hydromatic-ggro 2010-09-05T17:08:59.887-0700 GGRO http://www.ggro.org ggro@parksconservancy.org hydromatic-ggro-201009052010-09-05T17:08:59.887-07002010-09-05T17:08:59.887-0700Today started off with heavy fog in the Headlands. This limited the visibility from Hawk Hill. However, the fog receded by eleven o'clock, and by mid-afternoon, the Hawkwatch team was able to spot birds several miles away with their spotting scopes. For all of you Osprey and American Kestrel fans out there, today was the day to see those birds up close. The Hawkwatch team was privileged to see nine Osprey and twelve American Kestrels during our count! One of the American Kestrels flew by with several hummingbirds in hot pursuit! Juvenile Cooper's Hawks and one Sharp-shinned Hawks also flew in fairly close to the Hawkwatch team, which allowed new Hawkwatchers to practice their accipiter identification skills. So far, this was one highest hawk counts for the GGRO 2010 season.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 265<br/> Hours Counted: 5<br/> HPH: 46.7<br/> Total Species: 8<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 68<br/> Osprey: 9<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 5<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 3<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 162<br/> American Kestrel: 12<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 2<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Raptor: 3<br/> Genevieve Rozhon hydromatic-ggro-201009042010-09-04T13:36:42.871-07002010-09-04T13:36:42.871-0700The fog sat heavy in the Marin Headlands this Saturday. After a bird walk around the lagoon where we saw some phalaropes and a Caspian tern. We stopped at the Annex to check in with the docent talk, but they hadn't seen much besides fog, so we took a field trip to the Mill Valley marsh. It was still foggy when we returned to the Headlands. <br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 0<br/> Hours Counted: 0<br/> HPH: 0<br/> Total Species: 0<br/> Anastasia hydromatic-ggro-201009032010-09-03T16:50:38.360-07002010-09-03T16:50:38.360-0700Today the Friday I team spent the first couple hours checking out the Red-necked Phalaropes in the lagoon before heading to the alternate hawkwatch site. There we experienced fog below covering much of the Golden Gate Bridge and streaming into the bay, but clear skies above. We were treated to a display from the bridge Peregrine almost as soon as we arrived, and the rest of the day was rather slow, although we enjoyed watching George and his family circle through. Late in the day, a couple of bold juvenile Red-tails were seen crossing the foggy strait, heading southward. A total of 38 hawks were counted, for 9.1 hawks per hour.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 38<br/> Hours Counted: 4*<br/> HPH: 9.1<br/> Total Species: 4<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 22<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 2<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 13<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 1<br/> Lindsay Addison hydromatic-ggro-201009022010-09-02T16:54:36.508-07002010-09-02T16:54:36.508-0700Today was another hot day for the Hawkwatch team. However, westerly and south-westerly winds during the observation period helped cool down the Headlands somewhat. It turned out to be a great day to watch juvenile Red-tailed hawk perform acrobatics, practice hunting techniques, and tease the local adult Red-tails. The Hawkwatch team was also treated to some great close-up views of juvenile Red-shouldered hawks adult and Peregrine Falcons. At one point, two Peregrine were spotted perching next to each other on the Golden Gate Bridge! Several Osprey and American Kestrels were also seen in the Headlands today.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 138<br/> Hours Counted: 5*<br/> HPH: 23.8<br/> Total Species: 6<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 38<br/> Osprey: 3<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 3<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 81<br/> American Kestrel: 7<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 4<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Accipiter: 2<br/> Genevieve Rozhon hydromatic-ggro-201009012010-09-01T16:22:46.543-07002010-09-01T16:22:46.543-0700All that sunscreen and extra ice water came in handy today. It was hot throughout with temperatures reaching 92 degrees during the 2 o'clock hour. Lots of juvenile Red-tailed Hawks braved the heat and continued their southward march. Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk and American Kestrel were also spotted today. Around midday, two large falcons were sighted circling above the Golden Gate's North Tower but both birds were moving fast and away from the hawkwatch team toward Crissy Field preventing identification. The watch adjourned at 3:05 p.m.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 122<br/> Hours Counted: 5*<br/> HPH: 22.2<br/> Total Species: 8<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 31<br/> Osprey: 1<br/> Northern Harrier: 4<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 6<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 71<br/> American Kestrel: 5<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Falcon: 2<br/> Jonathan Stein hydromatic-ggro-201008312010-08-31T16:40:31.449-07002010-08-31T16:40:31.449-0700The fog came through in waves this morning but was mostly below us at our elevation. It cleared up in the afternoon but there was a persistent layer of fog that hovered under the Golden Gate Bridge and over the Bay all day, causing a kettle of about 7 Red-tailed hawks to hang around for quite a while, while they waited to see land before crossing south. Towards the end of the day we got a great look at some Peregrine falcons while the resident pair chased off an interloper right over our heads.