Bay Area Wildlife

Jeff Miller is the founder of the Alameda Creek Alliance and has served as executive director since 1997. Jeff also works with the Center for Biological Diversity on media, outreach, writing endangered species listing petitions, and working on biodiversity issues and endangered species protection throughout California. He lives in Ashland, OR.Obi Kaufmann is the author and illustrator of The California Field Atlas (2017), The State of Water (2019), The Forests of California (2020), The Coasts of California (2022), and The Deserts of California (2023), all published by Heyday.

Praise for Bay Area Wildlife: An Irreverent Guide:"Breezy to read, bite-sized accounts of fascinating creatures, be they colossal or minute, obvious or clandestine, slimy or sinewy, and furred, feathered or finned, hold the reader's attention. This lovingly irreverent perspective on this rich and diverse area will assuredly captivate, astonish, educate, and always entertain." —Keith Hansen, author of Birds of Point Reyes"Jeff Miller, a leading advocate for wild nature in the region, writes without stuffiness. He deploys ageless archetypes, then segues to the science." —Ken Brower, author of Wake of the Whale"A fun and easy guide to get to know many of the fascinating and diverse fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals (and even nudibranchs) of the Bay Area. Combining playful descriptions with excellent natural history observations, this book belongs in every nature-lover's library." —Laura Cunningham, author of A State of Change"The Blazing Saddles of wildlife guides." —Jolene Griffith, Jeff's mom

• IntroductionHow to Use This GuideStuff with Fur: MammalsTule Elk—A Resounding Clash of AntlersBobcat, Fox and Weasel—Pint-Sized Predator SafariCoyote—Return of the TricksterRiver Otter—Aquatic Death WeaselsBadger—Who’s Badgering Who?Beaver—Worth A DamBats—Lords of the NightBlubber Fest: Marine MammalsElephant Seal—Nature in the RawOrca—Some Call Them KillerSea Otter—Adorable PsychopathsWhales—Seeking LeviathanSea Lion—In Praise of BlubberFeathered Dinosaurs: BirdsRoadrunner—Looney Tunes Bad-AssYellow-Billed Magpie—A Tiding of IridescenceVaux’s Swift—Autumnal Chimney TornadoSandhill Crane—The Trumpet in the OrchestraAlbatross—Chumming for TubenosesNight-Heron—A Racket in the RookeryClapper Rail—Cryptic Marsh ChickensBlack Skimmer—Aerial BeaglesRaptors—Hawk HillBald Eagle—On A Wing and A PrayerBurrowing Owl—The Superb OwlPeregrine Falcon—Screaming Death ParrotPileated Woodpecker—Built for HeadbangingLoggerhead Shrike—The ButcherbirdRare Wood-Warblers—Pursuing Avian GemsPissing in Your Drinking Water: FishSalmon and Steelhead—Spawn Till You DieGrunion—Greeting the GrunionSturgeon—Monsters From the DeepHerring and Anchovy—Bait BallLeopard Shark and Bat Ray—Eelgrass AdventuresLamprey—A Seriously Punk Rock FishGreat White Shark—Devil’s TeethCold-Blooded Herps: Reptiles and AmphibiansAlameda Whipsnake—The Chaparral Striped RacerNewt—Psychedelic Pond OrgyRattlesnake—Adrenaline RushFoothill Yellow-Legged Frog—Amorous AmplexusGiant Salamander—Humongous Barking BabiesSpineless Creepy Crawlies: InvertebratesMonarch Butterfly—Multi-Generational MigrationTarantula—Post-Coital SnackLadybug—Loveliness at the Ladybug HotelNudibranchs—Hardcore TidepoolingJellyfish—Smacks and BloomsGhosts, Phantoms and Rumors: Rare and Elusive WildlifeMountain Lion—Ghost CatPronghorn—On Fine Fleet LimbsSan Francisco Garter Snake—The Turquoise SerpentRingtail—Elusive AcrobatMountain Beaver—The Western WombatCondor—Thunderbird Back from the BrinkBlack Bear—Furry FoodiePorcupine—Stab RabbitOddities: Introduced SpeciesFallow Deer—The Spiritual Unicorns of Point ReyesFeral Parakeets—The Urban JungleLost and Missing: ExtinctionExtinct and Extirpated—Missing Species of the Bay AreaWatchable Wildlife Highlights by CountyWildlife Viewing TipsGreater Bay Area Wildlife FestivalsConservationWays to Share Your SightingsAcknowledgmentsPhoto CreditsAbout the Author