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

Wednesday October 31, 2007 Daily HawkBlog Fogged out!  Despite the bad weather, the Wednesday Two team had a productive morning, putting together the new banding stools and watching a few bird-themed videos (while wearing Halloween costumes, of course). -Nat

Tuesday October 30, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  318 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 53 hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  74 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 16 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 22 Cooper’s Hawk:  21 Northern Goshawk: 0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 1 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 155 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk: 0           Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 4 Merlin: 2 Peregrine Falcon:  3 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  4 Buteo:  5 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog The Red-tailed Hawks came through in high numbers today, including 6 dark morph juveniles and 6 dark morph adults!  We also got great looks at an immature Golden Eagle and a lightly colored juvenile Peregrine (probably the Tundra subspecies).  The only downside to the great day: the skies were cloudy until the moment we were ready to leave, at which point the sun finally poked through. -Nat and Ruthie, representatives for Tuesday Two

Monday, October 29, 2007 Daily HawkBlog We tried going up to the hill, but we could barely see each other let alone any birds.  We did see a harrier, an osprey, a couple kestrels, an adult sharpie and lots of cool water birds down by the lagoon before calling it a day.  Oh fog. -Natalya and Beth

Sunday October 28, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  432 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 72 hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  88 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 26 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 97 Cooper’s Hawk:  26 Northern Goshawk: 0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 8 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 133 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  1           Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 9 Merlin: 13 Peregrine Falcon:  4 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  16 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  2 Raptor: 7 Daily HawkBlog It was a warm day today, with good numbers of birds coming through.  We had the second Rough-legged Hawk of the season (and a dark morph to top it off)!  We also continued the impressive flow of Merlins (although our 13 paled in comparison to yesterday’s 29).  The Sharp-shinned Hawks far outnumbered the Cooper’s Hawks, and the Northern Harrier numbers were strong yet again. -Nat, representative for Sunday One

Saturday October 27, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  499 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 83.17 hph Number of Species seen: 13 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 133 Osprey: 2 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 38 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 85 Cooper’s Hawk:  44 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  10 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 130 Ferruginous Hawk:  1 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 1 American Kestrel: 9 Merlin:  29 Peregrine Falcon: 7 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 6 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog What an exciting Saturday Hawkwatch! We were able to witness the large number of Harriers that have been making their way through the Marin Headlands, the usual flurry of accipiters (including some adults), two Osprey, and 2 White-tailed Kites. Then came the Golden Eagle sighting and the Ferruginous (or “that funny and really white looking red-tail,” as some of us like to call it) that flew right in and gave us a beautiful look. However, these sightings paled in comparison to the falcons today! That is not a typo; we counted 29 Merlins today, 9 Kestrels, and 7 Peregrines!! Every time someone mentioned the word Merlin, we would find another one just itching to be counted! Another fabulous day for this team of, now, Merlin experts!                                                                                    --Lisa the intern

Friday, October 26, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 296 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 49.3 hph Number of Species seen: 7 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 108 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 14 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 34 Cooper’s Hawk:  16 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 105 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  7 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 5 Buteo:  3 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog Friday one made it back to the hill! The weather started high overcast and then cleared much of the way, but the temperature dropped a bit and it was chilly by the end of the day…We didn’t see a ton of birds today, but had a nice number of Merlins whiz through, and saw some adult accipiters. Ruthie, intern

Thursday October 25, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  174 Hours counted: 2.3 Rate of sightings: 74.57 hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  27       Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 54 Cooper’s Hawk:  13 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 50 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 4 Merlin:  3 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  8 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog The morning was filled with fog, but we had two clear hours in the afternoon.  Highlights: three falcon species (all but the Prairie) and one immature Golden Eagle came our way.  We also had four colorful adult Sharp-shinned Hawks appear by fish rock.  Is there a Sharpie-producing machine hidden down there?  -Beth, Lisa, and Nat, representatives for Thursday One

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  385 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 64.17 hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 85 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 30 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 71 Cooper’s Hawk:  37 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  9 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 135 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 1 American Kestrel: 9 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  1 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 4 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog It was a 4 falcon day!  A straggling prairie falcon came right over our heads and graced us with a great view.  We also had a nice number of adult sharp-shinned hawks. Today was one of the few t-shirt weather days on the hill, with only light winds and clear skies and sunshine. -Natalya Blumenfeld and Beth Sturgeon

Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 561 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 93.5 hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 95 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 23 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 156 Cooper’s Hawk:  54 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  4 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 187 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk: 1           Golden Eagle: 0 American Kestrel: 6 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  3 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 20 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 6 Daily HawkBlog Wow. What a great day!! The weather was lovely and warm, the skies clear, and the winds blew from the North and Northeast throughout the day.  We saw a lot of adult accipiters, especially Sharp-shinned Hawks. We also had an awesome close look at an adult Peregrine early-on in the day. We watched a number of adult male Northern-Harriers hunt the coyote bush around us. We all got a beautiful look at an adult Broad-wing, a first for me, and later that day another first for me and for the season arrived in the form of a juvenile ROUGH LEGGED HAWK (pizza pizza piiiiizza!!)! Oh what a magnificent bird. A couple of low-flying Merlins rounded out the day. Oooh whee, can’t wait till tomorrow. Ruthie, intern

Monday, October 22, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  609 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 101.5 hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 117 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 23 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 148 Cooper’s Hawk:  78 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  13 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 192 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 2 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Great day!  Large numbers of adult accipiters came through (31 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks and 10 adult Cooper’s Hawks), along with two immature Golden Eagles, three White-tailed Kites, two Peregrines, two Merlins, and two American Kestrels.  One of the Kestrels gave us a nice show at the end of the day, when he was hunting dragonflies directly over our heads.  The weather today was interesting, with extremely high winds from the NE in the morning (21 mph) and almost no wind in the afternoon.  The skies remained clear all day, with temperatures ranging from mid-60s to mid-70s. -Nat, representative for Monday One

Sunday, October 21, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  656 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 119.27 hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  93 Osprey: 3 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 150 Cooper’s Hawk:  90 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  21 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 216 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 6 Merlin:  5 Peregrine Falcon:  5 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  42 Buteo:  8 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  3 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog Gorgeous, clear day on the hill- and so many birds!  It was definitely a great day for falcons, with multiple looks at peregrines, kestrels and merlins.  We also had a handful of dark-morph red-tails, which proved to be a highlight for the day. -Beth Sturgeon

Saturday, October 20, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 413 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 68.8 hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 156 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 23 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 60 Cooper’s Hawk:  36 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  6 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 111 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 13 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog What a beautiful day! We had lots of visitors and a moderate number of hawks, and got some good views of Merlins, American Kestrels, Red-shouldered Hawks, and a ton of Sharpies.  We watched a pair of adult Red-tails swoop and leg-drop along Kirby Cove, and Harrier after Harrier swept low over the coyote brush on all sides. Ruthie, intern

Friday, October 19, 2007 Daily HawkBlog Inclement weather caused Hawkwatch to be cancelled today.  Better luck tomorrow!

Thursday, October 18, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  610 Hours counted: 5.2 Rate of sightings: 118.1hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 246 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 18 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 87 Cooper’s Hawk:  79 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  4 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 150 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle: 2 American Kestrel: 7 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  17 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 6 Daily HawkBlog A lovely, beautiful, sunny day on the hill! After an accipiter slide study-session while waiting for the initial fog to clear, we arrived on the hill and were soon greeted by sunshine and lots of birds! We got a good luck at a Golden Eagle and some American Kestrels, and ID’s Cooper’s and Sharpies to our hearts content. We had a neat look at a Peregrine and a Merlin, and even saw a Broad-wing! It ain’t fall yet… Ruthie, intern

Wednesday October 17, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  460  Hours counted: 5 Rate of sightings: 92hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  90       Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 98          Cooper’s Hawk:  108 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 11 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 115  Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  4 Peregrine Falcon:  4 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  12 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog What started as a grey and rainy morning quickly turned into a gorgeous day! We had a visit from the Bay Area Backroads camera crew and after a few interviews we are now all big stars (feel free to contact our agents). The camera crew had a tough time getting any bird shots early on, but as soon as they left the birds appeared! Large kettles overhead and on the horizon kept us busy. As did the four Merlins that flew overhead—including two of them flying together and taking shots at each other! We also had fun with an adult Peregrine that flew in and hung around right off of the North platform. Who would have guessed that a rainy day could have turned out so well! -Lisa and Beth

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 46     Hours counted: 2.25 Rate of sightings: 20.4hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  20 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 6 Cooper’s Hawk:  1 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  1 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 9 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  2 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Our first hour was awesome—9 species!! Watched an adult Peregrine Falcon dive-bombing 3, then 5, then 8 Ravens above the pine trees. We also got a great look at aWhite-tailed Kite flying over the hill towards the North (do they ever go South??). The weather took a turn for the worse, drizzling periodically and then raining full on, then drizzle, then…oh look, here we are at 1064, while the banders consider whether or not to also throw in the (damp) towel. Better luck tomorrow. Hurray for species diversity in inclement weather! ~ Ruthie and Nat, interns

