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COASTAL SCRUB

Also called soft chaparral, this community consists mostly of shrubs and grasses growing near the coast. Among the most common members are California sagebrush, coyote brush, toyon, bush monkeyflower, and various brooms. Point Reyes National Seashore, Tilden Regional Park, and San Bruno Mountain are all excellent places to find coastal scrub.

Animals

MAMMALS

It’s always a thrill to see a coyote or a bobcat from the trail, but these sightings are uncommon. Glimpses of mountain lions are more rare still, but these large predators are present in the Bay Area, mostly in the more remote parks. Other, more common mammals in our area include squirrels, rabbits, deer, gray fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum, and chipmunk. Wild pigs have invaded some Bay Area parks and their rooting does extensive damage. Stay away from these dangerous animals.

BIRDS

Located on the western edge of the Pacific Flyway, the Bay Area is a great place to go birding. The large variety of species results from the wide range of habitats—seashore to mountain—present here. Birders at Point Reyes National Seashore, the area with perhaps the greatest variety of birds, have logged an impressive 440 different species, or just under half of all bird species found in North America north of Mexico. Large numbers of individual birds reside in the Bay Area year-round, pass through on migration, or winter here. For the common names of birds of the continental United States and Canada, the American Ornithologists’ Union’s (AOU) checklist is the authoritative resource. It can be found at www.aou.org/checklist/north/index.php.