Images
Overview – Through the lens: A tribute to the birds of the Bay
Ever wonder what was left on the cutting room floor? These photo galleries gather the images that didn’t make it into the final book—whirling flocks, intimate portraits, sassy skirmishes—that together, reveal an even more layered and textured view of the Bay Area’s bird life. Some galleries dive into the science of color—camouflage that hides, iridescence that dazzles—while others capture the rhythms of daily life, from the precision of a hunt to the freedom of flight. Think of these as visual side trails, leading to deeper connections with our region’s birds.
Faces – Eye to eye with birds!
What happens when you meet a bird face-to-face? This gallery explores that moment—when feathers frame a stare, and a pair of sharp, colorful eyes lock onto yours. Whether it’s the cerulean gaze of a Brandt’s Cormorant, the luminous red eye of a Black Crowned Night Heron, or the striking face of a Black Oystercatcher (looking for all the world like a diva with matching crimson eyeliner and lipstick)—up close, the details help ground these creatures of the sky, help us see them as individuals with personality and presence. Held in their gaze, you’re no longer the observer—you’re being seen. And in that stillness, something wild and vivid looks back.
Families – Baby boom!
From scruffy egret chicks teetering on high branches to ducklings trailing behind a watchful Mallard, the Bay Area pulses with the rhythms of new life. This gallery offers a glimpse into that world: nesting Western Gulls on rocky islands, Brandt’s Cormorants wooing their mates with colorful strands of fresh seaweed, and tiny coot chicks wobbling through wetlands. Each of these family portraits is a testament to the region’s richness as a breeding mecca for birds great and small.
Farallones – The Serengeti of the Sea!
Cloaked in fog (and a heavy blanket of bird guano), the rugged Farallon Islands are a place few ever get to see—yet they’re humming with one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on the West Coast. This gallery offers a window into this mysterious world 30 miles offshore from San Francisco: Common Murres packed shoulder to shoulder on rocky cliffs, nesting Western Gulls noisily standing ground against invaders, and Pigeon Guillemots plunging into the sea in search of slick gunnels. Here, California sea lions haul out on foggy ledges, sharing the islands with the birds in a tense, deafening balance. From wide views of wind-battered colonies to intimate moments—like a researcher cradling a downy auklet chick—these images reveal a place that feels otherworldly, wild, and exuberantly alive.
Feeding – Birds feasting!
What birds eat can tell us more than just what’s for lunch—it offers a window into migration, habitat, and the hidden flow of energy through ecosystems. By analyzing isotopes in feathers, scientists can trace a bird’s diet and movement, revealing how elements and nutrients (and sometimes toxins) travel through the food web. In the Bay Area, birds’ diets are as varied as their beaks and habitats—from a Cedar Waxwing plucking toyon berries to a Pigeon Guillemot gulping a gunnel, or a White-tailed Kite grasping a rodent in midair. This gallery captures those moments of feeding—beautiful, vital, sometimes brutal—and invites us to consider the deep connections between birds, their food, and the places they call home.
Flaunting – Feathered flair!
This gallery celebrates the showstoppers: birds that shimmer, strut, preen, and pose. Their beauty isn’t just skin-deep—iridescent feathers owe their glow to microscopic layers that bend and reflect light, producing colors that shift with every movement. Even feathers without iridescence are complex structures: lightweight, flexible, and essential for flight, insulation, and communication. Preening keeps them in top form—realigning barbs, spreading protective oils, and preserving the sleek silhouettes that make these birds look (and function) their best. From radiant hues to striking stances, these birds know how to own the spotlight.
Floating – Birds afloat!
There’s an elegance to birds on water—the way they glide across the surface, stirring ripples and scattering light. Their feathers shed droplets like polished stones; their powerful feet carry them through currents. Many birds of the Bay Area are creatures of water as much as they are creatures of the air. Whether it’s a raft of scoters riding the swells near the Farallon Islands or a lone grebe vanishing in a blink beneath the surface of Spring Lake, there’s something mesmerizing about these animals that can interact with sea, lake and river with such ease. This gallery celebrates these birds so at home on water—shaped by it, moving through it, igniting our imaginations.
Flying – Birds aloft!
There’s nothing quite like watching a bird take to the air—wings catching light, bodies lifted by something equal parts physics and poetry. Flight is what sets birds apart. It’s a feat of evolution that fills us with wonder as we look on from below. Capturing that motion in a still frame is both a challenge and a thrill: a flash of movement, a blur of feathers, and, sometimes, the perfect moment suspended in time. This gallery is a tribute to those powerful airborne instants, captured at some of our favorite birding sites throughout the Bay Area.
Friends – In good company!
Behind the great birding adventures that sparked our book’s stories are the people who made those stories possible—the sharp-eyed guides, the generous teachers, the curious kids, and the scientists who shared their deep knowledge. This gallery is a tribute to the friends who walked beside us as we explored the Bay Area’s birdlife: Ryan DiGaudio, who led us into the dunes of Point Reyes in search of Snowy Plovers; Jack Dumbacher and Moe Flannery who opened the drawers of the California Academy of Sciences’ bird collection; Teresa and Miles Tuffli, who spotted birds along the overgrown shores of North Bay ponds and rivers that we surely would have missed entirely; the muddy group of STRAW students who planted trees for future flycatchers; and the bright, steadfast apprentices and researchers at Point Blue, who revealed the secret lives of birds at Point Blue’s Palomarin and the Farallon Islands field stations. We’re grateful to so many more friends, not pictured here but invaluable in the weaving of these stories. These snapshots are a reminder that this book was never a solo act.
Flocks – The flock effect!
There’s something mesmerizing about birds gathered together: a living tapestry of movement that feels bigger than the sum of its parts. This gallery captures the magic of flocks, from tiny sandpipers scuttling in unison along the shore, to dinosauric pelicans gliding powerfully above the surf. Watch vast clouds of Snow Geese ruffle the waters of the California Delta, crisp black-and-white terns skim above San Francisco’s Crissy Field, and a roiling wave of Sooty Shearwaters darken the sky as they gather along the Pacific coast in the thousands. Together, these pictures reveal social bonds, community, and the breathtaking choreography that unfolds when birds come together.
