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Sunday, December 09, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Beautiful weather on the Hill for the last day for Sunday II's team. A little slow, bird-wise, but they came at a steady pace. The majority of the raptors we counted today were Red-tails and Turkey Vultures, with out first Accipiter sighting past 2:00. Still, not a bad day for the end of the season!
Total Sightings: 154
Hours Counted: 4.5
HPH: 34.22
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 41
Northern Harrier: 4
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 99
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 2
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, December 07, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Great last day for the Friday II team! Beautiful sunny weather, no clouds, and very little breeze (is this really December?). Saw a solid 9 species starting off the day with a rough-legged hawk and ending with a ferruginous hawk! Great season Friday II team!
Total Sightings: 178
Hours Counted: 4.5
HPH: 39.6
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 49
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 114
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Finally the sun is shining! There were hawks to count! The local pair of peregrines visited us several times throughout the day. In the morning, they had a few ravens in tow who they were being pestered by - or were pestering - it was unclear. No cooper's hawks for the first full day of counting in a while, but two little sharp-shinned hawks kept the accipiter division represented. Viva sun!
Total Sightings: 151
Hours Counted: 5
HPH: 30.2
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 89
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 45
American Kestrel: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 7
Unidentified...
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Cold, breezy day on the Hill! South quadrant was colder than North this time, with the wind coming from a southerly direction. About 10% of the raptors we counted today were perched, but we did have some nice fly-overs: an adult Peregrine falcon towards the end of the day and a juvenile Red-tail with a leucistic section of primary feathers. And lets not kid ourselves, the selection of food was pretty spectacular too.
Total Sightings: 94
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 23.5
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 50
Bald Eagle: 1
Northern Harrier: 3
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 27
American Kestrel: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Buteo: 1
Eagle: 1
Raptor: 6
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, December 03, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Lovely sunny day with mild winds and temps in the high 60's. Decent flight for the time of year, of course much slowed down. A late prairie falcon was gracious enough to visit! It was a gorgeous day for the last Monday of the season. Until next time!
Total Sightings: 132
Hours Counted: 5
HPH: 26.4
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 49
Northern Harrier: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 5
Cooper's Hawk: 5
Red-shouldered Hawk: 4
Red-tailed Hawk: 58
American Kestrel: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Prairie Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Buteo: 2
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
The rain continues and sadly the Saturday I team was unable to count hawks today. We did enjoy some breakfast treats and good company before calling it quits. Great season Saturday I team! And I certainly hope this rain stops soon...
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Drippy, drippy day, we hoped that the afternoon would clear a bit like yesterday, but that strange half-mist-half-rain kept hanging in the air.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Weird day for weather starting with pouring rain, transitioning into sunshine, and ending with fog. The team enjoyed delicious treats during the morning. Once the rain cleared, we marveled at a large flock of brown pelicans on the lagoon before heading up to the hill. We had a slow 2 hours of counting before fog (and some boredom) brought us back down.
Total Sightings: 14
Hours Counted: 2
HPH: 7
Total Species: 2
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 9
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Nice day for our last Tuesday I; patchy clouds and occasional wind with some nice sun. Plenty of red-tails still out there, accipiters have fallen off drastically, and we're still keeping eyes out for exotic northern birds like rough-legged hawks and ferruginous hawks! We got to end our day by watching the telemetry crew release their newest bird, a juvenile male red-tail hawk called Echo. Best luck to them!
Total Sightings: 108
Hours Counted: 5
HPH: 21.6
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 34
Osprey: 2
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 55
American Kestrel: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 3
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Slow, foggy day with an early retreat...
Total Sightings: 24
Hours Counted: 3
HPH: 8
Total Species: 5
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 20
American Kestrel: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Fairly slow start to the day with no visibility in all quadrants until the sky cleared after 11:30. The team got a few good looks at Merlins, including one catching insects mid-flight. There were also three dark morph adult Red-tails recorded between 1 and 2.
