December 8, 2002 - THE LAST DAY OF THE 2002 HAWK COUNT!! I can't believe it, but that's it. We ended the season with a beautiful and warm day for a great team of good cooks! And the last birds of the year were a Merlin and what will probably be the most memorable bird of the year. . . the white Turkey Vulture! Some call it Moby, some call MTV, others call it weird, but I think we all agree that it is always exciting to see. For the 270 sightings we had today, we also saw a good number of dark Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks, some Northern Harriers and American Kestrels, one Cooper's Hawk, the one Merlin, and one Peregrine Falcon. We had lots of fun, and I'd like to thank Sunday II and everyone who helped the GGRO this year for a great experience! It looks like I picked a super year for hawks, weather, and Dungeness Crab! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 270
Species: 7
Hours counted: 5.5
HPH: 49.1

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December 7, 2002 - With balmy weather and southerly winds Saturday II ended their season seeing Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers and Cooper's Hawks. They had a special visit by a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Rumor has it they hammed it up too.

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December 6, 2002 -- Another gourmet day on the hill. And thank heavens we were busy watching each other stuff our faces, or we wouldn't have been watching anything at all. Except maybe the juvenile Swainson's Hawk that graced us this morning as the second sighting of the day. We watched rain drops, as well, which meant some of us got to try out our new rain gear. Today was also a teary day as we said good-bye to our beloved Dayleader, Dr. Boyd, or Debo, as he likes to be called. Judging by today's spread, I think he should be called Vino. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 25
Species: 6
HPH: 5
hours: 5

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December 5, 2002 -- Thursday II reveals its closet gourmands!!! Holy cow did we eat like royalty. Homemade mushroom pate and lemon squares, gorgonzola walnut spread (hand made, as well), and a gorgeous wild rice salad. Julia Child would be impressed. Not to mention the store-bought goodies! Oh, were we supposed to be counting something? Our feast attracted the good weather and the leucistic Turkey Vulture, who flew in over the rifle range and over the hill, only to linger at the North Tower a while. No other sightings of particular interest. -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 373
Species: 6
HPH: 62
hours: 6

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December 4, 2002 - It was a fun day to cap off a really exciting season for the Wednesday II team- We had another feast on the Hill today, and we were even able to count 357 sightings of raptors of 8 species! We saw a White-tailed Kite and a Ferruginous Hawk in the last hours of the day. We also spotted a couple of Peregrine Falcons, as well as some American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Northern Harriers. And there were plenty of Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks moving around in the Headlands in large groups today! Thanks to the Wed II team for keeping up their high spirits even when the weather was horrible this year! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 357
Species: 8
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 63

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December 3, 2002 - There was a shortage of birds for us to watch around Hawk Hill today, but don't worry, there was absolutely no shortage of food for us to eat! We had 220 sightings of raptors of 6 species, and I be you can guess which species those were. We mostly counted Red-tailed Hawks, and once again, there were quite a few dark morph birds. We also saw Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Cooper's Hawks. It was a really fun season with this great team of Hawkwatchers! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 220
Species: 6
Hours counted: 5.5 (it took us a while to get the feast up to the Hill!)
HPH: 40

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December 2, 2002 - According to hawkwatching veterans, today was an unusual end-of-the-season day: beautiful, warm, and, at times, busy! Between snack breaks, we counted 344 sightings of raptors of 9 species. The most exciting sightings of the day was of a young Golden Eagle who came quite close to the Hill in Kirby Cove. We also saw a Peregrine Falcon, a couple of Merlins, and several American Kestrels. There were plenty of Turkey Vultures, dark- and light-morph Red-tailed Hawks, and Northern Harriers, and we only saw a couple of juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks and a couple of adult Cooper's Hawks. So it was a fun and relaxing year for Laury's Monday II team! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 344
Species: 9
Hours: 6
HPH: 57.4

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December 1, 2002 - A beautiful day for a team with only one foggy day this year, and that was in the pre-season! We counted 439 sightings of raptors of 11 species, such as numerous Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers and Sharp-shinned Hawks. We saw a few Cooper's Hawks, some American Kestrels, a Merlin, a Peregrine Falcon, a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Swainson's Hawk, and a Ferruginous Hawk. An unusually high number of the Red-tails were dark or rufous morphs, and one was a possible Harlan's Hawk! I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks to the Sunday I team, led by Dennis, for a really exciting year! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 439
Species: 11
Hours: 6
HPH: 73.2

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November 30, 2002 - No report filed

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November 29, 2002 - HawkWatch had a slow day with more visitors to Hawk Hill than Hawks. The highlight of the day was a late season Prairie Falcon.

Total sightings: 169
Species: 8
Total Hours: 6
HPH: 28.2

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November 28, 2002 - Hawk Hill weather was clear, bright with a low haze and quite windy. The HawkWatch saw many Red-tailed Hawks as well as an Osprey and a juvenile Bald Eagle. Late in the day when the wind died down the Accipiters came out of hiding. A Peregrine Falcon and three Ferruginous Hawks were seen.

Total sightings: 275
Species: 9
Total Hours: 6
HPH: 45.8

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November 27, 2002 - HawkWatch had mixed weather with wind gusts up to 30 mph. The average wind was 20 mph. When the winds did die down late in the day the Accipiters came out of hiding. A Peregrine Falcon and three Ferruginous Hawks were seen.

