Articles
What is That Turkey Vulture Doing?
Curious about turkey vultures overhead? This guide explains their kettling, feeding, and group behaviors seen across the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Things to Look For on Your Winter Hike
Cooler months bring fungi, bright berries, moving wildlife, and winter migrant birds to Santa Cruz Mountain hikes.
Fog Sipping Coastal Redwoods
The tallest trees in the world, the coastal redwood trees of Northern California, have a remarkable ability to use fog as a source of moisture.
Forest Bathing in the Coastal Redwoods
Coastal redwoods offer a unique blend of sensory, emotional, and physiological benefits that make them a wonderful place for forest bathing.
Wing-Spreading in Steller’s Jays
Wing-spreading is a type of social display by Steller's jays meant to ward off trespassers.
MeadowLarks Versus Horned Larks
The western meadowlark and horned lark look similar but belong to entirely different bird families and have distinct behaviors, songs, and appearances.
What Those Orange and White Striped Signs Mean
Paddle markers are signs that point down to the location of a natural gas pipeline buried underground.
Clarkias: Summer blooms in the Santa Cruz Mountains
As spring wildflowers fade from Bay Area preserves, one group of native plants continues to add color well into summer.
Interspecific Feeding: Why That Dark-eyed Junco is Raising a Cowbird
Dark-eyed juncos raising and feeding brown-headed cowbird juveniles are a common sight.
Hiking the Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail
Available only by reservation, the 11-mile Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail hike offers coastal views, windswept Douglas-firs, and guided entry into a protected watershed.
