jeopardy due to budget cuts. These parks include Mount Diablo State Park, and Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Please contact your state representative or the governor to protest these cuts. ...more
Summer is a good time to see butterflies and dragonflies.
Summer is breeding season for birds! Many of the resident bird species are nesting.
The Northern California Coastline is a great place to see wildlife, check out the new page on the Northern California Coast. ...more
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 - Tule Elk

The Tule Elk - Cervus elaphus - is one of the lesser known animals found in the San Francisco Bay Area. But it is the largest land mammal you can hope to see around here. The story of its comeback is quite remarkable. The photo on the left is of a herd near Sunol Regional Wilderness. ...more

News

EPA ready to settle Bay Area pesticide suit, By Jane Kay, SFGate, July 1, 2009.
The EPA will settle a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity which will result in added protection against pesticide damage for bay area species. ...link1
Nonprofit to buy aquarium at Pier 39, SFGate, June 11, 2009.
The nonprofit Bay Institute will buy San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay for $9.5 million. ...link1
Quarry Agreement Enhances Environment, The Independent, May 28, 2009.
Two conservation groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Alameda Creek Alliance, announced a historic cooperative conservation agreement, with Oliver de Silva, Inc., a mining company, for two quarry projects in the Sunol area - the Apperson Ridge Quarry and the Sunol Valley Quarry. ...link1
Three girls and a boy for SJ falcons, abc7news.com, May 15, 2009.
Baby Peregrine Falcons in downtown San Jose. ...link1
Obama administration tries to save local salamander, SFGate, May 8, 2009. Setting aside habitat in Sonoma county for the California Tiger Salamander. ...link1
Hundreds of dead birds on Bay Area beaches, SFGate, May 2, 2009. ...link1

News Archive