Total sightings: 365
Species: 8
Total Hours: 6
HPH: 60.8

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November 26, 2002 - Gorgeous weather (This is November???) brought out 200 Red-tailed Hawks as well as a Prairie Falcon a Merlin and a White-tailed Kite. - Tim Behr via phone

Total sightings: 398
Species: 10
Total Hours: 6
HPH: 66.3

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November 25, 2002 - Today was the first day of the last cycle of HawkWatch teams, and I had heard that we mainly eat and celebrate on these last days. . . but not today (although you're going to think we may have started with too much celebrating when you hear about it)! We had an absolutely incredible day on Hawk Hill! We had 621 sightings of raptors of 12 species! And those fantastic numbers don't tell the whole story- imagine someone calling out that they see a falcon, and you let them know that it's a Peregrine that you see up close, but they say, " oh no, it has dark axillaries." Finally, you realize that you are looking at two different birds! We had both a Prairie and a Peregrine at the same time! And Red-tailed Hawks were shooting through with lots of help from the wind, making up for lost time, I guess. Over half of our sightings were Red-tails and we saw fewer Turkey Vultures that we've ! seen lately. We counted more Cooper's Hawks than we have in the past few days combined, and we saw one more Sharp-shinned Hawk than TV's! We spotted a few Northern Harriers and American Kestrels. We saw a couple of Peregrine Falcons, the one Prairie Falcon, one White-tailed Kite, a Swainson's Hawk, a Ferruginous Hawk, and (whew!) a Rough-legged Hawk! Believe it or not, but I was there and it was the most fun I've had in a while! Thanks to Lew's team, Monday I, for a great season.-Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 621
Species: 12
Total Hours: 6
HPH: 103.5

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November 24, 2002 - It was a pretty slow day for hawks, but the weather was great and there were moments of excitement, like when we spotted the leucistic Turkey Vulture, which I don't think has been seen for a while around here! We did have 393 sightings of raptors of 7 different species. Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks were the majority of the birds counted, and we also saw a good number of Sharp-shinned Hawks, some Northern Harriers and American Kestrels, several Cooper's Hawks, and 4 Peregrine Falcon sightings. -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 393
Species: 7
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 65.5

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November 23, 2002 -Day two of slower flights and grayer days than we've been enjoying these past weeks. A light wind from the north, if any at all. Yes, we had a few close Merlin flybys. Yes, a buncha Sharpies, Harriers, and Redtails. But the highlight of the day was 7-month old Draper Dylan Dayton, who charmed the Hill with his collection of rattles his passerine squeaks, and his one-tooth smile. - Allen Fish

265 hawks
44 HPH
7 species
3 boxes of cookies

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November 22, 2002 -- Slow coldness leaves the mind to wander. An alligator lizard, apparently blinded by a rough child as seen by one of our volunteers, saddened us for an hour, and confirmed my belief that children should be leashed. Oops, am I dragging the grayness of the day into the log? I apologize, it was actually a laughter-filled day, which managed to keep us shiver-free although the temperature was low. One Merlin and a handful of Peregrines. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 107
Species: 8
HPH: 18.9
Hours: 6

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November 21, 2002 -- Summer refuses to leave Hawk Hill -- T-shirts and sunscreen abound, adding to the excitement of the day. Early afternoon brought a Rough-legged and a Ferruginous Hawk (both juvies) within 20 minutes of each other. Both were close, and the Ferrug. even flew directly overhead, showing off his (her?) lovely white belly and legs. Merlins were still fairly plentiful, and one Peregrine made an appearance. The high Sharp-shinned Hawk trend continues. -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 310
Species: 10
HPH: 51.6
Hours: 6

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November 20, 2002 - Wow! What a day! It was so windy that we braced our scopes and ourselves, but we still had some very exciting sightings- such as a Swainson's Hawk which we saw from all angles, including in hand! And at the end of the already eventful day, two adult Peregrine Falcons came so close to the hill that you couldn't get the whole bird in the range of your binoculars! One Peregrine Falcon seemed to be scolding the other, so its call is what got our attention first. We also had more Red-tailed Hawk sightings than any other species, followed by Turkey Vultures and Sharp-shinned Hawks. We saw Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, a few Cooper's Hawks, a Merlin, and an Osprey which hopefully doesn't still have Argentina in its travel plans! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 303
Species: 10
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 50.5

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November 19, 2002 - It was just another beautiful November day on Hawk Hill -- when we left at 3:30, the temperature was at its highest for the day at 69 F°! We counted 383 sightings today, which seemed to come in waves of activity that corresponded with the wind speed changes: when there was no wind or it was really strong, we saw fewer birds. We had almost the same number sightings of Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, and Sharp-shinned Hawks, and we saw almost two dozen Northern Harriers, a few Cooper's Hawks, American Kestrels, and Merlins. -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 383
Species: 8
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 63.8

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November 18, 2002 - It was a beautiful day with some really high clouds, which was great for hawk watching but won't be so great for meteor watching! We counted 445 hawks of 10 species, including Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Red-shouldered Hawks, around 7 times as many Sharp-shinned Hawks as Cooper's Hawks, Northern Harriers, some American Kestrels, a White-tailed Kite, a Merlin, and a Peregrine Falcon. -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 445
Species: 10
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 72.4

