August 2007 September 2007 Hawkwatch Sightings* 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.

Sunday September 30, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  725 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 120.8 hph Number of Species seen: 13 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  156 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 194 Cooper’s Hawk:  139 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 14 Broad-winged Hawk:  4 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 132 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 5 Merlin:  4 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  48 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 7 Daily HawkBlog Today was great on all levels: the weather was beautiful, large numbers of birds were coming through (but not at neck-craning heights), and there was a nice assortment of species, including White-tailed Kites, Merlins, Broad-winged Hawks, and Red-shouldered Hawks.  To top it off, we had a wonderfully close view of an immature Golden Eagle!  It hung around the old rifle range for a few minutes, giving everyone on the team a glimpse of it, before the mobbing ravens finally shooed it away. -Nat, representative for Sunday One

Saturday September 29, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  535 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 89.2hph Number of Species seen: 13 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  214 Osprey: 2 White-tailed Kite: 2 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 17 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 91 Cooper’s Hawk:  72 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 20 Broad-winged Hawk:  3 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 93 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 8 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  5 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  3 Buteo:  3 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog It was a gorgeous day on Hawk Hill; we were glad to see the sun this cycle! The winds shifted from the East to the North to the West as the day progressed, picking up and bringing a flurry of Red-shoulders with them. We had the usual large numbers of accipiters, but also several Broad-wings, two Osprey, a White-tailed kite, and a distant Golden Eagle. The falcons were also out and about, with two Merlins, eight Kestrels, and five Peregrines flying around. Not a bad thirteen species day for this Saturday team! -Lisa Blankenship

Friday, September 28, 2007 Daily HawkBlog Fogged out!

Thursday, September 27, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  143 Hours counted: 2 hr, 40 min Rate of sightings: 53.62hph Number of Species seen: 7 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  43 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 35 Cooper’s Hawk:  36 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 18 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  7 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Well, we were fogged out at about noon, but hung out until 1pm, just in case.  Despite that, it was a great day with some nice accipiter views in the morning- as well as some glimpses through the fog.  The team remained cheerful, probably due to the exceptional buffet including pumpkin bread, chocolate chip zucchini bread, apple cake and falcon fudge.  Who can argue with that? -Lisa and Beth

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  662 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 110.3 hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  159 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 21 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 132 Cooper’s Hawk:  167 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  13 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 139 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 7 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  19 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog This morning was hopping, with perfectly clear skies and a nice breeze.  Unfortunately, the light wind dropped off altogether in the afternoon, and we were left with few birds (and scorching heat).  Highlights of the day: the first bird of the day was a Merlin, and a Golden Eagle and a Broad-winged Hawk both visited us around noon.  We also had some delicious limeade to help us beat the heat.   - Nat and Beth, representatives for Wednesday One

Tuesday September 25, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  795 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 132.5hph Number of Species seen: 13 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  221 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 25 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 162 Cooper’s Hawk:  148 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  24 Broad-winged Hawk:  6 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 145 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 5 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  4 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  40 Buteo:  7 Eagle:  1 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 4 Daily HawkBlog It was a hot day at the top of Hawk Hill today. The morning was filled with a fantastic flood of accipiters. Later in the day, we saw 6 Broad-winged, including one dark morph! We were also visited by an adult Golden Eagle and a Swainson’s hawk! The raptor count slowed down as the afternoon heated up, but we also witnessed an Osprey and a White-tailed kite. Thirteen species later, we had achieved a spectacular count for this sunny and super-hot peak day!

Monday September 24, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  708 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 118 hph Number of Species seen: 13 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  118 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 3 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 30 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 137 Cooper’s Hawk:  147 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  35 Broad-winged Hawk:  16 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 169 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 8 Merlin:  6 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  28 Buteo:  6 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog After a slow weekend, the numbers picked up again today!  We had 13 species, including one Golden Eagle, a season record of 35 Red-shouldered Hawks, and an impressive count of 16 Broad-winged Hawks.  The Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks were almost equal in number today, and there were quite a few adult Red-tailed Hawks around.  -Nat, representative for Monday One

Sunday, September 23, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  66 Hours counted: 2 ¼ Rate of sightings: 29.33hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  43 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3 Cooper’s Hawk:  5 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 5 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:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog Sadly it was a very foggy day.  We saw a few birds when it was clear, and there were a few that came out of the fog long enough for us to see them.  We were fogged in for most of the day, however, and finally left the hill after a valiant and optimistic attempt to wait it out.  We did see a juvenile Cooper’s hawk trying to terrorize a perched adult Red-tail, who was completely unperturbed.  They kept us entertained for awhile.