Total Sightings: 189
Hours Counted: 5.5
HPH: 34.4
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 34
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 15
Cooper's Hawk: 7
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 104
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 6
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Such a beautiful day on the hill with more raptor activity than we've seen in quite some time! Steady winds from the North/West throughout the day brought a steady stream of Red Tailed Hawks, more Accipiters than we've seen in a day for a few weeks, and great views of both a Ferruginous and a Rough Legged Hawk. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon just outfitted with a GPS backpack transmitter was released from the top of the hill at the end of the day - a map on which you can follow her travels will be on the GGRO website in a few days!
Total Sightings: 360
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 60
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 115
Northern Harrier: 13
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 26
Cooper's Hawk: 14
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 169
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 6
Buteo: 2
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
It was a busy and gusty Black Friday on Hawk Hill with lots of visitors taking advantage of the holiday. It appears that the hawks enjoy all the deals of Black Friday as well, as there were 286 sightings (respectable for late November). A hungry merlin had a snack on the wing right in front of north quadrant and with only a few minutes left before closing time a beautiful juvenile golden eagle passed by the hill! We enjoyed a hawks per hour rate of 47.7 - all around a fun day of hawk counting!
Total Sightings: 286
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 47.7
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 67
Northern Harrier: 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 13
Cooper's Hawk: 10
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 159
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 6
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Raptor: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Happy Thanksgiving! A beautiful day on the hill and though we didn't see many birds, we made up for it in quality. We saw 10 species including a beautiful mid-day Rough Legged Hawk that flew directly over hawk hill. Quite a few Harriers (including an adult male,) Red Shouldered hawks & a late day Merlin.
Total Sightings: 124
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 20.67
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 51
Northern Harrier: 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 5
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 53
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The Hill was fogged in when we arrived at 10 but cleared around 11:30. Most birds seemed to be flying relatively high in the sky. There were a number of dark morphs sighted, including a few Red-tails and a Rough-legged Hawk! The banding team trapped a large Red-tail that Chris attached a GSM Transmitter to and released at Hawk Hill after giving everyone a good look. Turned out to be a productive day after a not-so-promising start.
Total Sightings: 197
Hours Counted: 5.5
HPH: 35.8
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 56
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 8
Cooper's Hawk: 5
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 108
Rough-legged Hawk: 2
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 3
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Went up to the hill in rather ominous weather, counted some turkey vultures and a few adult red tailed hawks fighting the wind that was gusting up to 25 miles per hour. We were struggling to hold our binoculars steady enough to see hawks through them! Then it started to rain on our rather sparse bird parade, so we called it a day after only 45 minutes of counting. Better luck next time....
Total Sightings: 11
Hours Counted: 0.75
HPH: 14.67
Total Species: 2
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 7
Red-tailed Hawk: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Good weather with shifty winds. It seems we are back to low Accipiter numbers and high Red-tail numbers. There were three juvenile Northern Harriers that were sighted close to each other, and the team got some good looks at Peregrine falcons.
Total Sightings: 144
Hours Counted: 5.5
HPH: 26.18
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 50
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 6
Cooper's Hawk: 2
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 65
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 6
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Falcon: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Nice day after the rain, mostly sunny for the first half of the day. Birds are slowing down but they're still out there! Only three more weeks of count left!
Total Sightings: 200
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 33.33
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 63
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 7
Cooper's Hawk: 3
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 104
American Kestrel: 6
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Despite a valiant effort on the part of the volunteer hawk watchers, there was no hawk counting done today. First it was the rain, which sent the banders home. But even after the rain subsided, thick fog remained. Blue sky hung tantalizingly close, and yet the soupy fog hung over hawk hill the entire day.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
I seem to have used the word 'slow' in yesterday's post excessively, without knowing what was to come today! The fact that we made it up to the hill for a full 4 hours was extraordinary considering the forecast and the rain events that did bookend our day. We counted almost as many species as we did hawks per hour, with most of our diversity seen in the very first hour (when there was warm sun on our backs!) Highlight of the day was a close adult peregrine with a very light silver back, leading us to believe this wasn't one of the local adults we usually see. Also, lots of time to look at a Merlin that perched on a rock right by the hill.