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November 17, 2002 - The falcons seemed to rule the sky today! We saw 3 species of falcons, including 19 Merlin sightings, 7 Peregrine Falcon sightings, and 8 American Kestrel sightings. We counted almost 5 times as many Sharp-shinned Hawks as Cooper's Hawks -- in fact, we counted almost as many Sharpies as TV's, and the Coops were even outnumbered by Harriers. We saw quite a few Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, and Red-tailed Hawks (almost as many juveniles as adults!), as well as several sightings of Red-shouldered Hawks. And we saw an interesting array of "gas-hawks" like a pair of A-10 warthogs, F-16s, and a B-52 Mitchell (I sure am learning alot about things with wings on Hawk Hill!). Finally, people told me that you could see "just about anything" from the hill, possibly including highly inappropriate things, but come on. . . naked hay-bale jumpers!?! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 535
Species: 9
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 89

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November 16, 2002 -- No rains but the fog brought the day to an early end. Banders gleefully reported clearing at 2:00, but everyone was already on their way out the door. Highlights included Jesse's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and a Merlin. -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 58
Species: 8
HPH: 31.6
Minutes:110

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November 14, 2002 -- The morning's high winds and low wind-chill (36 degrees!) really tested our skills as Merlins and juvie Sharp-shins were zooming by. And three Peregrine Falcons made an appearance in the first hour. WHOA! Beware of the pointed-winged chocolate-backed buteo getting mobbed by Ravens -- it's a juvenile dark-morph Swainson's Hawk. Good ID tip -- dark morph Swainson's Hawks are the only dark morphs to have light under-tail coverts. Only a three Cooper's Hawks made appearances all day. The weather warmed to pleasant by the end of the day, but who knows what tomorrow will hold? -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 322
Species: 10
HPH: 56
Hours:5.75

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November 14, 2002 -- MERLIN! MERLIN! PRAIRIE FALCON! MERLIN! Total of thirteen Merlins on this lovely, calm and clear day, many of which came right over head. And one Prairie Falcon that got snared by Slacker. Sweet! Juvenile Sharpies were the most common raptor of the day -- 138. Another great day on Hawk Hill. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 352
Species: 8
HPH: 57
Hours:6

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November 13, 2002 -- Gorgeous cloud movements and a few brief visits by fog, but we had a lovely day. A late afternoon Ferruginous Hawk made an appearance, and an adult Peregrine Falcon flew right over the hill. Beware of the stealthy Merlins! They were speeding by today, except for one that caught a dragonfly above Devil's Crack. -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 254
Species: 10
HPH:42
Hours: 3

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November 12, 2002 -- Storm's a comin'. Yup. Little action on the hill had us studying cloud formations, a bobcat on Point Diablo, and a Northern Fur Seal basking off the Point. Highlights included a great look at a Peregrine Falcon, a couple of Merlins, and a juvenile Golden Eagle flirting with Slacker blind. Not a bad day for mid-November between storms. -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 225
Species: 10
HPH: 37.5
Hours: 6

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November 11, 2002 - We must have been experiencing "the calm after the storm" today. It was a beautiful, warm and clear day on Hawk Hill, and we were pleasantly surprised with the raptor activity. According to those who were in town this weekend, it was supposedly "windy and rainy," but as one of those who was away, I was still impressed with what a pretty day we had today! We had 503 sightings of 10 species, including one White-tailed Kite, one Peregrine Falcon, several Merlins, and 5 each of adult and juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks. We also saw some Cooper's Hawks, Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels. The most common species sighted were Sharp-shinned Hawks, Turkey Vultures, and Red-tailed Hawks. This doesn't include the swarms of non-raptors that were diligently counted by Hawk Hill's regular passerine experts, nor the raven spotted with its lunch of another non-raptor! ! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 503
Species: 10
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 83.83

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Though there was fog and rain, the HawkWatchers persisted, persevered, soldiered on, carried on and plugged away until the weather cooperated. They made it up to Hawk Hill at 12:45 PM today. The highlight of the day, besides making it up to Hawk Hill, was a Broad-winged Hawk.

Total: 62
Species: 6
Hours counted: 2.5
HPH: 24

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A strong arm effort by Lillian Armstrong's HawkWatch team who stood atop the Hill for three hours waiting for visibility greater than 100 feet. Didn't happen. Just as the rain cleared out, the fog rolled in. In other news, first three Eared Grebes on Rodeo Lagoon for this season. - Allen Fish

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November 8, 2002 -- The first storm of an El Nino year kept us off the hill. But coming down to see the rage of the ocean is a worthwhile trip -- the lagoon is no longer disconnected from the sea. -- S. Whitecloud

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November 7, 2002 -- The dedication award should definitely go to today's team. According to the rule book, you can call it quits after a half hour of continuous rain. Standing in gale-force winds (up to 50 mph!!!) with an occasional, brief drizzle, didn't discourage the team. They were determined to earn each bird! Nonetheless, the day ended early with happy thawing in the office. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 116
Species: 6
HPH: 29
Hours:4

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November 6, 2002 - On a chilly and rather slow day on Hawk Hill, we were glad to have our warm pizza! We were all surprised and a bit confused when we arrived this morning and the folks in the south quadrant had the wind in their faces! Everyone remembered that wind from the south means that the rain is coming, so we got to counting hawks for what might be the last time for a few days. We had 223 sightings of 8 species, with Red-tailed Hawks making up almost half of those. We had 50 Turkey Vulture sightings and half as many of Northern Harriers. We saw several Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels, and one Cooper's Hawk(!), one Merlin, and one Peregrine Falcon. -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 223
Species: 8
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 37.17