Saturday, September 22, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings: 194 Hours counted: 5.5 Rate of sightings: 35.3 hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  112 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 12 Cooper’s Hawk:  6 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  41 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 41 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  3 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  5 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 4 Daily HawkBlog The day started with light rain which cleared up just as we got on the hill, but left heavy overcast weather in its stead. It was a very slow day indeed, at least in terms of hawk flight. The hawktalk and banding docents gave great talks and we had a good turnout for each, despite the overcast weather and threat of more rain. We amused ourselves by watching and counting turkey vultures and a coyote take turns feeding on a deer carcass in the rifle range. Better luck tomorrow. Ruthie, intern.

Friday September 21, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  401 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 66.8hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  104 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 67 Cooper’s Hawk:  54 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk: 5 Broad-winged Hawk:  6 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 139 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 1 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  7      Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 4 Daily HawkBlog After the fog rolled in and out very quickly it decided to stay sunny for the rest of the afternoon on hawk hill. It was a busy day filled with accipiters! Early on in the afternoon, we were visited by a juvenile Broad-wing and an adult dark-morph Broad-wing that flew right above the platform! We saw a few more flying around throughout our afternnon. Towards the end of our session, we also got a great view of a Swainson’s hawk as it flew directly over Hawk Hill. It was a beautiful and warm day and all the hawkwatchers left happy!

Thursday, September 20, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  327 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 54.5 hph Number of Species seen: 8 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  200 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 6 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 14 Cooper’s Hawk:  15 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  4 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 54 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  5 Buteo:  15 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 10 Daily HawkBlog Our day started very slooooowly…The first half hour we had…two…birds. The next hour we had 8 birds, and still had not seen a single turkey vulture. The sky was overcast with occasional sprinkling showers, and seemed to be keeping most of the birds from flying or getting any lift whatsoever. As the weather improved, so did our count. We saw a group of 3 kites going north. One hawkwatcher discovered a stand of bright blue pampas grass—an errant art project perhaps? We also monitored a man apparently studying a small area of the chert wall along the roadside. He stayed almost as long as we did but left before we (okay, I) could be nosy and barrage him with questions.  Towards the end of the day we were surprised with a beautiful juvenile Golden eagle that made a long flight starting under the Golden Gate (yes, fitting) flew towards us, soared around Kirby Cove, then made a few passes at POAK blind and continued on. At around the same time a partially-albinistic Sharp-shinned hawk flew directly overhead sporting an odd white patch on the belly and at least one all-white primary on each wing! What a treat! A great end to a slower-than-expected day. Ruthie, intern

Wednesday September 19, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  659 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 109.8hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  107 Osprey: 3 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 104 Cooper’s Hawk:  213 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  4 Broad-winged Hawk:  6 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 162 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 1 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  11 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  28 Buteo:  12 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 4 Daily HawkBlog Today was a windy day on hawk hill, but not foggy! Near the beginning of our day we heard a large explosion on the other side of the ridge. This turned out to be a cache of fireworks that were carefully exploded by the bomb squad (check the news), but the big boom we heard seemed to symbolize the starting gun for the migrating hawks. The accipiters came through in large groups after that, even though we measured wind gusts at 38.6 mph in the North quadrant! We still managed to see a good number of birds, although many of them seem to be flying backward in the wind! We were able to see eleven Peregrine falcons that had braved the windy weather to play around near Hawk Hill--they were a delight for all the hawkwatchers and visitors to see.

Tuesday September 18, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  756 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 126 hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  90 Osprey: 6 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 266 Cooper’s Hawk:  144 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  2 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 193 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  41 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog The day started off slowly, with heavy fog and few birds.  Luckily, the fog lifted considerably around noon, and the accipiters really started rolling in.  Highlights: the Sharp-shinned Hawks outnumbered the Cooper’s Hawks almost 2 to 1, and a Merlin zoomed right past us. -Ruthie and Nat, representatives for Tuesday Two

Monday September 17, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  761 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 126.8 hph Number of Species seen: 14 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  82 Osprey: 5 White-tailed Kite: 4 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 10 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 258 Cooper’s Hawk:  171 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  11 Broad-winged Hawk:  6 Swainson’s Hawk:  3 Red-tailed Hawk: 155 Ferruginous Hawk:  1 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 9 Merlin:  3 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  37 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 3 Daily HawkBlog 14 species.  14 species!  The day had a steady flow of birds, including four White-tailed Kites, THREE Swainson’s Hawks, six Broad-winged Hawks, one Ferruginous Hawk, and eleven Red-shouldered Hawks.  We also got to see three Merlins whiz by, and there were more than a few accipiters around.  There might be a bout of foul weather coming through later this week, so try to get up to the hill tomorrow!  -Nat, representative for Monday Two

