The shoreline landscaping next to the Encinal Boat Ramp restrooms has added eye appeal for humans while providing sources of food and shelter for wildlife. Bugs, bees, and birds come and go through the seasons, taking advantage of the mulch-covered ground and many different shrubs and flowers. This area and the adjacent dune and beach were enhanced by the East Bay Regional Park District in 2020.

Taking a closer look at the activity in this microhabitat reveals life that may not be readily apparent or appreciated. In late May, for example, a flock of small brown birds were darting around the mulch-covered roped-off area. They were either migrating and stopping to fuel up, or were a local flock making the rounds to forage for food for themselves. Or so it appeared. Zoomed-in photos showed beaks full of bugs, a clear sign they were taking them back to their chicks in the nest. During the following week, the same behavior was repeated hourly—gathering bugs from the ground and flying off in the same direction over Willie Stargell Field.
A review of the 29 species of sparrows found in California identified these birds as house sparrows. They are a common type of sparrow and can be seen throughout the year. “The house sparrow prefers to nest in manmade structures such as eaves or walls of buildings, street lights, and nest boxes instead of in natural nest sites such as holes in trees,” according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website.
House sparrows feast on the bountiful bugs in the wood chips. Photos Richard Bangert.
Meanwhile during the same late-May/early-June period, three species of bees could be seen harvesting pollen from the California lilacs in full bloom—bumblebees, ligated furrow bees, and honey bees. Bumblebees were the most numerous and easy to spot with their black and yellow markings. Ligated furrow bees are easily identifiable because of their yellow legs. The adjective “furrow” comes from the fact that they live in underground hives, which is probably why it was the only bee species photographed directly on the mulch.
The bumblebees were having a good time plunging into the center of the California poppies. The yellow/orange clumps on the legs of bumblebees and honey bees is where they carry pollen, according to BuzzAboutBees website.

As for the main bugs being gathered by the sparrows, most of them appeared to be the small size of honey bees. This would explain why there were not many honey bees there but plenty of bumble bees. Whatever these insects were, the birds always plucked from the mulch.
The Western bluebird is another bird species that finds this landscaped area attractive, but later in the year when the bright orange berries appear on the pyracantha bushes. This simple landscape shows the value of planning for the needs of wildlife throughout all the seasons.

Landscaping for the dune enhancement, however, has so far failed to live up to expectations. After removing iceplant and revegetating the dune area with native plant seeds, the restored area was supposed to “encourage plant diversity and provide habitat for the variety of wildlife that are found in the area,” according to the park district’s construction grant from the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. “Once restored, the new beach environment will be able to provide habitat for three federally listed species (Western snowy plover, California least tern, and the red knot), and will benefit other water-associated birds.” However, it is rare to see any birds landing on or near vegetation in the dune, other than on the temporary sand fencing.
The dune landscaping needs more years to mature with a little help from nature enthusiasts. If you want to lend a hand with improving the dune, you can volunteer to help the park district and Golden Gate Audubon Society remove weeds during one of their Sand Dune Habitat Restoration days, this Saturday, June 17, 2 to 4 p.m.
Contributing writer Richard Bangert posts stories and photos about environmental issues on his blog Alameda Point Environmental Report, https://alamedapointenviro.com/. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Richard-Bangert.