Total Sightings: 31
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 7.75
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 16
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Some slow pre-storm hawkwatching, with light wind from the south for most of the day...kept things pretty slow. A good handful of red tailed hawks, accipiters continue to slow. No sightings of exceptional birds. Things got extremely slow in the afternoon, but we spotted an adult male harrier / "gray ghost" just before packing up.
Total Sightings: 238
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 39.67
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 90
Northern Harrier: 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 10
Cooper's Hawk: 8
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 106
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Posted by: Regan
Today was probably the windiest day I have ever spent on Hawk Hill with gusts reaching 25 mph! The wind did add some level of entertainment however with ravens performing acrobatics and sharp-shinned hawks being flung around like rag dolls. Raptors did brave the wind as we had 261 sitings (HPH 43.5). The highlights of the day were a juvenile ferruginous hawk (at a distance) and an up close encounter with a rough-legged hawk! A nice merlin also gave us some good looks as well.
Total Sightings: 261
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 43.5
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 96
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 12
Cooper's Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 118
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Rough-legged Hawk: 2
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 6
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Posted by: Regan and Kate
Beautiful day on Hawk Hill staying breezy in the mid/high-50s all day. Red-tailed hawks ruled the day with 182 sightings including some really cool dark morphs (a rufous adult and splotchy, dark morph juvenile). But the highlight of the day goes to an adult ferruginous hawk that flew right over the hill.
Total sightings: 340
HPH: 56.67
Species: 11
Total Sightings: 340
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 56.67
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 90
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 13
Cooper's Hawk: 21
Red-shouldered Hawk: 7
Red-tailed Hawk: 182
Ferruginous Hawk: 2
American Kestrel: 6
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Posted by: Keith G.
The weather today was sunny and pleasant with good visibility and wind for a fine flight of Red-Tailed Hawks this afternoon. Other highlights included a black Merlin and a great look overhead of the juvenile Ferruginous Hawk. The Rough-legged Hawks were distant looks with the first sighting showing all of the diagnostic markings when viewed through the spotting scope. Good luck tomorrow.
Total Sightings: 411
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 68.5
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 84
Northern Harrier: 18
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 18
Cooper's Hawk: 40
Red-shouldered Hawk: 7
Red-tailed Hawk: 208
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Rough-legged Hawk: 2
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 5
Buteo: 16
Falcon: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The team was small today, but there were a lot of others up on the Hill to help out. Weather was pretty consistent, not too hot and not too cold with relatively low wind, but birds were flying really high. There were a number of Peregrines sighted today, with two adults calling to each other over the Hill.
Total Sightings: 311
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 51.8
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 57
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 4
Northern Harrier: 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 11
Cooper's Hawk: 16
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 183
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 20
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 5
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
"That's the best view I've ever gotten of a _____" was a phrase used a lot of times on Hawk Hill today! The blank was filled in with various excellent raptor sightings including a Rough Legged Hawk, a Swainson's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and most intriguing of all, a Dark Morph Rough Legged Hawk. Not only did we see these birds, but we saw them well - not the more typical "speck" sightings of these species that are "exotic" by our standards. Ask any Saturday II team member about this day and they'll brag about the 3 Rough-Legged Hawks and the 2 Swainson's hawks happily. Otherwise, a fairly ordinary and sunny day, with much more activity in the morning than the afternoon, but some good late-day Merlin sightings kept us entertained.
Total Sightings: 303
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 50.5
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 73
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 13
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 22
Cooper's Hawk: 15
Red-shouldered Hawk: 9
Swainson's Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 143
Rough-legged Hawk: 3
American Kestrel: 4
Merlin: 4
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, November 09, 2012
Posted by: James/Allen
Rain never showed up for which we are grateful. Quite a few am harriers and afternoon look at a juv Ferruginous. Highlight of the afternoon was a big female Peregrine circling the hill. In general, many Redtails and both small accips still enjoying the Golden Gate route. And Merlins - at least six. That's Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin.
