A magnitude 3.3 earthquake, with its epicenter near Richmond, was felt in Berkeley this morning at 9:35 a.m. As a matter of routine, BART trains were halted to check for structural damage. Cori Kesler, a resident of northwest Berkeley, said she felt two rumbles. “You know how bigger earthquakes feel like a truck hit your [...]
Posts under ‘Nature’
Why the Berkeley mountain lion was not tranquillized
Our story yesterday, about the Gourmet Ghetto mountain lion which was shot and killed at 3.26am on Walnut Street, elicited unprecedented interest from Berkeleyside readers. Many of the commenters on the story wondered, in particular, why the police officers shot the lion, rather than tranquillize it. According to Fish and Game warden Patrick Foy, there [...]
Mountain lion tours Gourmet Ghetto
A mountain lion was reported wandering through North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto last night, and after a pursuit by Berkeley police was shot at 3:26 a.m. on Walnut Street. According to Sergeant Mary Kusmiss, the first reports of the mountain lion were received shortly after 2 a.m. A community member reported seeing the animal in the [...]
Tracking neighborhood wildlife, one beetle at a time
Like many residents of the Berkeley-Oakland hills, Kay Loughman enjoys living close to nature. Sightings of deer, wild turkeys and skunks are common-place. But Loughman is fascinated by the more diminutive species too: be it an Anise Swallowtail butterfly, a Western Terrestrial Gartersnake or a Spotted Towhee bird. Three years ago, Loughman started a website, [...]
Why did the wild turkey chicks cross the road?
Berkeleyside intern Emily Gordis was walking on Del Mar Avenue in the Berkeley hills when she caught sight of this wild turkey and her two chicks sauntering across the street. How adorable is that? Update 11.46: Emily sends in the shot below, taken shortly after the one above, which shows just how accommodating our city [...]
Aquatic Park cleans up, tackles brackish reputation
On Saturday evening, hundreds of flickering paper lanterns floated serenely across the main lake of the Berkeley Aquatic Park in commemoration of the victims of the 1945 nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now on its sixth ninth year, the Japanese Lantern Ceremony for World Peace has become an annual Bay Area tradition, with hundreds showing up to decorate [...]
World record set at Berkeley Kite Festival
By Elinor Holland Participants in the Berkeley Kite Festival set a new world record Saturday when they flew the most giant octopus kites together at one time. The Octopile joined forces with the Gomberg Kite Production to fly 22 octopus kites. The previous record had been 20 kites. The octopus kites are massive and heavy [...]
Another corpse flower is blooming
Who knew watching flowers unfurl was so much fun? UC Botanical Gardens has sent out word that another titan arum plant is blooming. Officials found a new bud on the plant affectionately called The Little Stinker on July 16. Last night, the bud started to open and it should be fully open today, July 29. [...]
In praise of fog
Berkeleysider Alan Tobey thinks those who grumble about summer fog are misguided. Our friends and relatives may think we “suffer in the cold fog” all summer, but we know better. Here are just some of the reasons we cherish our misty meteorological friend: The money we save on sunscreen subsidizes our hot coffee requirement. It’s [...]
Just a regular evening walk in Berkeley, for llamas
Walking with a friend on the steep streets up above the Claremont Hotel last night we chanced upon the neighborhood llamas taking their evening passeggiata. I am told the llamas reside on Vicente Road, hardly the bucolic idyll one imagines for these exotic creatures. But no doubt they have a good life there. We’ve seen [...]
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