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November 5, 2002 - Compared to the past few days, our 405 sightings may lead you to believe that things are slowing down around Hawk Hill, but I think that the theme for November is "quality, not quantity!" There was a Swainson's Hawk sighting today, as well as one White-tailed Kite, a Ferruginous Hawk, and a Rough-legged Hawk. We also had 6 sightings of Merlins, a few of American Kestrels and Northern Harriers, and we saw lots of Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures. We saw almost the same number of Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Just as it was time to leave the hill, a huge fog bank rolled in and a major weather change seems inevitable. But I am sure that no matter what the weather does, tomorrow's team will enjoy celebrating the 2-week anniversary of their Rough-legged Hawk spotting with a pizza! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 405
Species: 11
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 67.5

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November 4, 2002 - We had a great day of hawkwatching for a great group of hawkwatchers, if I do say so myself! We had another view of a young Bald Eagle which appeared promptly at 3 p.m. in the North Saddle and headed south towards the Presidio. We saw several adult Peregrine Falcons and Merlins, some American Kestrels and Red-shouldered Hawks, and quite a few Northern Harriers (adult males and juveniles), adult and juvenile Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures (all dark!). The sky was clear all day, and the wind came mostly from the west, but wind speed was incredibly variable, as our ever-changing clothing selection would have indicated! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 502
Species: 10
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 83.67

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November 3, 2002 - So if this is what November is like, it's going to be the best month at GGRO yet! We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful fall day on Hawk Hill, where we had 459 sightings of raptors of 12 species. After today, I now believe in the existence of the white Turkey Vulture! We spotted the leucistic bird first out over Wolfback Ridge, but it circled the entire hill by the time it disappeared from view. And that was just one highlight of the day . . . We also saw an adult Harlan's Hawk, which was another example of why it's always exciting to see white on a raptor! This trend continued later in the day with sightings of a Ferruginous Hawk and a Rough-legged Hawk.

We also had extraordinary views of an adult Peregrine Falcon and several Merlins. We saw a couple of Red-shouldered Hawks and Ospreys, a few American Kestrels, and a good number of Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Northern Harriers, Turkey Vultures, and Red-tailed Hawks. So the hardworking hawkwatchers got to have a little fun mixed in with their tough job! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 459
Species: 12
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 76.5

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November 2, 2002 -- Holy smokes, what a day!!! As if high activity wasn't enough, we were also entertained by an off-roading SUV and the ensuing VERY slow-speed chase by the Park police. Fortunately, the Hill was packed with hawk-hungry eyes, so birds weren't slipping by unnoticed. A three falcon day, including 2 Peregrines, and 3 Merlins. And our late afternoon visitor arrived from Hill 88 -- a sub-adult Golden Eagle. (And for those of you feeling inadequate as beginners, it was spotted by a neophyte!) The afternoon ended in tank tops and bug-swatting, along with a couple more sundogs. (It's been brought to my attention that this term is not common knowledge. It refers to the rainbows made in clouds.) -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 621
Species: 11
HPH: 103
Hours:6

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November 1, 2002 -- A good day on the hill can be defined in many ways: high numbers, rare species, nice weather. Today was a little of all three -- a pile of jackets adorned the center platform, and our necks were craned to catch of glimpse of the busy fifth quadrant, which at one point was filled with a kettle of 11 juvenile Red-tails. This was followed shortly by a Peregrine Falcon. The distant scope-birds included a Ferruginous Hawk and a Rough-legged Hawk, and Lew caught a juvie Golden Eagle sneaking in from Hill 88. And the morning's first bird was a Merlin (total of 4). The afternoon ended with sundogs and cloud dancing. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 475
Species: 12
HPH: 79.2
H hours:6

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October 31, 2002 -- Hawkwatching in clear warm weather can be difficult with a candy-induced belly ache. And in all honesty, a few days of clear weather has thinned out the numbers. But trick-o-treating by quadrant kept us smiling, as did the costumes. (Lookout: werewolf sighting on the Hill at 11:15!) The highlight of the day was a high Merlin count -- 10! -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 454
Species: 8
HPH: 75.7
Hours: 6

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October 30, 2002 - Today was a bright, sunshiny day on the hill - wind was always present and variable in speed & direction but finally decided to be cold, strong, and from the west by the end of the day. We saw tons of red-tails (317 to be exact), 31 harriers, 17 kestrels, 4 merlins, and a golden eagle! There were also ravens EVERYWHERE!!!

HPH 98.8
species: 11
Total hawks: 593

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October 29, 2002 -- What a day!!! Many thanks to the regulars who made counting with a four person team a thousand times easier. Did someone see Herb counting in south quadrant? Call that in as a rare sighting. But the thanks came from the birds as well, who graced us with great looks and high numbers. The fog sneaking in from the west at 2 was scared off by our sunny dispositions (?), so the day was clear and warm for the most part, with winds chilling the north quadrant late in the afternoon. Highlights of the day included 2 Golden Eagles (ahead of schedule, both before 2), 5 Merlins, 3 juvenile Ferruginous Hawks, and, highlight of highlights, an ADULT BROAD-WINGED!!! Of interest is also the fact the Red-tails more than doubled Turkey Vulture counts (285 vs 125). Early fall Buteo push? --S. Whitecloud