Total Sightings: 333
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 55.5
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 62
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 25
Cooper's Hawk: 29
Red-shouldered Hawk: 7
Red-tailed Hawk: 173
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 6
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 5
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Posted by: Regan and Sarah
Today's hawk watch team battled the elements, hunkered down in the rain and wind, and clocked 3 hours of counting (we even stayed out later than the banding teams which is quite the accomplishment). We were rewarded for our efforts with 152 sightings including a close up encounter with an adult male Northern harrier and a juvenile ferruginous hawk. Falcons were still flying with four merlin and four peregrine sightings. Considering the weather, our raptor activity was a fairly impressive 50.67 HPH.
Total Sightings: 152
Hours Counted: 3
HPH: 50.67
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 57
Northern Harrier: 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 13
Cooper's Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 60
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Merlin: 4
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 1
Falcon: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Very nice day on the hill, though hot hot hot with a strange haze in the air. The heat didn't seem to slow the hawks down = we had a very busy morning with 120 hawks counted in the 11-12 hour! The flight slowed down in the afternoon, though there were still a notable number of Peregrines, Merlins and Northern Harriers counted. Just when things slowed to a late day trickle and we started to get bored...an adult Ferruginous hawk and a Rough Legged Hawk came by one after another, both on the same line crossing the bay into Berkeley! Such was the conversion from sheer quantity into quality for our hawk sightings.
Total Sightings: 459
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 76.5
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 129
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 22
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 81
Cooper's Hawk: 46
Red-shouldered Hawk: 9
Red-tailed Hawk: 123
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 12
Peregrine Falcon: 8
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 18
Buteo: 4
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, November 05, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Great day with rough-legged hawk, 2 prairie falcons, a juvenile golden eagle and over 400 total birds! Sunny and warm with strong early winds that died off, and temps up to 82. The season is still going strong!
Total Sightings: 427
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 71.17
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 75
Osprey: 1
Northern Harrier: 27
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 85
Cooper's Hawk: 73
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 127
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 9
Peregrine Falcon: 3
Prairie Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 13
Buteo: 2
Raptor: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, November 04, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Beautiful warm day with temps up to 80 and low to no wind. We saw a late Swainson's hawk early in the day, as well as lots of merlins and an adult ferruginous hawk that made for a lovely count.
Total Sightings: 466
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 77.67
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 122
Osprey: 1
Northern Harrier: 27
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 70
Cooper's Hawk: 56
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 140
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 21
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 12
Buteo: 2
Falcon: 2
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Today was a day of falcons with 14 merlin sightings and 16 peregrine falcon sightings including a beautiful dark merlin of the subspecies suckleyi (full latin: Falco columbarius suckleyi). Additionally, an amazingly close rough-legged hawk gave the east quadrant some incredible looks further adding to the excitement of the day. The sky stayed clear, the sun shined all day, and a nice cool breeze brought frequent raptor visitors. All in all, the hawkwatchers left the hill smiling and satisfied.
Total sightings: 414
HPH: 69
Number of species: 10
Total Sightings: 414
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 69
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 135
Northern Harrier: 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 69
Cooper's Hawk: 35
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 107
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 4
Merlin: 14
Peregrine Falcon: 16
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 10
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 7
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, November 02, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
The sun has returned! And it brought with it two Bald Eagles, including the first adult of the season. Also, lots and lots of sharp-shinned hawks, quite a few of which were adults. Good numbers of Harriers, Merlins, and Red-Tailed Hawks. Oh and our first bird counted for the day was a White Tailed Kite!
Total Sightings: 334
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 55.4
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 102
White-tailed Kite: 2
Bald Eagle: 2
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 63
Cooper's Hawk: 21
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 115
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 2
Buteo: 3
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Fogged out =(
Plenty of Western grebes and a few lesser scaup in the lagoon. Hoping it will clear for the weekend.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
It was a slow and miserable day on hawk hill today. Even though we had fair visibility, the wind picked up as the day went on making conditions cold and unbearably slow. We did get one very nice look at a juvenile Northern Harrier while the rest of the day was filled with Turkey Vultures and Ravens.