Monday October 15, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  92 Hours counted: 3 Rate of sightings: 30.67 hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  39 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 8 Cooper’s Hawk:  18 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  1 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 18 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog The weather was not in our favor today.  It drizzled on us for a bit, but at least there were still birds and quadrants visible.  We had one Merlin zoom past the pines, and a Peregrine Falcon sitting on the bridge.  A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk also graced us with its presence.  Unfortunately, dense fog settled in around 12:30 and obliterated all visibility.  -Beth and Nat, representatives for Monday Two

Sunday October 14, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  99 Hours counted: 2 Rate of sightings: 49.5 hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  18 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 13 Cooper’s Hawk:  15 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 5 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 31 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  13 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog FOG!  We only counted from 11:30 to 1:30, and our minimum visibility remained less than 0.5 miles for those two hours.  For the most part, we couldn’t see much past our noses.  We did have one nice hour of a steady flow, but not much else to speak of.  Better luck next time! -Nat, representative for Sunday One

Saturday October 13, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  352 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 58.7 hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  145 Osprey: 3 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 23 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 33 Cooper’s Hawk:  18 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 4 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 103 Ferruginous Hawk:  2 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  3 Peregrine Falcon: 1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  5 Buteo:  4 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 5 Daily HawkBlog We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for Hawkwatching! There weren’t a large number of birds flying about, but we got quality instead of quantity! During the Hawk Talk (which was spectacular, if I do say so myself), a Ferruginous hawk flew very close by and gave us all a glorious look as it circled behind the pines and then returned in South quadrant and flew towards the bridge. A second Ferrug appeared later on in the distance. We were also graced by a close-up of a young Golden Eagle as it flew directly over the pines allowing us and our visitors to enjoy it. With the addition of 3 Osprey, 3 Merlins, and a flurry of Harriers, we couldn’t ask for more on this gorgeous sunny day. Except for maybe a Rough-legged…                     -Lisa

Friday, October 12, 2007 Daily HawkBlog Fogged out .  Better luck tomorrow!

Thursday October 11, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  307 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 51.2hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  82 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 25 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 61 Cooper’s Hawk:  40 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  9 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 74 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  6 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  2 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog It started out a beautiful day on the hill. The sun heated up the platform and the birds flew fairly regularly.  Then the afternoon came…and the cold…but not the birds. We called out the few birds we were seeing in between dance routines on the south platform. I heard that it’s supposed to rain tonight, that might have something to do with our slow, slow day. At least this Thursday team was well supplied with hot soup, cake, and festive Halloween cookies.   -Lisa

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  206 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 34.33hph Number of Species seen: 7 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  84 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 29 Cooper’s Hawk:  21 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  6 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 48 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  5 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Beautiful weather on the hill, but the hawks were just not out today.  We were between storm fronts, which probably accounted for the low numbers.  We had some great looks at accipiters, though, and the slow pace allowed us to really study them.  And even if we weren’t bombarded by hawks, we still had a great time! -Natalya Blumenfeld and Beth Sturgeon

Tuesday, October 9, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  205 Hours counted: 5.5 Rate of sightings: 37.3 hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 80 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 8 Cooper’s Hawk:  10 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  5 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 79 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  8 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog A cold and windy day on the hill, with an overcast sky threatening rain and a steady south wind. We saw a far-off Swainson’s Hawk! We also had a nice view of a Merlin and got some good looks at Harriers and Red-shouldered hawks. I wore three jackets, a scarf, and fleece pants underneath my regular pants. Oh, will I survive November?? Ruthie, intern

Monday October 8, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  561 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 93.5 hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  98 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 15 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 122 Cooper’s Hawk:  126 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  23 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 130 Ferruginous Hawk:  1 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  2 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  37 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog We arrived on the hill to find the South quadrant entirely covered by fog, but it soon lifted.  The morning brought a flurry of activity, with a good number of Red-shouldered Hawk and Northern Harrier sightings.  The accipiters were still coming through in solid numbers (mostly juveniles).  Around noon, we had a fantastic view of a juvenile Golden Eagle down around Kirby Cove, and we also had a Ferruginous Hawk sweep by Slacker Ridge.  As the afternoon got hotter, the numbers dropped off, but it was still a good day! -Nat, representative for Monday One

Sunday October 7, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 730 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 121.67 Number of Species seen: 13 Daily Hawkcount: Turkey Vulture: 144 Osprey:  1 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 121 Cooper’s Hawk: 161 Northern Goshawk: 0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 7 Swainson’s Hawk: 0 Broad-winged Hawk: 0 Red-tailed Hawk: 212 Ferruginous Hawk: 1 Rough-legged Hawk: 0 Golden Eagle: 1 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin: 2 Peregrine Falcon: 1 Prairie Falcon: 0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 59 Buteo: 5 Eagle: 0 Falcon: 1 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog It was accipiter day on the hill!  We had a great show of species, including these odd, huge, loud, blue and gold gashawks- the name Blue Angel kept getting thrown around... In any case, it was a beautiful day on the hill with lots of great birds!-Beth Sturgeon

