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Raptor Sightings in the Marin Headlands During Autumn 1998*
SPECIES     SIGHTING       PER HOUR
  1998 to date   Avg to date
1989 - 1997		   1998 to date   Avg to date
1989-1998
Turkey Vulture 8491   5091   15.89   9.49
Osprey 108   68   0.20   0.13
White-tailed Kite 9   38   0.02   0.07
Bald Eagle 2   0   <0.01   <0.01
Northern Harrier 375   580   0.70   1.08
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5635   3680   10.55   6.86
Cooper's Hawk 2598   2004   4.86   3.73
Northern Goshawk 3   1   <0.01   <0.01
Red-Shouldered Hawk 145   217   0.27   0.40
Broad-winged Hawk 103   104   0.19   0.19
Swainson's Hawk 2   3   <0.01   <0.01
Red-tailed Hawk 7246   6906   13.56   12.87
Ferruginous Hawk 17   19   0.03   0.04
Rough-legged Hawk 0   7   <0.01   0.01
Golden Eagle 13   17   0.02   0.03
American Kestrel 672   544   1.26   1.01
Merlin 250   93   0.47   0.17
Peregrine Falcon 109   77   0.20   0.14
Prairie Falcon 1   7   <0.01   0.01
Unidentified Raptor 2169   1637   4.06   3.05
         
Total Hours 534   537    
         
Total Raptors 27880   21096   52.19   39.32

*Not to be cited except by permission of the GGRO. 1998 data are preliminary

For our more than 140 hawkwatchers, the 1998 Hawkwatch fell back into the habits of normal foggy autumns: we suffered from eight completely fogged-out days in the peak season and from many partial days of fog as well. The peak flight day was shared between September 12th when hawkwatchers tallied 935 sightings, or 156 hawks per hour (hph) and September 16th with 803 sightings over a shorter day, yielding 166 hph. Peak diversity was a bit low in 1998 with one-day peaks of thirteen species on September 26th, 28th, and October 2nd.

On the species front, many of the counts were close to average except for a few noteworthy exceptions. Sharpshins showed an explosion of numbers during the late September/early October peak, nearly two times their average rate as shown on the table above. In late October, Merlin numbers also shot up, resulting in a 200% increase over their average. On the downside, kites, harriers, and redshoulders were scarce in 1998. This is an excerpt from the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Season Summary for 1998. If you would like to receive a copy, contact the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory at 415-331-0730. Email the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory ggro@parksconservancy.org .

If you want to learn more about being a GGRO volunteer, visit our Volunteers link or contact the GGRO.

Contact the GGRO:

Mail:
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Building 201, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123

Phone:
(415) 331-0730

E-mail address:
ggro@parksconservancy.org

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