Total Sightings: 91
Hours Counted: 3.25
HPH: 28
Total Species: 6
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 55
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 4
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 25
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Posted by: Jill
Super foggy day! The team went up to the top of Hawk Hill hoping the fog would burn off... But it never did.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Fog teased the hawk watchers all day - thick fog delayed the team from getting up to the hill and stayed with them for the first few counting hours. But it wasn't all dreary and foggy! The team was blessed with an adult ferruginous hawk!
Total Sightings: 198
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 49.5
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 48
Northern Harrier: 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 33
Cooper's Hawk: 24
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 75
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 8
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Posted by: Allen Fish
East winds started the day, changing to SE, then West. Fog kept us company throughout the day sweeping over the Headlands and over the mid-Bay at day's end, just in time to watch GAME FOUR in Detroit. Why today was special: the double eagle! Subadult Bald at 12 noon; Adult Golden between 2 and 3 pm. Clearly this portended the Giants' sweep of the Series. But if Pablo is a Bald Eagle, and Timmy a Kestrel, what raptor species is Barry Zito? That's right! A Peregrine!
Total Sightings: 322
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 53.7
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 51
White-tailed Kite: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Northern Harrier: 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 60
Cooper's Hawk: 30
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 133
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 17
Buteo: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Posted by: SES
Two rough legged hawk sightings! Both birds visible only int he scope and flew from Tam junction to slacker ridge, giving us just a few flashes of their signature dark carpal patches. They turned heads all across the hill. So did the Merlins, White Tailed Kites, and several juvenile Peregrine Falcons. Otherwise a steady day on the hill with hot sun and plenty of our staple birds to keep us busy and entertained. The hill was busy with visitors but we weren't totally swamped on the occasion of the GGNRA's 40th anniversary, thankfully.
Total Sightings: 381
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 63.5
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 95
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 57
Cooper's Hawk: 42
Red-shouldered Hawk: 13
Red-tailed Hawk: 136
Rough-legged Hawk: 2
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 5
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Finally, a full and beautiful day of birding on hawk hill! It stayed sunny and clear all day with a light wind shifting between NW and SE. We saw all the normal suspects including 3 Merlin sightings. But the highlight of the day, by far, were the 3 Golden Eagle sightings, the second of which brought this magnificent bird right past the hill as it headed out over the water towards Chrissy Fields. It was a stunning view! It was nice to see a little boom of activity after a few slow and dreary days.
Total sightings: 302
HPH: 50.3
Number of species: 10
Total Sightings: 302
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 50.3
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 87
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 36
Cooper's Hawk: 31
Red-shouldered Hawk: 8
Red-tailed Hawk: 115
Golden Eagle: 3
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 6
Buteo: 1
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Quite drippy in the morning, once the sun peeked out we got on the hill at 10:30 to find very very slow skies and cold eastern winds. Our patience and diligent counting of Turkey Vultures and a few Red-Tails & Accipiters finally paid off, as the late afternoon clearing of the skies brought more birds. We knew the day had turned around when a Merlin flew low and close over our heads. Other interesting sightings included: adult male & female Northern Harriers, some close views of adult Peregrines (probably our Golden Gate bridge resident pair,) and even an afternoon kettle of juvenile redtails, a harrier, and sharpies circling right above us!
Total Sightings: 189
Hours Counted: 5
HPH: 37.8
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 90
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 17
Cooper's Hawk: 7
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 54
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 7
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 2
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Slow day, but nice weather and always hopeful a Goshawk or Rough-legged could come by!
Total Sightings: 153
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 25.5
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 69
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 5
Cooper's Hawk: 8
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 53
American Kestrel: 4
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
A slower day, but the weather was beautiful and there were beautiful cumulus clouds rather than rain clouds! We saw the first adult female harrier of the season and the second adult male harrier of the season, which were definite highlights. A ferruginous hawk came quite close to the hill as well. Hoping the rain continues to spare us...
