Walking Waterhoods: Temescal Creek — Mouth

Considered a luxurious delicacy across the United States, oysters are one of the most familiar animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. According to the archaeological record in the Bay Street Shellmound, Olympia Oysters (Ostrea lurida), ... Read more

Giant Ground Sloths were large, bumbling herbivores that evolved in South America, and were among some of the last of the large mamimals to arrive in the prehistoric San Francisco meadow that later became the site of the San Francisco Bay.... Read more

The native California Mussel (Mytilus californianus) thrives in high salinity, and low sediment conditions. They live in large colonies that perform similar ecosystem services as oysters by filtering sediment and recycling nutrients for the... Read more

Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) are a highly endangered small fish that eat insects and find themselves at home in Emeryville’s local salt marsh. They are able to handle a large range of salt concentration. As a keystone species, ... Read more

Leopard sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum) are the most abundant shark species located in San Francisco Bay. Much smaller than their Great White counterparts, leopard sharks  on average only grow to about five feet in length. Key predators in t... Read more

Pacific gopher snakes (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) are cold blooded reptiles, which leads to their somewhat frequent sightings as lovers of sun bathing. Unfortunately, gopher snakes look quite similar to rattlesnakes, and it can be a sta... Read more

The yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) is a west coast native, the most abundant of 1600 native bees in California. They sport a fuzzy, black and yellow abdomen and are generalists, meaning that they are not limited to one (or ev... Read more

Eelgrass (Zostera) is a type of bay and estuary-loving seaweed, once forming large beds of miniature forests in the San Francisco Bay adjacent to McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. Eelgrass beds are hotspots for biodiversity, as their ecosyst... Read more

San Francisco Bay is a whale watching hotspot, as whale pods of various species pass by the Golden Gate seasonally on their migrations. But it is the Grey Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) that frequents the San Francisco Bay itself. This speci... Read more

Classified as an herbaceous parasite, the California Dodder (Cuscuta californica) is perhaps the most interesting plant found at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. The dodder is a true plant, growing from a seed, establishing roots, and pho... Read more

Despite its name, the Yellow Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus oregonensis), a San Francisco Bay mudflat native, can appear grey, green, or yellow in color. These crabs will hunt or scavenge for food, and are an important food source themselves for n... Read more

The San Joaquin Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) is the smallest canine in all of North Americ. But ttheir ears are perhaps the largest in relation to their bodies of all the North American canines. Their satellite ears are not just endear... Read more

San Francisco Bay's native salt marsh ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change and anthropogenic-related disturbances such as coastal erosion, invasive species, and local sea level rise. The salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithro... Read more

The elusive and endangered Ridgway's Rail (Rallus obsoletus) is a foraging species, digging into the mud flats like the snowy egret for mussels, crabs, and clams. Endemic to San Francisco Bay’s salt marsh ecosystems, Ridgway's Rails were ... Read more

The winter chill that begins to settle in early fall brings an abundance of birds to the mouth of Temescal Creek each year, the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) being one such species. This phenomenon can be attributed to the Pacific Flyway... Read more

The Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), or “Sea Hawk”, is the only hawk in all of North America to subsist on a diet almost entirely composed of fish. While it is still under debate if they lived here in pre-colonail times as their bone... Read more

McLaughlin State Park floods with salty sea water as welll as tons of visible and invisible pollutants as the tide creeps over the mudflats twice a day. Not only does the Bay carry in a portion of the trash that litters the premise, but the... Read more

After a longstanding absence, the first Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in over a century was sighted inside the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary in 2011. Porpoises are historically significant to the Bay, as bones found in Emeryville Sh... Read more

The extinct dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus[), living alongside the Columbian mammoth throughout the Pleistocene era, were pack hunters that evolved in North America, traversing the land while hunting the largest of mammalian grazers. Prior resea... Read more

Not to be confused with the common mallard, green-winged teals (Anas carolinensis) are the smallest North American duck species and endemic to San Francisco Bay’s salt marshes, where they spend winters during their annual migrations. This... Read more

Are there great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the San Francisco Bay? There are at least four which have been seen and tagged, though their sightings are uncommon. Great White Sharks are among the most villainized of shark species... Read more

California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) are San Francisco Bay natives easily identified by the presence of external ear flaps, unlike harbor seals which only have internal auditory structures.These marine mammals are playful and intel... Read more

California cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) is an important component of San Francisco Bay’s salt marsh ecosystem, providing habitat and protection to the endangered Ridgway's rail. This species of cordgrass also happens to be in a mutualisti... Read more

Steelhead trout represent a locally threatened species of fish, with an interesting trick up its sleeve; the ability to turn into rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus. m. irideus). Steelheads spend a majority of their lives in the ocean, heading ups... Read more

The Columbian mammoth, (Mammuthus columbi) a prehistoric relative of the modern-day Asian elephant, was a keystone herbivore whose absence forever altered the ecology of San Francisco Bay. Once upon a time the Bay was without water, a vast... Read more

The California grizzly (Ursus arctos californicus), now extinct, is remembered on the California State Flag as a hallmark of this land and the spirit of its people. In centuries past, the now eradicated grizzlies could have be seen at this... Read more

The American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a migratory bird easily spotted in San Francisco Bay tidal salt marshes with their diagnostic long and pointed beak, similar to an elongated needle with a bit more girth. These birds prefer t... Read more

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) are migratory birds often found in San Francisco Bay’s salt marshes, and are easily spotted by their beautiful pure-white feathers. Their long legs are perfectly adapted to foraging for seafood beneath the pic... Read more

Once famous large sculptures composed of driftwood adorned the landscape of Emerville’s mudflats in the 1960s and 70s, courtesy of an eclectic group of artists from the California College of Arts and Crafts. The first sculpture was an as... Read more

The Blackwood Acacia (Acacia melanoxylon) is a tree that is native to southeastern and eastern Australia. In Australia, the tree grew in cool temperate rainforests, and in 1819, it was introduced to England. The Blackwood Acacia is also o... Read more

The Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), is native to the Eastern Mediterranean and has been naturalized over time in the eastern United States. Considered a weed throughout the U.S., this plant is known to have medicinal uses as an astr... Read more

The Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), is native to the Eastern Mediterranean and has been naturalized over time in the eastern United States. Considered a weed throughout the U.S., this plant is known to have medicinal uses as an astr... Read more

Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis), is a native shrub found in multiple habitats due to its ability to thrive in a variety of soil conditions and range of elevations. This plant has a slight resistance to fire, where, if there's only slight... Read more

The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a predatory bird with long-spanning wings and a medium-length tail that spreads when in flight. Look for a bird with brown checkered wings, red shoulders, and a reddish breast. This bird has a bla... Read more

Great blue herons (Ardea herodias) are wading birds that live in both freshwater and saltwater habitats and use their sharp bills to impale larger fish or snatch smaller prey with their beaks. Great blue herons forage alone, standing still ... Read more

The California fuchsia (Epilobium canum), is native to California's foothills and coastal regions, and is found along seasonal creeks, seeps, and springs. With a bloom period from August to October, this plant has bright scarlet flowers tha... Read more

The 8.5-mile McLaughlin Eastshore State Park was dedicated in 2012 to environmental pioneer and Save The Bay founder (along with two others) Sylvia McLaughlin. Temescal Creek ends its journey into the San Francisco Bay at the Emeryville Cre... Read more