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 87<br/> Hours Counted: 5.5*<br/> HPH: 15.8<br/> Total Species: 8<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 33<br/> Northern Harrier: 2<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 4<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 1<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 40<br/> American Kestrel: 3<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 3<br/> Anastasia hydromatic-ggro-201008302010-08-30T16:33:32.654-07002010-08-30T16:33:32.654-0700The first White-tailed Kite of the season was spotted today spiraling upward over Hawk Hill before melting into the clouds. The kite proved to be one of nine species seen, matching our most species-rich day this season. Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Red-shouldered Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk were seen in addition to lots of Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures. For most of the watch, blue skies and a light breeze predominated. Toward the end, the wind picked up and fog began to creep in and envelope the crew. With visibility deteriorating, the watch was called at 3 p.m.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 103<br/> Hours Counted: 5.5*<br/> HPH: 18.7<br/> Total Species: 9<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 42<br/> White-tailed Kite: 1<br/> Northern Harrier: 1<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 3<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 1<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 43<br/> American Kestrel: 7<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 3<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Raptor: 1<br/> Jonathan Stein hydromatic-ggro-201008292010-08-29T15:52:16.030-07002010-08-29T15:52:16.030-0700The day started out promising with great looks at an American Kestrel barreling forth out of the clouds. But quickly thereafter, the fog rolled in again and continued to roll in again and again for the rest of the watch, limiting visibility considerably. A smattering of raptors, mostly Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures, were sighted through the fog. The highlight of the day came when a dark morph juvenile Red-tailed Hawk circled Hawk Hill, providing excellent views. The watch was called at 2 p.m. due to excessive fog.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 43<br/> Hours Counted: 3<br/> HPH: 14.3<br/> Total Species: 4<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 13<br/> Northern Harrier: 1<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 26<br/> American Kestrel: 3<br/> Jonathan Stein hydromatic-ggro-201008282010-08-28T16:36:48.608-07002010-08-28T16:36:48.608-0700The remnants of an Alaskan storm brought us a strange mixture of billowing clouds, gusty winds and blue skies. Juvenile redtails, practicing their stilling skills, dominated the count. An adult and a juvenile peregrine were above us simultaneously, and the adult stooped on a redtail. A good start to Sat II's season.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 166<br/> Hours Counted: 5.42<br/> HPH: 30.6<br/> Total Species: 7<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 49<br/> Osprey: 2<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 2<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 109<br/> American Kestrel: 1<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 2<br/> Lindsay hydromatic-ggro-201008272010-08-27T13:48:48.517-07002010-08-27T13:48:48.517-0700Fogged out for the second day in a row! The fog was higher today and started clearing in the late afternoon, but we had already decided to come down and wouldn't have been able to collect more than two hours of data. Thursdays and Fridays seem to be out of luck the first two weeks of HawkWatch!<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 0<br/> Hours Counted: 0*<br/> HPH: 0<br/> Total Species: 0<br/> Anastasia hydromatic-ggro-201008262010-08-26T14:55:35.382-07002010-08-26T14:55:35.382-0700Thursday II's first day was very foggy! After an extended morning meeting we headed over to the Annex but could barely see the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. We did see two resident Red-tails in a tree, guarding Kirby Cove, as well as a low-flying Cooper's hawk. We took a tour of the alternate HawkWatch site, but all we could see was fog and the tears in our eyes from the brisk wind.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 0<br/> Hours Counted: 0*<br/> HPH: 0<br/> Total Species: 0<br/> Anastasia hydromatic-ggro-201008252010-08-25T16:37:22.596-07002010-08-25T16:37:22.596-0700Although today's Hawkwatch team received a break from the heat wave, they were buffeted all day long with westerly winds up to 29mph. However, seeing two Osprey, which appeared to be heading south, zoom over our heads, made up for the extremely windy weather! We also observed several American Kestrels, a few Northern Harriers, and one Cooper's hawk with a gigantic bulging crop (looked like it just had a big snack!). The majority of raptors we saw today were juvenile Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures. Good luck to tomorrow's Hawkwatch team!