Total : 629
Species: 12
HPH: 104.7
hours: 6

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October 28, 2002 - It was absolutely beautiful for 4.5 hours of hawkwatching, until a fogbank came in and swallowed us! We had 497 sightings of raptors of 11 species. The most surprising sighting was of a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk that came from the pines and circled around to Slacker Ridge. We also spotted a young Golden Eagle, a Peregrine Falcon, some Merlins, American Kestrels, and Turkey Vultures. There were quite a few Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, and Sharp-shinned Hawks. And many, many Red-tailed Hawks took advantage of thermals and kept us very busy keeping up with their numbers in numerous kettles. -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 497
Species: 11
Hours Counted: 4.5
HPH: 110.4

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October 27, 2002 - This morning was warm with little breeze, and by the end of the day everyone had at least one more layer of clothes on to combat the cool breeze! We had 740 sightings of 12 species of raptors in the clear, blue sky. The major highlight was the juvenile Bald Eagle we saw fly from the area of Mt. Tam to the Berkeley Hills! We also saw a good number of Merlins, Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Turkey Vultures. We saw alot of Red-tailed Hawks, especially juveniles. There were a few White-tailed Kites, Ospreys, and American Kestrels, including one good-looking male used in the banding demonstration. A Rough-legged Hawk rounded out the 12 species. So keep an eye out for a new kind of eagle in the Headlands! And best wishes to the latest couple to become engaged on Hawk Hill! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 740
Species:12
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 123.3

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October 26, 2002: - Under cloudy skies, HawkWatch saw Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers and a Peregrine Falcon.

Total sightings: 143
Species: 9
HPH: 26

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October 25, 2002: A promise of rain, a hazy day, and powerful (gusts to 10 mph) east winds suggested a bummer day at 930 am, but it was not to be! As White-throated Swifts shot around the counters, we started picking up accipiters immediately, and -- among the common "Red" buteos -- a Roughleg juvie made a close pass. Lots of Northern Harriers, a few American Kestrels, Merlin, and Peregrines, flew alongside the common critters. Some unusual Redtails. A nice overhead flight by 3 Evening Grosbeaks. Flocks of Purple Finches, Band-tailed Pigeons, and Cedar Waxwings. An excellent diverse day. - Allen Fish

Total sightings: 420
Hours counted: 5.8
HPH: 72

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October 24, 2002 -- Sometimes, freezing your buns off all day is really worth it. It means you can see two Peregrine Falcons flying together, one diving on the other. It also means an amazing view of a juvenile Golden Eagle (still sticking to the 3ish schedule, actually 2:35) getting mobbed by a Raven. There were also some good Merlin views. My personal favorite was the male Northern Harrier that scoured rocky ridge for the first couple hours of the day. And two Coyotes grooming each other! They actually hung out all day, basking in the warmth of the not-present sun. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 550
Species: 12
HPH: 91.6
Hours: 6

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October 23, 2002 - The pizza has been claimed! We saw the first Rough-legged Hawk of the season, and we will be enjoying our reward in a couple of weeks! It was a pleasant surprise for this group of hawkwatchers to even get up on Hawk Hill after numerous fog-outs, and even more pleasant to watch the Rough-legged Hawk hang out along Wolfback Ridge for over half of an hour. We also spotted a Golden Eagle with some buteos. Also at the ridge and behind the FM towers, there was a kettle of over 100 Turkey Vultures! Every one seemed to be the same shade of "dark," though. The high ceiling of clouds allowed us to have 398 sightings of raptors of 11 species, which included our TV's, Golden Eagle, and Rough-legged, plus Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, a couple of Peregrine Falcons and Red-shouldered Hawks, and a Merlin. -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 399
Species: 11
Hours counted: 5.25
HPH: 75.6

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October 22, 2002 - It was too foggy to go up on Hawk Hill, but we found plenty of things to do around the Headlands! We saw Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Pied-billed Grebes, Eared Grebes, and a Belted Kingfisher at the Lagoon. We also took a hike down into Kirby Cove, where we saw lots of White-crowned Sparrows and at least two Wrentits. And the short work day left time for everyone to get their new GGRO sweatshirts at the Visitor's Center. Thanks to the kids from Stockton for their eagle-eyes -- they helped us find some American Kestrels, a Northern Harrier, and some Ravens at the Lagoon! - Ashley Sexton

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October 21, 2002 - Unfortunately there was fog in the valley in the morning and it worked its way up to Hawk Hill so that we couldn't see our fellow hawkwatchers by noon! However, we took advantage of the few windows that were available, and some of us even looked through the fog for 30 sightings of raptors, including some Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Northern Harriers, as well as one lone male American Kestrel. And the most surprising part of the final count was that there were no Turkey Vultures seen today! So for all we know, the ghostly vulture was around but invisible to us again! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 30
Species: 5
Hours counted: 2.5
HPH: 12

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October 20, 2002 - Lots of things were in constant change today- the weather, our team's plans, and the birds we saw! After an hour of slides due to the fog, we headed up to at least the Annex, but to our surprise and happiness, Hawk Hill was clear for hawkwatching. We counted 440 sightings of 11 species of raptors, including kettles of Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. We saw a Peregrine Falcon, a White-tailed Kite, a Golden Eagle, several American Kestrels, Merlins,and Red-shouldered Hawks, and plenty of Northern Harriers. Unfortunately, the fog rolled back in and we finally had to give in 15 minutes early. So if the elusive pale Turkey Vulture was out there, its cryptic coloring kept it concealed in the white background for another day! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 440
Species: 11
Hours counted: 4.75
HPH: 93

