Stuck at Home? Live Webcams Offer a Glimpse of Local Landscape and Wildlife

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Sea Lion Webcam: San Francisco’s Pier 39 is closed, but the sea lion webcam is hard at work. Along with sea lion close-ups, the camera provides views of the Golden Gate and the former San Francisco home of Al Capone—Alcatraz. (Courtesy of Pier 39)

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Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Webcams: The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy offers two webcams for your at-home-viewing pleasure. One is located at East Beach, Crissy Field; another cam shows views from Crissy Beach, Crissy Field. These camera views move around a bit and, more often than not, include views of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Fouzun-ma / Shutterstock)

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Point Arena Lighthouse Webcam: Take a trip to Mendocino County from your living room couch. 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Point Arena Lighthouse. Watch the sunrise or the sunset through the webcam: the panorama is constantly changing.  On some days the sky is blue and sunny with billowy sea clouds, breakers smashing on the rocks below; on other days, a mystical fog drifts across the beach and the promontory. (Jeffrey B. Ross / Shutterstock)

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UC Berkeley Peregrine Falcons Webcams: Peek into the life of a pair of peregrine falcons that call UC Berkeley’s Campanile their home. Much loved Annie and Grinnell are currently tending to three eggs. Three cameras provide nest and scenic views. Along with the webcam, you can follow along on the Cal Falcons Facebook page, and on Instagram @cal_falcons. (Courtesy of Doug Bell)

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Downtown Sonoma Webcam: Many locals may not realize there is a live feed of the historic Sonoma Plaza—the place where the Bear Flag was first unfurled. Sonoma's webcam is located on the South East corner of the Plaza. (Ludovic Farine / Shutterstock)

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Downtown Santa Rosa Webcam: The Old Courthouse Square Live Camera provides another relatively unknown live look. The camera offers a wide shot of the more than 100-year-old square. (Anzhelika Polyak / Shutterstock)

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The Monterey Bay Aquarium Webcam: The Monterey Bay Aquarium is closed, but their webcams stream on. Choose from a variety of aquatic vantage points: check out the mesmerizingly light floating, gossamer jellies; observe mysterious kelp forest views; or watch nimble sea otters frolicking happily in the surf. (Shutterstock)

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You can tune into the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Cam. (Shutterstock)

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Or check out the Kelp Forest Cam. (Shutterstock)

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You could spend all day watching the many webcams offered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Shutterstock)