<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 140<br/> Hours Counted: 4.5*<br/> HPH: 31.1<br/> Total Species: 6<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 56<br/> Osprey: 2<br/> Northern Harrier: 2<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 1<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 75<br/> American Kestrel: 3<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Raptor: 1<br/> Genevieve Rozhon hydromatic-ggro-201008242010-08-24T16:45:52.264-07002010-08-24T16:45:52.264-0700The heat continued today, with temperatures reaching 99 degrees in light winds that tailed off as the afternoon progressed. Sightings were up a little too. Two hundred and forty-two total hawks were observed, and Turkey Vultures and juvenile Red-tailed Hawks again were the most common raptors. Adding to the mix when hawk sightings are slow in coming, an apparently leucistic Bewick's Wren has been hanging around the alternate hawkwatch site for the past day or so.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 243<br/> Hours Counted: 5*<br/> HPH: 48.6<br/> Total Species: 9<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 136<br/> Osprey: 1<br/> Northern Harrier: 2<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 9<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 5<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 84<br/> American Kestrel: 4<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 1<br/> Lindsay hydromatic-ggro-201008232010-08-23T17:10:24.931-07002010-08-23T17:10:24.931-0700The Headlands really heated up today, with the ambient temperature ranging above eighty degrees Fahrenheit and minimal wind until after 2:00 p.m. However, the Hawkwatchers sweat it out at our alternate hawk watch site today, and were rewarded with several sightings of American Kestrels and juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks. Overall juvenile Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures were the most common raptors seen today.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 147<br/> Hours Counted: 5*<br/> HPH: 29.4<br/> Total Species: 6<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 68<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 4<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 65<br/> American Kestrel: 4<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 1<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Accipiter: 1<br/> Buteo: 3<br/> Genevieve Rozhon hydromatic-ggro-201008222010-08-22T17:09:15.247-07002010-08-22T17:09:15.247-0700Although today started off with heavy fog over Hawk Hill, the Hawkwatch team was optimistic that the fog would soon clear. So, we hiked up to Hawk Hill and started counting raptors at 10:45 a.m. It turned out to be a great day to hawk watch! The fog gave way to the warm sun by noon, and after that, we could see all the way to Mount Tamalpais. Gentle winds from the NNW direction predominated during the day. The most common species seen today were Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures. The Red-tailed hawks were mainly playful, awkward juveniles, who hung around the Headlands for several hours. We also saw several female American Kestrels and juvenile Red-shouldered hawks. The total number of hawks counted today was 152 hawks. Since we counted hawks for 4.75 hours, our rate of hawks per hour was 32. Hopefully tomorrow’s Hawkwatch will also enjoy great weather and have plenty of raptors to watch!<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 152<br/> Hours Counted: 4.75<br/> HPH: 32<br/> Total Species: 6<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 42<br/> Northern Harrier: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 2<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 3<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 99<br/> American Kestrel: 3<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Buteo: 1<br/> Raptor: 1<br/> Genevieve Rozhon hydromatic-ggro-201008212010-08-21T16:52:00.568-07002010-08-21T16:52:00.568-0700Daily HawkBlog: First Day on Hawk Hill!<br/><br/>We got off to a late start as we waited out the weather and sorted out all the business for the Saturday I crew's first day of the season. We spent some time at the Annex waiting for the skies to clear slightly and finally made it up to Hawk Hill around noon. Visibility was fair with the fog continuing to lift, although the sun really didn't break through until about 2:30. Today was mostly a practice run and we only spent three hours on the hill, but we did see a lot of Turkey vultures and some Red-tailed hawks playing around in the sky. The only other raptor species we saw was an osprey, although we did spot a dark morph juvenile Red-tail! Our total count was 84 raptors in 3.25 hours with a rate of 25.8 hawks per hour.<br/><br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 84<br/> Hours Counted: 3.25<br/> HPH: 25.8<br/> Total Species: 3<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 46<br/> Osprey: 1<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 35<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Raptor: 2<br/> Anastasia hydromatic-ggro-201008202010-08-20T15:55:43.505-07002010-08-20T15:55:43.505-0700Much like Thursday I, the Friday I team spent a day in the fog. Although there were no birds to be seen--with the exception of Fog Phoenixes--the group was able to get oriented to the site and go over protocols. With the fog remaining heavy, the team adjourned to the annex shortly before one to eat lunch and watch the local Red-tails.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 0<br/> Hours Counted: 0*<br/> HPH: 0<br/> Total Species: 0<br/> Lindsay hydromatic-ggro-201008192010-08-19T17:01:09.200-07002010-08-19T17:01:09.200-0700It was a low thick fog in the Headlands today. The optimistic Hawkwatchers went up to the alternate count site and thought the skies would clear - but alas, they did not. The team took a walk around the lagoon, hoping for a river otter sighting, and were instead entertained by a juvenile and adult Red-tailed Hawk doing barrel rolls and other acrobatics. Hopefully the fog will clear for Friday's team!