Sunday September 16, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  630 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 105 hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  191 Osprey: 5 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 97 Cooper’s Hawk:  113 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  6 Broad-winged Hawk:  4 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 134 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 21 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  39 Buteo:  3 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog With a substitute dayleader today (who did a marvelous job), we set a new record for 2007: 630 birds!  The weather looked dreary at first, but it turned into a beautiful day.  We had quite an array of species, including one Golden Eagle, five Osprey, one Merlin, six Red-shouldered Hawks and four Broad-winged Hawks.  The accipiters were coming through in large numbers, and the Red-tailed Hawk continued its strong showing.  Keep those birds coming!   -Nat, representative for Sunday One

Saturday September 15, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  164 Hours counted: 2 Rate of sightings: 82hph Number of Species seen: 8 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  19 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 4 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 38 Cooper’s Hawk:  42 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  1 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 47 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  8 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog Today started out very foggy on the hill. The brave Hawkwatchers ventured to the top of Hawk Hill, hopeful that the fog would quickly clear out. After watching the successful hawk talk and banding demonstration, the fog finally cleared out around 1:30. The next two hours on the hill were filled with a fabulous flurry of raptors! In the short time we spent fog-free, we were able to see a Red-shouldered, a Peregrine, two Kestrels, four Harriers, and an incredible amount of accipiters and Red-tailed hawks.

Friday, September 14, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  320 Hours counted: 4.5 Rate of sightings: 71.1 hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 70 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 4 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 47 Cooper’s Hawk:  38 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  1 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 130 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  1 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  11 Buteo:  4 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 7 Daily HawkBlog The day started out foggy and kept us off the hill until 11am.  We counted in the fog which soon cleared, complete with sunshine. We saw a nice variety of species, including a Merlin, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Kite, and Broad-winged Hawk! We all got a lot of practice ID’ing Sharpies and Coops, and are ready for more! Ruthie, intern

Thursday, September 13, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  499 Hours counted: 5.75 Rate of sightings: 86.78hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  151 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 4 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 6 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 72 Cooper’s Hawk:  54 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  3 Broad-winged Hawk:  3 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 190 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  6 Buteo:  2 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 3 Daily HawkBlog The fog cap on the hill lifted early, exposing beautiful, sunny weather. The day became even better with sightings of four White-tailed Kites. The appearance of six Harriers and a Peregrine excited the busy Hawk watchers. Through the flurry of Coopers and Sharp-shinned, an Osprey and a couple Kestrels also paid a visit. A Merlin appeared just before the watchers called it quits, ending the day on a high note for everyone involved. We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather!

Wednesday September 12, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  98 Hours counted: 3.75 Rate of sightings: 26.13 hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  52       Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 4 Cooper’s Hawk:  2 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk:  36 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 1 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  1 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Fog.  Highlights of the day: a Sharp-shinned Hawk chased something on the ground near the bunkers, an adult Peregrine Falcon dove at a Red-tailed Hawk, and our spirits remained high.  We also witnessed a parade of fire trucks returning from duty, as they searched up and down Conzelman Road for an appropriate spot to take photos.  -Nat and Aaron, representatives from Wednesday I

Tuesday September 11, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  481 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 80.2hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  148     Osprey: 5 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 28 Cooper’s Hawk:  82 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  12 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 174 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 5 Merlin:  2 Peregrine Falcon:  4 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  5 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 3 Daily HawkBlog It was a beautiful day on Hawk Hill! We were able to witness three Osprey flying over together; the group included two adults and one juvenile. We also had a close view of a pair of adult Peregrine falcons as they flew overhead! We were also able to see an adult Broadwing and near the end of the day we were visited by two Merlins! Today was an excellent start to the peak of the season.

Monday September 10, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  390 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 65 hph Number of Species seen: 12 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  66 Osprey: 9 White-tailed Kite: 1 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 63 Cooper’s Hawk:  67 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  3 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  1 Red-tailed Hawk: 154 Ferruginous Hawk:  2 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 6 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  12 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog Welcome to peak!  The accipiters were really flying today, keeping our small team busy.  Adding to the excitement, we saw a total of twelve species (our own “baker’s dozen”).  It’s hard to say which bird was the highlight of the day, but the dark-morph Swainson’s Hawk certainly caused us to temporarily abandon our quadrants.  Other great sightings: a White-tailed Kite, two Ferruginous Hawks, and a Peregrine Falcon that flew by just as we were packing up for the day.