Total Sightings: 209
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 34.83
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 94
Northern Harrier: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 8
Cooper's Hawk: 18
Red-shouldered Hawk: 7
Red-tailed Hawk: 59
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Buteo: 3
Raptor: 6
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Posted by: Allen Fish
Rained out.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Posted by: Allen Fish
As variable winds predicted a storm the next day, Sunday 1's hawk count got a good range of Redtails, accipiters, and Redshoulders. Highlights included a mid-day Ferrug, an afternoon adult Golden Eagle, a steady flow of near-hourly Merlins, and... a Hawk Hill marriage proposal. Nope, it was no-one we knew, but hopefully sanctioned by the raptors nonetheless.
Total Sightings: 357
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 59.3
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 115
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 21
Cooper's Hawk: 43
Red-shouldered Hawk: 18
Red-tailed Hawk: 125
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 5
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 5
Buteo: 5
Raptor: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
We were almost sure that we'd get fogged out today so we headed to Tennessee Valley for some early morning hawk watching (we were lucky enough to see an adorable bobcat on our way out). As luck would have it, when we returned to the home front around 11 the fog showed signs of weakening! The team scurried up the hill and stumbled, disbelieving, into a beautiful and busy day of hawk watching. It was a good day for Northern harriers, White-tailed kites, and Merlins but the biggest treat of the day was a gorgeous juvenile Ferruginous hawk that flew close enough to hawk hill to give us all an incredible look.
Total sightings: 363
HPH: 96.8
Total species: 12
Total Sightings: 363
Hours Counted: 3.75
HPH: 96.8
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 77
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 13
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 35
Cooper's Hawk: 53
Red-shouldered Hawk: 15
Broad-winged Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 119
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 6
Merlin: 6
Peregrine Falcon: 3
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 14
Buteo: 10
Raptor: 6
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Soupy soupy fog, mist, and even little bit of misty-rain. We wandered around and saw Eared & Western Grebes, Sparrows (Fox, Lincoln's, and White-Crowned,) Ruddy Ducks and many Coots were spotted on Rodeo lagoon and the Miwok Trail. The sun finally started to break through the skies above Ft. Cronkhite around 1, complemented by an appearance by our resident pair of Kestrels, but Hawk Hill remained in a haze.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Posted by: Allen Fish
This was yet another mixed-up wind direction day starting with NW flipping to East by mid day, and ending with strong 8 to 10 mph winds from the South by 3 pm.
The count yielded strong numbers of Redtails, and moderate numbers of small accipiters with a few adults thrown in the batch. An early afternoon Swainson's Hawk came south for a look-see then disappeared toward Mt Tam. A mid-day Common Poorwill was flushed from beneath a coffeeberry bush in the new restoration area and gave us a quick look as it dodged to the east side of the Hill. Nice to know our new coastal grasslands support such provacative native birds. A late day pair of kekking and circling adult Peregrines kept the hawkwatchers dazzled and awake at day's end.
Total Sightings: 369
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 61.5
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 122
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 30
Cooper's Hawk: 19
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 154
American Kestrel: 6
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Buteo: 3
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Beautiful day on the hill, with consistent visibility the entire 6 hours (a concept foreign to me thus far). The count started off a little slow, with the bulk of the accipiters not appearing until the 11-12 hour. Still, we did record an adult Harlan's Hawk, distinctive from a dark morph Red-tail with it's sooty black underside (as opposed to a chocolatey brown) and a tail devoid of red pigment with a dark subterminal band. We also watched a Humpback whale blowing water a distance off the coast in the West quadrant. It was a great day on the hill, if a tad warm at times!
Total Sightings: 306
Hours Counted: 5.8
HPH: 52.5
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 99
Northern Harrier: 15
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 18
Cooper's Hawk: 37
Red-shouldered Hawk: 15
Red-tailed Hawk: 107
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 3
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Good day, warm on the hill with little to no fog and an afternoon breeze. Cooper's are still coming through strong, we had a ferruginous hawk, and six white-tailed kites.
Total Sightings: 324
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 54
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 89
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 6
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 14
Cooper's Hawk: 73
Red-shouldered Hawk: 14
Red-tailed Hawk: 91
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 3
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 12
Buteo: 4
Falcon: 3
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The fog cleared much earlier this morning than it did yesterday, giving us visibility above and fog below for most of the morning. It was a fairly slow day for the most part, picking up every now and then on the North and East quadrants. There were two highlights of the day: one, a juvenile bald eagle that gave us all good looks of his dorsal side and flashes of white axillaries while flapping; two, a Prairie Falcon as the last recorded bird of the day!