Saturday October 6, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 578 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 96.3 Number of Species seen: 11 Daily Hawkcount: Turkey Vulture: 183 Osprey: White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle: Northern Harrier: 14 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 84 Cooper’s Hawk: 82 Northern Goshawk: Red-shouldered Hawk: 16 Swainson’s Hawk: Broad-winged Hawk: Red-tailed Hawk: 147 Ferruginous Hawk: Rough-legged Hawk: Golden Eagle: 6 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin: 4 Peregrine Falcon: 2 Prairie Falcon: UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 30 Buteo: 3 Eagle: Falcon: Raptor: 4 Daily HawkBlog What a great day on the hill! Started slow, with great clear weather but few birds, but after the wind picked up they started rolling in. We had an amazing view of a Merlin which actually flapped rather slowly, right past the hill, allowing us to see its streaky belly, tawny and brown colors, dark tail bands, and blurry facial markings! A juvenile Peregrine flew right by as well, giving us a wonderful look. Six Golden Eagles graced our presence, one flying straight and low over the hill, creating an amazing view indeed. We got some great views of juvenile Red-shouldered hawks as well as juvenile Northern Harriers, which also flew in close at one point or another, giving us great looks. The Blue Angels started at three but didn’t swoop very low or loud, and the numerous visitors to the hill today were excited about hawks and planes, making it a fun weekend indeed! Ruthie, intern

Friday October 5, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  301 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 50.17hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  103 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 42 Cooper’s Hawk:  49 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 3 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 76 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 5 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  12 Buteo:  4 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Today was a gorgeous, sunny day up on Hawk Hill! It only took until the wind shifted to a more northerly direction before the hawks came into sight.  We all anxiously looked out for that Swallow-tailed Kite that had been spotted not too far from the hill, but it never appeared. However, we were not disappointed, because we were visited by a Merlin, a Swainson’s, and three White-tailed Kites. We also had a nice view of the Blue Angels practice and the new Airbus A380 as they circled the hill. All-in-all a satisfyingly beautiful day! -Lisa

Thursday, October 4, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  616 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 102.7 hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 184 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 87 Cooper’s Hawk:  112 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  7 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 185 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 1 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  3 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 27 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog The weather was partly overcast with thin drifting clouds that came and went, providing us with enough sun, and of course a good deal of wind.  We saw a juvenile Golden Eagle early-on in the day, and then three White-Tailed Kites.  The Blue Angels started their loud practicing around noon and continued past our shut-down, roaring past hawk hill.  Got some good looks at juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks, and a couple of Northern Harriers too. We couldn’t top yesterday but we still had good hawk activity and nice views! Ruthie, intern

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  838 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 139.67 hph Number of Species seen: 13 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  170 Osprey: 5 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 187 Cooper’s Hawk:  217 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  11 Broad-winged Hawk:  3 Swainson’s Hawk:  2 Red-tailed Hawk: 181 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 7 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  34 Buteo:  6 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Crazy day!  We had an hour with 252 birds.  Every time we’d raise our binoculars there would be a new kettle of raptors.  We couldn’t blame them for being out in full force- it was a beautiful day on the hill!    -Lisa Blankenship and Beth Sturgeon

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  556 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 92.7 hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  130 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 157 Cooper’s Hawk:  88 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  21 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 94 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  39 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 7 Daily HawkBlog Great weather, sunny and cloudless with a little haze, and a good number of birds and species! We got some good numbers for Red-shouldered Hawks and Northern Harriers.  We got a nice look at two White-tailed Kites and were surprised by a juvenile Swainson’s Hawk! We also saw two Merlins and two Kestrels. We were also treated to a lovely juvenile Golden Eagle. Ruthie, intern

Monday, October 1, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  427 Hours counted:  6 Rate of sightings: 71.17 Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  112 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 24 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 115 Cooper’s Hawk:  70 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  9 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 68 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  20 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog The morning on the hill started with mostly fog (as well as a rainbow that greeted our arrival).  Fortuitously, the skies cleared by eleven, and the raptors flowed steadily until mid-afternoon.  A White-tailed Kite gave us a great look as it flew directly over our heads, as did a juvenile Northern Harrier.  In other news, the wing-span exhibit was replaced on the hill, so check it out next time you’re up! -Nat and Beth, representatives for Monday Two

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