<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 0<br/> Hours Counted: 0*<br/> HPH: 0<br/> Total Species: 0<br/> Jill hydromatic-ggro-201008182010-08-18T16:52:29.360-07002010-08-18T16:52:29.360-0700A beautiful and clear day at our alternate hawkwatching site led to a highly productive day up on the hill. Red-tailed Hawks, mostly juveniles, were streaming by at a 14 bird per hour clip. Two Red-shouldered Hawks came in and allowed close inspection. An assortment of accipiters were spotted. And the season’s first American Kestrel, a female zooming by fast and low, wrapped up the day nicely. <br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 119<br/> Hours Counted: 5*<br/> HPH: 23.8<br/> Total Species: 6<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 38<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 4<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 2<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 69<br/> American Kestrel: 1<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Buteo: 2<br/> Raptor: 1<br/> Jonathan hydromatic-ggro-201008172010-08-17T18:18:31.617-07002010-08-17T18:18:31.617-0700First Day Collecting Data!<br/><br/>After being fogged out on the first day of the season, we were wary of the fog that swept down the coast towards us in our first hour, but we were soon treated to bright blue skies and brisk winds that kept the fog away for the rest of the day! Because it was our first day at our alternate hawkwatching site, we spent some time arranging people and scopes to determine the best viewing quadrants and ended up with five viewpoints.<br/><br/>We saw many Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed hawks and one of each common Accipiter species. There were two Peregrines and one Red-shoulder that flew by as well. Hoping for more hawks and clear skies tomorrow!<br/><br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 87<br/> Hours Counted: 4.5*<br/> HPH: 19.3<br/> Total Species: 6<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 41<br/> Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1<br/> Cooper's Hawk: 1<br/> Red-shouldered Hawk: 1<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 38<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 2<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Accipiter: 1<br/> Raptor: 2<br/> Anastasia hydromatic-ggro-201008162010-08-16T15:17:05.556-07002010-08-16T15:17:05.556-0700The opening day of the 2010 season and not a single migrating raptor to be seen. The fog was low and thick at our alternate hawkwatch site, limiting visibility considerably. Strong winds and a lack of birds forced the team to descend to the Annex, where observers were treated to the comings and goings of a few local Redtails but little else. The day ended at 1 p.m.<br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 0<br/> Hours Counted: 3*<br/> HPH: 0<br/> Total Species: 0<br/> Jonathan hydromatic-ggro-201008122010-08-12T21:16:52.073-07002010-08-12T21:16:52.073-0700Only a few days to go. Hawkwatch's 2010 season starts on Monday.<br/> <br/> You may have seen one or two test messages on Facebook and Twitter floating by. Please ignore these! I'm just checking that the plumbing still works, so we can publish daily hawkwatch numbers starting from Monday.<br/> <br/> 2010 is going to be a strange season for GGRO Hawkwatch. Due to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/goga/parknews/2010-0324.htm">ongoing work on Conzelman Road</a>, we don't have access to Hawk Hill on Mondays through Fridays, so we will be counting from a remote alternate site on those days. On weekends, the Hawkwatch team will be on Hawk Hill but access is still prohibited to the general public. The hawkwatching will be different enough from the two locations that we expect our alternate site's data will not be quantitively comparable with past years' data. However, we don't want to pass up the chance to do some regular hawkwatching this season to get a good qualitative feel for the 2010 flight.<br/> <br/> Since the public will not be allowed to visit Hawk Hill until possibly November, we are setting up a new public hawkwatching and interpretive site just for weekends in September and October. Known as the Annex, this is the large four-bench turnout on Conzelman Road just before you hit the Upper Conzelman Road locked fog gate. We will station GGRO docents there from 10 am to 2 pm during all clear weekend days in September and October.<br/> <br/> We don't know how this will all turn out, but we do know three things: it's going to be an interesting season; there are going to be lots of beautiful raptors in the skies; and you can follow it all here, via the Facebook feed. Stay tuned.<br/> Julian Hyde hydromatic-ggro-200912062009-12-06T14:19:12.153-08002009-12-06T14:19:12.153-0800A small team of five made it up to the hill today, to end the 2009 season. A rather slow day, with only five species, but we got to see quite a spectacle when two Red-tails talon-grappled and went plummeting down quite a ways before letting go. We left the hill just in time for it to rain on our cars as we drove back to the office. Thanks for a great season, Sunday II! <br/> <br/> Total Sightings: 89<br/> Hours Counted: 3<br/> HPH: 25.43<br/> Total Species: 5<br/> <br/> Species Counts:<br/> Turkey Vulture: 15<br/> Northern Harrier: 3<br/> Red-tailed Hawk: 59<br/> American Kestrel: 8<br/> Peregrine Falcon: 3<br/> <br/> Unidentified...<br/> Raptor: 1<br/> Robyn