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October 19, 2002 -- What a day! True Bay Area weather -- chilly to hot to cold and foggy. This provided us a great opportunity to notice behavior changes in the raptors in relation to the weather -- a great burst of birds trying to stay ahead of the fog. And then a few mixed in with the leading edge. Ever try to get the age of a bird from a silhouette in the mist? Thank heavens for the 'undoc' option! Highlights included a couple of great looks at Merlins, and a fair number of adult Accipiters. We called it quits early thanks to the 'white ghost.' -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 460
Species: 9
HPH: 86
Minutes: 320

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October 18, 2002 -- The Rough-legged Hawk earliest sighting record remains unbroken -- October 20th (1991) marks the earliest sighting in GGRO history. Though the clouds parted and the watchers were warm (relatively, wind shooting into north quadrant sent a few of us into the sunny south to thaw for a few minutes), the Roughies made no appearance. Nor did the Golden Eagle keep its 3 o'clock appointment. But a fine day nonetheless, if anything because it was warm and many of the 'locals' climbed out of their warm shells into the sunshine to dominate (!?!) north quadrant. Thanks! Interesting quote of the day: "we dress for yesterday." And today we had to peel layers! Of particular interest -- 5 Merlins. Coops and Sharps seemed to be traveling in pairs (interspecific). And American Crows! Eight came through early in the day, which apparently occurs once or twice a year, when the Ravens aren't looking. --S. Whitecloud

Total: 505
Species: 9
HPH: 84
Hours: 6

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October 17, 2002 -- For those of you who have to work in the mornings, getting to Hawk Hill by 2:45 will still allow great looks at the rarer birds -- another (the same?) Golden Eagle at quarter 'til, and a great look at a Peregrine Falcon at 3:15. The weather was COLD and the wind picked up in the afternoon, making it even colder. I'm typing with a pencil since I still can't feel my fingers. So bundle up! --S. Whitecloud

Total: 367
Species: 11
HPH: 61
hours: 6

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October 16, 2002 - The weather on Hawk Hill today was overcast with variable winds. The usual suspects (Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures etc.) were seen. Highlights included 14 Northern Harriers, 4 Merlins, a Peregrine Falcon, an Osprey and a Golden Eagle.

Total: 378
Species: 11
HPH: 63

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October 15, 2002 - Gray day on the hill, but the Golden Eagle cheered us up! And funny enough, it took the last 45 minutes to get the 4 species to bring us up to the total of 11. So let that be a lesson to all -- patience is a virtue. --S. Whitecloud

TOTAL: 260
Species: 11
HPH: 43.3
Hours: 6

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October 14, 2002 - Today was a day of high fog on Hawk Hill so the HawkWatchers quit at 2:00 PM. Highlights were a juvenile Golden Eagle, a Ferruginous Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon.

Total: 305
Species: 9
HPH: 81.5

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October 13, 2002 - A beautiful warm fall day on Hawk Hill brought out a Ferruginous Hawk and a Merlin as well as the Blue Angels.

Total: 610
Species: 12

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October 12, 2002 - Besides the Blue Angels, there was another unusual sighting for the Hill -- a partial Albino Turkey Vulture. Talk about weird!!! Rumor has it that there were some photos taken, so check the photo album in the near future. The rest of the visitors included Merlins, 3 Peregrine Falcons, and a Golden Eagle. Great, beautiful mild weather. --S. Whitelcoud

Total: 597
Species: 12
HPH: 99.5
Hours: 6

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October 11, 2002 -- Holy smokes, what a day!!! And smoke there was, as well as a lot of noise, thanks to the Blue Angles. Fortunately, zugenruhe-driven raptors care little about the commotion, and we were graced with a 14 species day. The subadult Golden Eagle circled around for a good 5 minutes, showing off it's lovely white wing ovals which were visible even though it remained at a distance. A juvie Ferruginous Hawk also visited the hill, as well as a few Broad-wings. One suggestion for the rest of the weekend -- bring ear plugs! While this may make communication difficult, you can't really scream over jet engines, anyway. -- Simone Whitecloud

Total: 516
Species: 14
HPH: 88.5
Minutes: 350

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October 10, 2002 -- Fogerific! So better luck next time! S. Whitecloud

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October 9, 2002 - A foggy day allowed creative Hawkwatchers to decorate the office of a certain director for his birthday. They even went as far as having a party without him since he was out in a blind.

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October 8, 2002 - At least there was a breeze when we got up to the Hill this morning, so we had high hopes to see lots of hawks without suffering from heat stroke. We counted 345 sightings of 10 species: one Broad-winged Hawk, a Merlin, several sightings of White-tailed Kites, American Kestrels, Red-shouldered Hawks, both age groups of Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks, lots of juvenile Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures. And another exciting winged specimen, the Blue Angels, have arrived in San Francisco Bay! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 345
Species: 10
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 57.5

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October 7, 2002 - Believe it or not, but we have not seen fog on Hawk Hill for over a week! It was another clear and still, and therefore HOT (even compared to Georgia) day here in the Headlands. 9 species sighted included a Ferruginous Hawk, some Broad-winged Hawks, Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawks, American Kestrels, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks (including a dark-morph juv.), Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. These Accipiter sightings included 3 adult Coops and 5 adult Sharpies! A late afternoon breeze made us wonder what would show up after 3:30, but rules are rules and we had to stop counting (plus some were contemplating last-ditch efforts to get cool, and that could have gotten ugly)! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 434
Species: 9
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 72.3

