Parks
Park E-Ventures Article
Every autumn, up to 19 species of birds of prey make their annual appearance over the Marin Headlands. With tens of thousands of raptors counted during the fall migration, it’s the largest flight of its kind in the western U.S.! Read on for hawk-watching tips from our Golden Gate Raptor...
Park E-Ventures Article
Hawk Hill isn’t just a spot for watching raptors. In the fall, visitors who point their binoculars at smaller birds might be treated to the aerial acrobatics of migrating swifts. Learn more about these amazing—and mysterious—insectivores.
Park E-Ventures Article
Here's our hand-picked list of the best hikes for kids in the Golden Gate National Parks, at Mori Point, Lands End, and Tennessee Valley. Bring the whole gang for a family-friendly nature adventure.
Park E-Ventures Article
To humans, bird vocalizations can be inspiring and soothing—or annoying, in the case of those early morning arias. But for birds, they perform critical communication functions. Read on to learn about five types of vocalizations, and what they teach us about birds’ surroundings.
Park E-Ventures Article
Not as obvious as leaves or as ostentatious as flowers, seeds are often overlooked in our appreciation of plant life. But don’t miss out on their beauty! In this guide, one of the Parks Conservancy’s seed experts picks her favorites.
Park E-Ventures Article
Feathers are a uniquely avian adaptation—or are they? While feathers can only be seen on birds today, evidence has shown that many dinosaurs also had feathers. Read on to learn about the variety—and possible purposes—of dinosaur feathers.
Park E-Ventures Article
Working with native plants all the time you begin to develop a huge soft spot for them and it becomes easy to forget that not everyone shares the same love and appreciation for our home-grown plants. But the question remains: why?
Park E-Ventures Article
The trailside discovery of a Great Horned Owl tail feather sparked this rumination: What are some of the many adaptations that make owls such proficient hunters in the dark, quiet night? Take wing and learn more about their unique traits.
Park E-Ventures Article
Most trail names are self-explanatory; they take their monikers from the area’s geographic features or natural resources. But some are a little more cryptic and obscure. In honor of National Trails Day on June 1, we did a little sleuthing into 10 mysterious trail names.
Park E-Ventures Article
Learn how populations of the Ensatina split in the Central Valley and discover how this little salamander—the textbook definition of a “ring species”—vividly illustrates how nature frustrates the human compulsion to classify and categorize species.
