August 2007 Hawkwatch Sightings* September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 *Not to be cited except by permission of the GGRO. 2007 data are preliminary and have not been audited.

Friday, August 31, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  74 Hours counted: 4.5 Rate of sightings: 16.44hph Number of Species seen: 7 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  28 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  6 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 30 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  1 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog We fought the fog and the fog won, occasionally, but we stuck it out for four and a half hours and got a fair number of birds for the poor visibility. A small group of Cooper’s came flitting out of the fog and danced around the cypresses, raising our spirits with their energetic antics. An adult peregrine falcon tried to eat Kim Meyer, then realized that perhaps a Cooper’s Hawk would be a better choice, but failed in that venture as well. Apparently Kim saw a Golden Eagle while I was in the bathroom, but I’m not sure if I necessarily believe him… Ruthie Parsley, PI (Professional Intern)

Thursday, August 30, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  215 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 35.83hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  110 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 6 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2 Cooper’s Hawk:  9 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  1 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 76 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 4 Daily HawkBlog Gorgeous sunny day on the hill!  The wind picked up in the afternoon and almost blew us off the hill, but also got the hawks flying.  Highlights included a Kite, Osprey, Peregrine and a Cooper’s Hawk being attacked by a gang of angry barn swallows. -Beth and Lisa

Wednesday August 29, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  292  Hours counted: 6          Rate of sightings: 48.67 hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  117 Osprey: 3         White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  9 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  3 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 163 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 10 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  1 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog What a great day up on the hill!  Highlights of the day: a Swainson’s Hawk, and a kettle of 15+ birds, including a Red-shouldered Hawk.  The sky stayed clear all day, and the weather was just balmy enough to be comfortable (except for that darn wind).  –Nat and Beth

Tuesday August 28, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  222  Hours counted: 6          Rate of sightings: 37hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  83 Osprey: 6         White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 10 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  7 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  6 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 95 Ferruginous Hawk:  1 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 9 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  1 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  1 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog A beautiful day on the hill with a lot of sun! We saw six total osprey, including a pair flying together. We also saw three kites flying together. We had season first sightings of a prairie falcon and a ferruginous hawk! All in all a fabulous day to be hawkwatching in the headlands! -Lisa

Monday, August 27, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  18 Hours counted: 3.5 Rate of sightings: 5.14 hph Number of Species seen: 3 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  8 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  0 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 7 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog We started the day with fog, and we ended the day with fog.  In between, we had a bit of clear sky, but the raptors were small in numbers.  The highlight of the day was two adult Red-tailed Hawks making a ruckus down in Kirby Cove.  We hoped they were trying to scare off a Golden Eagle, but we never saw the cause of their commotion.  All in all, not a bad day for Monday I, but we look forward to seeing more birds next time.  --Nat

Sunday, August 26, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 136 Hours counted: 5.5 Rate of sightings: 24.7 hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  52 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  0 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 74 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 2 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon: 1 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog

Saturday, August 25, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  247 Hours counted: 5.3 Rate of sightings: 46.3 hph Number of Species seen: 8 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  102 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 Cooper’s Hawk:  5 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 133 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 !! American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 0 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog One of our magnificent interns predicted the appearance of a golden eagle, and, low and behold, an immature golden did appear! Light fog accompanied our day till half an hour to day’s end, when the sun suddenly showed its lovely face—better late than never, I guess. A nice first day on the hill for Saturday II. Ruthie out.

Friday August 24, 2007 Daily HawkBlog: Fogged out!!

Thursday, August 23, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  50     Hours counted: 3.25 Rate of sightings: 15.38hph Number of Species seen: 5 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  28 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3 Cooper’s Hawk:  0 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 13 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  1 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog We fought the fog and high winds and the elements won…

Wednesday August 22, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  183    Hours Counted: 5 Rate of sightings: 36.6 hph Number of Species seen: 7 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  85 Osprey: 2 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 Cooper’s Hawk:  3 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 66 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 8 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  2 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog We were covered in fog when we reached the top of the hill, but it quickly cleared and remained sunny for the remainder of the afternoon. It ended up being a beautiful day on hawk hill! We were also visited by several osprey! It was a nice start to the season for many of today’s hawkwatchers.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  43     Rate of sightings: 43 hph Number of Species seen: 3 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  19 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  0 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 13 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 10 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog Foiled again!  The fog kept us off the hill until 12:45, and then it rolled back in by 2.  The Tuesday II family refused to be defeated, however, and had a great hour up on the hill.  The American Kestrel wins the “Best Species of the Day” award. -Nat Blumenfeld

Monday, August 20, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  14     Rate of sightings: 6.22hph Number of Species seen: 3 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  7 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  0 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 6 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog We did get up on the hill today, but only for a little over two hours.  The fog kicked us off before we got a chance to see too much, but we were able to see a juvenile Northern Harrier, which was certainly the highlight of the day.

Sunday August 19, 2007 Daily HawkBlog: Fogged out!!

Saturday August 18, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  214 Rate of sightings: 35.67 hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  126 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 Cooper’s Hawk:  12 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 68 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  3 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily Hawk Blog A beautiful day on the hill! We were able to take a rare, early season trip up to hawk hill. What little fog there was in the distance quickly cleared up giving us a nice view of a White-tailed Kite. It stayed great throughout the afternoon allowing everyone to have a wonderful start to the season. -Lisa Blankenship

Friday, August 17, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  126     Rate of sightings: 21.0 hph Number of Species seen: 8 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  36 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 8 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2 Cooper’s Hawk:  11 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  3 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 58 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  3 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Lovely clear, not-too-hot weather flustered our dayleader Kim Meyer on his first-ever unfogged season-opening day on the hill, before he quickly gathered us together and brought us to the top!  We had a nice trickle of birds throughout the day, and were even graced by a visit from the almighty Allen Fish. All in all, a nice easy day to get everyone in the swing o’ things. - Ruthie Parsley

Thursday, August 16, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  151     Rate of sightings: 30.2hph Number of Species seen: 8 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  84 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 Cooper’s Hawk:  10 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 45 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  3 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog A great day on the hill. Saw an Osprey! And a Peregrine did a close fly-by, giving us a nice look.

Wednesday August 15, 2007 Daily HawkBlog: Foggy again today.  We watched from the annex and saw a few Redtails and some Northern Harriers, plus two female Kestrels.  A Western Tanager also was present.  It was too foggy to count hawks from Hawk Hill though…

Tuesday August 14, 2007 Daily HawkBlog: Too foggy to count hawks today.  Lots of phalaropes and pelicans on the lagoon, but no hawkwatch for us!  Better luck tomorrow…

Monday August 13, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  77    Rate of sightings:  12.83 hph Number of Species seen:  5 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  42 Osprey:  0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier:  0 Sharp-shinned Hawk:  2 Cooper’s Hawk:  10 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk:  21 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel:  1 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor:  1 Daily HawkBlog First Day of 2007 Hawkwatch!!  The fog rolled in and out until the end of the day…  Not a lot of hawk activity.

The GGRO is a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in cooperation with the National Park Service.