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October 6, 2002 - In the course of six hours of clear and HOT weather (up to 98 F!) We had 393 sightings of 13 species of raptors. Some of the rarer and therefore more exciting sightings were of a Peregrine Falcon and Golden Eagle within minutes of each other, a Swainson's Hawk, a White-tailed Kite, several Broad-winged Hawks, and several Merlins. We had a lot of juvenile Northern Harrier sightings today, plus numerous Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, and one American Kestrel. When the birds were on break, the hawkwatchers kept themselves busy watching container ships with nowhere to go, horse packers, illegal hikers, antique cars, and thousands of swifts--so there was plenty of excitement in the Headlands today! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 393
Species: 13
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 60.5

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October 5, 2002 - Today was a beautiful, HOT, clear day with gentle breezes from the northeast through out the day. We had a close, long look at a Merlin that went directly overhead and a close look at a dark-morph Broad-wing. We also had a sub-adult Golden Eagle at about 2:30 PM that stayed around for awhile although at a distance. We also had a good look at a Ferruginous Hawk early in the morning. Good Day!

Total: 527
Species: 12
HPH: 88

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October 4, 2002 -- Sunny day, small team. Thanks to all the regulars for help. Best look at a Broad-winged Hawk that I've seen this season -- just over the pines in south/west quadrant. A Merlin made a quick jaunt through fifth quadrant, but enough to see it's streaked belly. Everyone was a little sugar-jittery in the AM so the afternoon was a little lax on energy. Fortunately the Red-shoulders were keeping us entertained with tons of great looks. --S. Whitecloud

TOTAL: 464
Species: 10
HPH: 77
hours :6

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October 3, 2002 -- Media frenzy??? Welcome, National Geographic staff. Fortunately we showed them some great weather and birds. Two Peregrines and a Ferruginous Hawk were a nice gift, not to mention having a White-tailed Kite and a Merlin in the same binoc. field. Thanks all for their help today! -- S. Whitecloud

Total: 392
Species: 13
HPH: 65.3

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October 2, 2002 - A windy start to the day brought clear skies / weather conditions and blew in an exciting variety of raptors! Among them, 118 juvenile Coopers Hawks raced by, along with lots of juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks. Other interesting sightings for the day included two Broad-wings, one Merlin, one Ferruginous Hawk, one Swainson's Hawk, and one Osprey! Red-tail numbers were low. Activity peaked in late morning and subsided noticeably when the wind died down around noon / 1 PM.

Total sightings: 486
Hawks per hour: 81.2
Species: 14 (the highest so far this season!!!)

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October 1, 2002 -- Osprey are serious about their schedules -- end of September means their migration is over. Even without one, we had a great day, perfect weather, and a cloud back drop for most of the day. Broad-wings and Red-shoulders were fairly plentiful. Couple of Merlins, too. Golden Eagle!?! Sub-adult marks the first official one of the season. And a Ferruginous to end the day. How sweet! Not a day for the less dedicated -- late arrivals and earlier departures missed out of the above two. -- S. Whitecloud

TOTAL: 590
HPH: 98.3
Species: 11
hours :6

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September 30, 2002 -Beautiful day on "the Hill" today. Mostly sunny, some light clouds; made for great hawkwatching! The mornings started a little light on the wind, so the birds were flying high. Actually, they were high all day. Bad for the neck. Highlights for the day included 15 Broadwings (including one dark morph), one juvy Ferruginous hawk, a dark morph red tail, a few Merlins, a few Kites, a couple Peregrines, one male Harrier, Redshoulders, and loads of accipiters, as well as two coyotes!

Species: 13
Total Sightings: 586
Hawks Per Hour: 97.7

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September 29, 2002 - The weather on Hawk Hill was glorious! Seventeen Broad-winged Hawks were recorded as well as 25 Northern Harriers, 3 Merlins and 190 Sharp-shinned Hawks. Also seen were Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Cooper's Hawks, American Kestrels and Red-shouldered Hawks.

TOTAL: 889
Species: 12
HPH: 148

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September 28, 2002 - Today was high overcast with light south to southwest winds gradually bringing more and more sun through the day. Bottom line: NO FOG! Next bottom line: a superb hawk day with 603 sightings comprising 13 species. Fourteen species if you include a Burrowing Owl that made a midday flap past Hawk Hill. All the usual suspects but including 6 Broad-winged Hawks in the sky at one time. Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, White-tailed Kites, American Kestrels, Merlins, Northern Harriers, and one Osprey. Lots of people. A half dozen groups. And everyone in great spirits. -Allen Fish

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September 27, 2002 -- High fog today. Or low clouds? Either way it was a great backdrop for the 295 birds overhead. Thanks to the 5th quadrant Broad-winged Hawk for enlivening the day. A Merlin also flew through the 5th, thank heavens Allen's eagle eyes were able to discern Male Kestrel versus Merlin. -- Simone Whitecloud

TOTAL: 295
Species: 8
HPH: 49.2
hours: 6

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September 26, 2002 -- Fog. Gof. It's still the same backwards. Annex bird watching is great for helping beginners with a little tutoring. But that gets a little cold. Better luck next time!! --S. Whitecloud

