Category Archives: nature

Things to do in San Francisco – Part One

Posted on by
Reply

Growing up, I often went to San Francisco to visit my family up north. San Fransico is a charming city with beautiful sites, delicious food, and plenty of fun activities to do. Below are some of my favorite must-dos when visiting the city.

Places to Explore:

Crissy Field – this area is near the marina part of San Fransico. Crissy Field offers an amazing, safe place to walk around and see great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as nearby attractions like the Palace of Fine Arts. Over the summer, I loved running in this area and found Crissy Field to be a nice, open area to run. Another plus of Crissy Field is that there are plenty of other active people around, so you don’t feel unsafe running or walking alone.

Palace of Fine Arts – I mentioned this earlier, but the Palace of Fine Arts is a fine place to walk around and view the beautiful temple-looking architecture. Stop by this attraction to take nice photos and enjoy a peaceful walk.

Golden Gate Park – this is hands down my favorite park ever. I also ran here and completed 10 miles in this park. There was never a dull moment on this run, and I found myself constantly looking around to sightsee all the wonderful things around me. The Golden Gate Park is home to beautiful greenery, pretty gardens, and endless fields. It’s such a secluded part of the city, and it’s a great getaway from the bustling town. I saw many people here biking, walking, and running. On warmer days, it’s a popular place for picnics. Below is a list of other gardens or places you can visit at Golden Gate Park:

  • The San Francisco Botanical Garden
  • The Japanese Tea Garden
  • The Rainforest and Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences
  • The Conservatory of Flowers
  • Stow Lake
  • Shakespeare Garden
  • The Dutch and Murphy Windmills
  • The Beach Chalet (great view)

The Ferry Plaza Building – a great place to see local businesses selling all kinds of products, mostly food. This historical building displays pop-ups from many different businesses that sell unique, handmade goods. Stop by to buy homemade sourdough, a cone of Humphry’s Slocone, or a cute souvenir. If you aren’t into shopping, the Ferry Plaza Building is a great place to window-shop.

The Painted Ladies – although this is a very touristy attraction, The Painted Ladies are a must-see when in San Francisco. These iconic houses are featured in the show Full House and Fuller House. Stop at the park across the street to enjoy a peaceful sunset picnic with The Painted Ladies in full view.

The Fillmore District – San Francisco is home to numerous neighborhoods that are cute and filled with fun shops and restaurants. The Fillmore District is one of my favorite neighborhoods to walk around and window shop. I highly recommend visiting it if you have a chance!

That about wraps up some of my favorite places to explore in San Francisco. I hope this article was helpful and insightful!! 

Whale Sharks: Underwater Terrors or Gentle Giants?

Posted on by
Reply
A whale shark swimming underwater with a group of smaller fish in the background.

Imagine you’re swimming far out in the ocean. You’re sitting on the edge of a kayak and something rough brushes your foot, with the texture of sandpaper. You look down and see an enormous shape, larger than a school bus, with white specks and stripes scattered on it. And it’s swimming right below you.  

The word “shark”, for most people, strikes a bit of uncertainty in their mind, maybe even some fear. But not all sharks have to seem like terrifying, man-eating giants. We present to you, the whale shark. 

Whale sharks are some of the largest fish in the world, and more specifically, the largest species of shark. They can grow to be up to 40 feet in size and weigh around 20 tons at full maturity, which is larger than the length of a school bus and over thrice as heavy as one.

To keep up with their extreme size, they have to eat a lot, too. They are carnivorous, but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they eat people. A whale shark’s diet consists of plankton, krill, and small fish. They are filter feeders, so they swallow their small food and huge amounts of water, straining and filtering the water out.

Whale sharks travel around and populate tropical seas, out in deeper water and farther away from shallow areas. They are generally solitary, and have a very calm demeanor, allowing swimmers to interact with them.

They may seem like huge, underwater terrors, but really, WE might be the terrors for them. Every year, thousands of whale sharks are killed each year, through human disturbance, hunting, pollution, and bycatching. They are hunted for their fins, and are hurt through accidental capture.

To help, you can avoid whale shark products, contribute to reducing ocean pollution, and support and sustainable fishing practices. 

Why Do Birds Flock Together At Sunset?

Posted on by
Reply

Birds of a feather flock together. Though this phrase might not always apply to people, this applies very well to birds. When you are outside during the evening, as the sun sets, you might notice a swarm of birds chirping and gathering as they migrate in the sky. Adding to the nostalgic atmosphere as the sun sets and the day comes to an end, this swarm of birds, also known as a murmuration, occurs when a large group of birds, such as starlings, crows, and pigeons etc, gather together when the sun sets. The reason for their gathering together in these flocks, especially during the evening when the sun begins to set, is due to various reasons. One reason for this is due to the birds’ ways of living. In comparison to nocturnal animals such as bats, raccoons, beavers, etc, most birds are diurnal, meaning they are active in the day and sleep during the night. In the morning, most birds leave their nests and migrate in order to do their daily living activities, such as hunting, for example, and when the sun sets, the birds migrate back to their nests. When the sun sets, it’s a signal to the birds that it’s about to turn night and there will be no more daylight. For birds, this means the day is coming to an end, so they gather with other birds and flock back to their nests to rest for the day. They often do this in a large swarm, ranging from small groups of about 30 birds to large groups of about 100+ birds.  They gather together due to mainly due to one reason. Predators. When a bird is by itself flying back to its nest, it makes it easier for predators to target them and attack them; however, when birds are together in a swarm, it creates this black shadowed figure in the sunset sky, which makes them appear to be a large predator, deterring predators. In the winter, however, birds gather in flocks due to the cold. In the winter, the cooler temperatures decrease the temperature in birds. In order to stay warm, the birds typically gather in flocks.  In addition to this, the bird calls, which can be heard during sunset time, are the birds communicating with each other, communicating with each other that it’s time to go home. Thus, next time you see a bunch of birds flocking together during the evening, you’ll know the reason why!