Spooky Critters of the Bay Area and Where to (ethically) Spot Them.

Halloween’s coming at us like a bat out of hell, so here are some spooky critters of the Bay Area.

First up, it’s freaking bats. 

Bats get a bad rap, but they’re actually really helpful for the environment. They keep insect populations down, plus everyone knows their guana is great for the soil. In the Bay Area, there are 16 different species of bat. The most common one is the Mexican free-tailed. 

The three hour guided tours put on by the Yolo Basin Foundation are sold out for 2025. It’s the best place to witness the state’s largest Mexican Free-tailed Bat colony rush out to form a mad black cloud in what’s called a “flyout.” Keep an eye out for the 2026 waitlist because it’s bound to be batty.

These tricksters embody the playful Trick Or Treat spirit of the season. Their voices (cackles, really) can be a bit frightening, but you know the old adage. They’re more afraid of us than we are of them.

You can check out coyotes throughout the Bay Area, and not just in a park or nature preserve. Coyotes are out even in the densest neighborhoods of San Francisco.  Just please, for the love of god and all things unholy, don’t feed your local wildlife. We don’t want to end up with any more of those killer squirrels they have in San Rafael. 

Romance isn’t dead. It’s Tarantula Mating Season! Tarantulas love oak woodlands, so that’s a good place to look out for these lovebugs. (Yeah, we know, spiders aren’t bugs. Don’t let being pedantic get in the way of spinning up a pun.) 

If you’d like a more guided tour, consider the East Bay Regional Park’s Tarantula Treks. There are three coming up in the next few weeks! Honestly it could be a fun date night activity.

Ok, this might be a stretch, but personally I find albatrosses to be spooky. If you’ve ever heard someone use the word “albatross” but they were clearly not talking about a bird, they were probably referencing a 300-year-old poem about a sailor who fucked up and got a dead bird chain from his crew. 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner aside, you can check out Black-footed Albatross on a pelagic birding trip in the Bay Area. Start with the Farallones, and try not to run out of water. 

These bandits are more on the adorable side of the Spooky Spectrum, but their distinctive markings look like a mask so they’re the perfect Halloween mascot. 

But of all the rabies vectors on this list, raccoons are the easiest to find in San Francisco. There’s a crew of them in the Presidio and another near Lake Merced. Just remember, DO NOT feed them (see Killer Squirrel note above).  

Killer whales count as spooky, right? The stuff they do to their prey… Sheesh. If you don’t know about their salmon games or the other gorey (or cool) aspects of their culture and you want a good shiver, read up about it. It might ruin the movie Free Willy for you, though. 

Spotting Orcas requires that you enter their domain. Sometimes that means getting on a boat, although some can be seen from shore. Very, very rare, though. 

If you love Halloween and spooky creatures, remember to support conservation efforts in the Bay Area and observe with the appropriate caution and care.