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September 25, 2002 - This is the way to do it -- we had a super high 134 Hawk sightings per hour (HPH), so we were very busy, but we only had to brave the cold wind and fog for 3 hours! Despite the weather's depressing effects on us, the birds either don't mind it or really really want to get to where they are going. They put us to work by gathering in numerous very large kettles, which included birds of a variety of species: Broad-winged Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks (including an adult dark morph), Turkey Vultures, Cooper's Hawks, and Sharp-shinned Hawks. There were also Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, a Peregrine Falcon, and a Prairie Falcon. So it wasn't the quantity of time but the quality of the work that exhausted us! -Ashley Sexton

Total Sightings: 402
Species: 10
Hours counted: 3
HPH: 134

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September 24, 2002 - With fog in the valley and at the beach, we were happy to get up to Hawk Hill, where the sky was blue! We counted hawks of 8 species, including a number of adult Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Red-shouldered Hawks, Sharpies and Coops, American Kestrels, an adult White-tailed Kite and a very close, very beautiful adult Broad-winged Hawk. However, after 3.5 hours of counting, we realized that we had all run out of warm clothes and could no longer see farther than our binocular lenses, so we retreated to the Annex below. In Kirby cove, it seemed like there were more Accipiters and Red-tailed Hawks than we had seen all day from the Hill, so the opportunity to enhance our ID skills meant that all was not lost! -Ashley Sexton

Total sightings: 180
Species: 8
Hours counted: 3.5
HPH: 51.4

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September 23, 2002 - Once again, we left dreary, foggy Ft. Cronkhite and climbed above the clouds into a really warm day on Hawk Hill. A beautiful dark-morph adult Red-tailed Hawk came close early, and we also had some great views of an adult male and juvenile Northern Harriers during the day. As expected, we counted lots of Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks, and we saw a good number of Redtails, Turkey Vultures, and 15 sightings of Broad-winged Hawks. Other birds seen were Red-shouldered Hawks, American Kestrels, 2 Merlins, a Prairie Falcon and an Osprey. -Ashley Sexton

Total Sightings: 761
Species: 11
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 126.8

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September 22, 2002 - This morning the weather conditions fell under Sky Code "A": only experienced at Hawk Hill, CA and Heaven- crystal clear blue sky above, and clouds below! We had a season high number of raptor sightings with 942, which included 13 species. We recorded 345 Sharp-shinned Hawk sightings, 192 passings by Red-tailed Hawks, as well as plenty of Cooper's Hawks and Turkey Vultures. We had a remarkable 22 sightings of Broad-winged Hawks and 57 of Red-shouldered Hawks. To round it out, we also counted several Ospreys, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, and Ferruginous Hawks, a White-tailed Kite, Merlin, and a Peregrine Falcon. It was a gorgeous and eventful day, and thanks to all of the volunteers who helped out with counting and providing docent talks! -Ashley Sexton

Total Sightings: 953
Species: 13
Hours counted: 6
HPH: 158.8

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September 21, 2002 - The HawkWatch was fogged out today. The fog threatened to clear but the team never got a clear view in four directions.

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Hot hot morning with very little wind to speak of, but the Sharp-shinned Hawks kept rising! A light wind rose in the afternoon and the numbers picked up. Lots of Sharpies and juvenile Redtails, some Cooper's Hawks, and Turkey Vultures, smaller numbers of Red-shoulder Hawks, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels. And one Peregrine Falcon and one Merlin near day's end. In all, second highest day of the season so far. - Allen Fish

Total sightings: 752
Total rate: 115 raptors per hour

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September 19, 2002 -- Five Buteo Day!!! Thanks to a visit from a juvie Ferruginous Hawk and an adult Broad-winged. Numbers may have been low, but species diversity was high. Many thanks to all those involved, especially the usual North quadrant gang (though Herb's absence was not unnoticed.) Wait -- I forgot to mention the rare bird -- juvenile Swainson's Hawk. A gorgeous look as it tried to sneak by undetected in the 'fifth' quadrant. Good reminder that hawk watching requires the occasional (or not so occasional) look up. --S. Whitecloud

TOTAL:634
SPECIES:13
HPH: 105.67
HOURS:6

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September 17, 2002 - A warm cloudless day with slight NW wind yielded a steady stream of Sharp-shinned Hawks, some great looks at Cooper's Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, the Ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawks. A handful of American Kestrels. Some good small flocks of Vaux's Swifts, a few White-throated Swifts, and two Black Swifts. No great surprises today save a morning Merlin and one midday Broad-winged Hawk. Oh, and we saw lots and lots and lots of hawks. - Allen Fish

658 sightings
109.7 HPH

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September 17, 2002 -- Raptorific! 11 species, and high numbers. The season is upon us, friends! Couple of Broad-winged Hawks, a Merlin, 5 White-tailed Kites and 10 Ospreys (no fish). The local juvie Red-tail (named for her ever-watching pal, she goes by "Herbacious") graced a group of school kids with a hover about five feet from their faces. She even landed on the handrails for another close look. --S. Whitecloud

TOTAL:905
SPECIES:11
HPH:150.8
HOURS:6

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September 16, 2002 - We experienced every climate of the Bay Area today, but in between waves of fog, we had a beautiful day on Hawk Hill where we saw raptors of 11 species! The Accipiters seem to be traveling in flocks, which makes for excited but worn out hawkwatchers -- We had about 265 sightings of what seemed to be mostly Sharp-Shinned Hawks along with the Cooper's Hawks. Other highlights were a couple of Broad-winged hawks of both age-groups, a young Prairie Falcon headed for the city, and a Merlin at the end of the count. We also saw American Kestrels, Ospreys without fish, juvenile and adult Red-shouldered Hawks and Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Haw