Wildlife – Alameda Point Environmental Report

Harbor seal update: Float research, whiskers for survival, and boating etiquette

Alameda Point harbor seal float inspires research at New York Aquarium

The harbor seal float at Alameda Point has been wildly successful. It started out as an experiment. Now it’s a model being studied at the New York Aquarium.

In July 2022, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium installed a float in an exhibit modeled after the float at Alameda Point. The research project was initiated by aquarium keeper Payden Sra as part of her work toward a graduate degree. Studying haul-out behavior of harbor seals in a controlled setting “can better advise conservation actions for the growing wild seal populations managed by local officials on the East Coast,” Sra wrote in the description of her study. “While once a rare sight, it is increasingly common to see seals in New York.”

Great Blue Herons fishing at Alameda Point: Photo essay

Alameda Point supports a thriving colony of Great Blue Herons. Their roosting and nesting site is on the Runway Wetland on federal property adjacent to the city’s future De-Pave Park.

Much of the herons’ days are spent standing still in the wetland and preening their feathers. During spring and early summer they can be seen nesting in two dead cypress trees in the wetland. When they leave the wetland in search of food, they do so individually and can often be seen standing motionless along the Alameda Point shoreline waiting to pluck a passing fish from the water.

Here are three fishing episodes from 2022.

Vote for these turkeys!

Go wild! Vote for the weirdly beautiful wild turkeys of Alameda! They deserve widespread voter support because they favor open space, the urban forest, and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.

Despite an overabundance of feathers — as many as 6,000 — they mostly get around by walking, even though they can fly short distances and sometimes perch in trees to avoid predators.

Nesting ospreys a must-see on Seaplane ferry ride

Limited time opportunity! Catch a rare glimpse of nesting ospreys during a ride on the Seaplane ferry. The birds won’t be here much longer.

The adult ospreys have been bringing fish, the only food they eat, to their young for about a month. Their three fledglings are almost ready to start flying. Once the young birds start flying, they will hang around the nest for a week or two before they depart and have to quickly become adept at catching their own fish.

Ospreys nesting around San Francisco Bay is a relatively recent phenomenon, according to Tony Brake, a volunteer who has been monitoring ospreys around the Bay for over a decade. “There were no historical nesting records for ospreys until 1990,” said Brake.

Brown pelicans love their Alameda Point summer home

Every summer, thousands of California Brown Pelicans migrate north to the San Francisco Bay area from breeding sites on the Channel Islands and Mexico. As many as 8,000 have been counted on their favorite resting site in the Bay on the isolated breakwater barrier at Alameda Point, known as Breakwater Island or the outer rock wall.

From a distance, the birds blend into the alternating dark and light background of the rocks. A July 22, 2022, kayak excursion to the area provided a telephoto opportunity to share the colors, character, and peaceful demeanor of these iconic birds.

Below is a photo gallery showing some of the thousands that were on the north side of the rock wall that day.

Caspian and Elegant Terns join Least Terns to nest at Alameda Point

Naval Air Station-Alameda gained notoriety as a refuge for the endangered California Least Tern when the base closed in 1997. Over 500 acres were dedicated to protecting the terns’ adopted nesting site next to a runway formerly used by jet aircraft.

This unlikely bird habitat for the Least Terns some 400 miles north of their historic breeding grounds along the southern California coast offered the birds something they had lost, which drove them to the brink of extinction – nesting sites free of human disturbance near a source of small fish to feed their chicks.

Surprisingly, two other tern species have recently begun nesting in the vicinity. Elegant and Caspian Terns seem to be thriving there, while the endangered Least Terns are struggling.

Alameda Point harbor seals attract educational groups

About 240 students from Eldorado Middle School in Concord visited Alameda Point to make observations of the harbor seals on March 22. The school participates in an educational program sponsored by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito called Ocean Ambassadors.

The students arrived in two groups. While the first group was at the trailside viewing site, a second group was on a ferry ride around San Francisco Bay to view marine wildlife. The second group arrived in the afternoon, while the first group went on the ferry excursion.

Alameda Point was chosen for viewing harbor seals because it is the only place on the Bay that is easily accessible for viewing seals.