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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: Marin Headlands


The Marin Headlands is a hilly area at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Headlands are located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Headlands are famous for their stunning views of the Bay Area, especially the Golden Gate Bridge.

The center point of the Marin Headlands skyline is the Hawk Hill, the lookout point for the largest known flight of diurnal raptors in the Pacific states. Each autumn, from August into December, tens of thousands of hawks, kites, falcons, eagles, vultures, osprey, and harriers are funneled by the peninsular shape of Marin County into the headlands. Hawks avoid flight over water since warm thermals that provide lift are rare. Abundant populations of small mammals protected by the park are one resource that helps maintain the large number of visiting raptors in the Headlands during the fall, but the strong onshore winds hitting the hills of the Headlands provide cold updrafts and hot late summer days provide warm thermals that allow these birds to fly more efficiently.
The Marin Headlands are the perfect place to enjoy the beautiful Claifornia nature near San Francisco The Marin Headlands are also home to large populations of deer, bobcats, coyotes, rabbits, raccoons, and skunks. River Otters inhabit the freshwater lagoons and streams.

Large numbers of water birds also migrate through the Headlands, including Brown Pelicans from May through October, grebes, egrets, and Great Blue Herons in the spring, summer, and fall. The Headlands' status as a park protects the habitat and populations of these animals within just a few miles of San Francisco and its suburbs.

In the waters surrounding the Headlands, Harbor Seals can be found year-round, Grey Whales can be seen in the spring and fall, and seabirds such as Common Murres and Surf Scoters swim within sight of shore.

The raptor migration attracts many birdwatchers to Hawk Hill, and waterfowl and seabirds can often be seen on Rodeo Lagoon.
The Marin Headlands sometimes create their own clouds when moist, warm Pacific Ocean breezes are pushed into higher, colder air, causing condensation, fog, fog drip and perhaps rain. The hills also get more precipitation than at sea level, due to the same reason. However, despite being relatively wet, strong gusty Pacific winds prevent dense forests from forming. The many gaps, ridges, and valleys in the hills increase the wind speed and periodically, during powerful winter storms, these winds can reach hurricane force.

In summer, breezes can still be very gusty, when the oceanic air and fog cross the hills. November through February in the Headlands are dominated by periodic rainstorms that blow in from the Pacific, often originating in the Gulf of Alaska, and give the area the majority of its rainfall for the year. These cloudy, gray, and rainy days often are interspersed with cool but extremely clear ones. As winter turns to spring, the April-to-June weather tends to be dominated by powerful winds, less rain, and clearer skies. Summer days alternate between clear and warm intervals, giving way to foggy and cool periods. September and October bring the highest average temperatures of the year and the longest stretches of clear skies.
The Marin Headlands give the perfect view of the San Francisco bridges The Headlands afford spectacular views of San Francisco and, as such, is a very popular tourist attraction. One of the most common photographs of San Francisco is the view of the city from the Headlands with the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge just reaching out of the fog. On clear days, the site affords a panoramic view of this entire region of the bay including the Farallon Islands, Angel Island, Alcatraz, the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the East Bay.

The Marin Headlands are a fascinating geological formation created by the accretion of oceanic sediments onto the North American Plate from the Pacific Plate. The primary components of Headlands geology include graywacke sandstone, radiolarian chert, serpentinite, pillow basalts, and shale. These rocks began their migration over one hundred million years ago from as far south as what today we call "Los Angeles". The erosion of the hillsides and construction activities during the military era have exposed some dramatic examples of these rock types for easy viewing, and the folding caused by tectonic action is visually evident in many places throughout the Headlands

Over half of North American avian species and nearly one third of California's plant species are found in the park. 25 federally threatened and endangered species exist within lands that the Park Service manages, and a total of 36 threatened and endangered species exist within Golden Gate's legislative boundaries.

The Recreation Area is spread through a 60 mile swath of coastal lands, with inholdings by other agencies and private owners incorporated into the park’s legislative boundaries. Because of the multiple landowners, many Bay Area residents and park visitors think of the area in terms of isolated sites such as Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, the Marin Headlands, and the Presidio. The bigger picture is one of wildlife corridors, secret nature spots, and refuges for rarities. Traveling through the park connects you with windswept beaches, dramatic cliffs, coastal chaparral, low mountains, swaths of prairie, live oak woodlands, salt marshes, freshwater wetlands and creeks, and redwood forests. All you have to do is get out and explore!

 
 
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