The sky continues to provide sparkling meteor showers, with the Leonids peaking Thursday, Nov. 17. The shower is cyclonic, and in some years can produce 100 meteors per hour; this year, a modest 10 to 15 an hour are predicted. Look for the constellation Leo, late at night in the east; it contains a sickle formation sometimes described as backwards question mark with the bright star Regulus at the bottom. The new moon of the upcoming holiday week brings very high mid-morning tides peaking at 6.8 feet on Thanksgiving.

The rain has popped up mushrooms throughout the oak woodlands. Rainfall also reminds us that we should be seeing coho salmon and steelhead trout returning to spawn in local watersheds. They are massing in Tomales Bay and as fresh rainwater pours into the creeks and bay, it triggers their deep impulse to return to their natal freshwater streams. 

The return of monarch butterflies to the Santa Cruz area has been reported but I have not heard if the colonies have returned to the Mount Tamalpais areas. Local numbers have not been as healthy as the southern populations.               

The Bear Valley Visitor Center and the lighthouse will be open for shortened hours, until 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 24 and returning to regular hours for the weekend. Park trails and beaches remain open over the holiday.