Alcatraz Island

Sea stars like ochre stars used to be abundant in Bay Area National Parks, but in 2013 park biologists saw a sharp decline in both the size and number of sea stars along park shorelines. Scientists are still looking for the cause of the mysterious “sea star wasting syndrome” behind this population…

In winter, the docents who show visitors Alcatraz's nesting waterbirds help a park biologist count every bird on and around the island. What the winter counts turned up, from peregrine falcons to rare songbirds.