Sunday, September 9, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  221 Hours counted: 5.5 Rate of sightings: 40.18hph Number of Species seen: 10 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  60 Osprey: 2 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 23 Cooper’s Hawk:  8 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  1 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 111 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 1 Merlin:  1 Peregrine Falcon:  1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  6 Buteo:  4 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 1 Daily HawkBlog The morning was overcast and foggy, but we went up on the hill and it was clear enough to start the count at 10am- and it cleared up as the day went on.  Highlights included a merlin and a broadwing.

Saturday, September 8, 2007 Daily HawkBlog Fogged out! -Lisa

Friday September 7, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  215 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 35.8hph Number of Species seen: 6 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  59 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 5 Cooper’s Hawk:  9 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 127 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  3 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 9 Daily HawkBlog The day on Hawk hill started out a little hazy, but it quickly cleared up and we ended up with a warm and sunny afternoon. We were able to witness a dark morph Red-tailed hawk giving us a nice long view. We were also visited by two Peregrine falcons! After a fog-out last time, this Friday II team was treated to a nice start of the season.

Thursday, September 6, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  145 Hours counted: 2 Rate of sightings: 72.5hph Number of Species seen: 3 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  99 Osprey: 0 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk:  Cooper’s Hawk:  1 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  0 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 40 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 0 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon: 0 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter: 2 Buteo:  0 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 3 Daily HawkBlog Got up to the hill nice and had good visibility, albeit a little hazy from the Morgan Hill wildfire. A strong west wind blew the smoke out of the headlands and back over the bay, but then kept up and blew a huge blanket of fog in over us after only two hours up there, forcing us to call it a day. Ruthie Parsley, intern

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  324 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 54hph Number of Species seen: 11 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  137 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2 Cooper’s Hawk:  17 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  5 Broad-winged Hawk:  2 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 138 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 3 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon:  2 Prairie Falcon:  1 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  3 Buteo:  12 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog A prairie falcon was very obliging and gave us a clear flyby.  We had a steady stream of accipiters that gave us some good practice with ids.  We also saw the first broadwings of the year!  We baked a bit in the morning and early afternoon, but later in the day we finally got a nice breeze off of the water and it turned out to be a gorgeous day on the hill!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  159  Hours counted: 4          Rate of sightings: 39.75 hph Number of Species seen: 8 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture: 81 Osprey: 1 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 Cooper’s Hawk:  9 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  1 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 59 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 2 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon: 1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  1 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 2 Daily HawkBlog The fog kept us inside for the first two hours, but we were able to get up on the hill at last.  A Peregrine Falcon appeared by the TV towers and quickly swept past us.  Some of us had a good view of an Osprey, and some other lucky Hawkwatchers got to see a juvenile Red-shouldered hawk up close.  We’re ready for peak: bring it on! –Nat and Ruthie, representatives for Tuesday Two

Monday, September 3, 2007 Daily HawkBlog Fogged out!

Sunday, September 2, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  247 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 41.17 hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  98 Osprey: 4 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 Cooper’s Hawk:  6 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  3 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 110 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 4 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon: 1 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog Today was a beautiful day on hawk hill!  The day started slowly, but bird numbers increased throughout the afternoon.  Highlights of the day: an Osprey gave us a wonderfully close look, an adult Turkey Vulture fed a juvenile, and a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk rushed past us while trying to escape a horde of angry swallows. –Nat, representative for Sunday One

Saturday September 1, 2007 Daily HawkWrap: Sightings:  204 Hours counted: 6 Rate of sightings: 34hph Number of Species seen: 9 Daily HawkCount : Turkey Vulture:  101 Osprey: 3 White-tailed Kite: 0 Bald Eagle:  0 Northern Harrier: 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 Cooper’s Hawk:  6 Northern Goshawk:  0 Red-shouldered Hawk:  4 Broad-winged Hawk:  0 Swainson’s Hawk:  0 Red-tailed Hawk: 83 Ferruginous Hawk:  0 Rough-legged Hawk:  0            Golden Eagle:  0 American Kestrel: 1 Merlin:  0 Peregrine Falcon: 3 Prairie Falcon:  0 UNIDENTIFIED… Accipiter:  0 Buteo:  1 Eagle:  0 Falcon:  0 Raptor: 0 Daily HawkBlog The day started out foggy, but quickly cleared giving us a sunny day on hawk hill for most of the afternoon. The morning was almost windless, but the wind picked up and brought several groups of Red-taileds through. We saw three Red-shouldered hawks that gave us a close look. The appearance of three Peregrine falcons also added some excitement to the afternoon!

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