Total Sightings: 274
Hours Counted: 5.75
HPH: 47.7
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 70
White-tailed Kite: 2
Bald Eagle: 1
Northern Harrier: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 33
Cooper's Hawk: 48
Red-shouldered Hawk: 8
Red-tailed Hawk: 80
American Kestrel: 5
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Prairie Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 17
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Today's team was eager to get on the hill, but was inundated with fog until noon! We started counting after our first bird sighting and then got busy pretty quickly, reporting 280 birds for 3 1/2 hours of counting. The count was low in species diversity, but high in adult Accipiters! Hawk blind offered us three study birds and provided TWO for the banding demo. What looked drearily like a fogged out day at first turned out to be a fairly busy day up on the hill!
Total Sightings: 280
Hours Counted: 3.4
HPH: 84
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 49
White-tailed Kite: 4
Northern Harrier: 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 38
Cooper's Hawk: 58
Red-shouldered Hawk: 11
Red-tailed Hawk: 90
American Kestrel: 3
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 17
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
FINALLY the action has returned to hawk hill! The hawks were celebrating the excellent weather along with all of the hawkwatchers. This was fortunate because the hill was mobbed with visitors with high expectations: friendly local birders and a few Audubon groups, and other GGRO friends. It seems unlikely that any of them left disappointed. The Ferruginous Hawks were spectacular and numerous: flying right by the hill and giving us great views from all angles. We saw an amazing number of White Tailed Kites, and a few Broad Winged Hawks are still trickling through. Another big treat was a chance to watch an Adult Red Tailed Hawk eat a freshly caught snake on the wing while stilling extremely close to the north quadrant platform. The banding demonstration had an unexpected finale of a fly-over by a Ferruginous Hawk, White Tailed Kite and two Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawks above the platform just after we released a newly banded Cooper's Hawk. Our only disappointment was falling one species short of a 6-Buteo Day - we hoped yesterday's Rough-Legged Hawk sighting would repeat - but we had to settle for only five (including a Swainson's Hawk!) But it's pretty hard to complain after a day like today...
Total Sightings: 508
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 84.67
Total Species: 14
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 133
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 15
Northern Harrier: 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 33
Cooper's Hawk: 72
Red-shouldered Hawk: 20
Broad-winged Hawk: 3
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 179
Ferruginous Hawk: 5
American Kestrel: 6
Merlin: 4
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 13
Buteo: 2
Falcon: 4
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Posted by: Allen Fish
A cold, between-storms day near the season's peak should have garnered more accips and redtails, but a steady west wind and occasional drippiness probably kept the smart hawks from flying. But what we missed in quantity was made up for in quality. Around 1030, a Short-eared Owl swept over Hawk Hill and flew through Kirby Cove. About the same time, a Humpback Whale appeared in the Golden Gate, and since fin-waves and blows weren't the great critter breached a half dozen times. On and off views of the whale continued off of Kirby Cove and out toward Pt Bonita cover until 130 pm or so. Spectacular. And then there was the lone hawk, being dogged by a raven over Rodeo Lagoon at about 130 pm. Closer and closer they came until we realized we had a rough-legged hawk, the first documented roughleg of the season, and a week earlier than our earliest record here. The day was capped with views of two merlins, one banded by our talented banders. Wishing similar quality to the weekend teams.
Total Sightings: 103
Hours Counted: 5.75
HPH: 17.9
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 65
Northern Harrier: 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 25
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Cloudy, cold day and few birds in the sky... a bit of a let down after this team's great experience two weeks ago (the first big Broad-Wing day!) Insight, we were the first team in the past two weeks to not see a Broad-Winged hawk. Things got so sparse that we were excited to see the usually common Red-Tailed Hawks, and by the end of the day, even a Turkey Vulture was a very welcome sight in the empty sky! High point of the day was when an adult Peregrine falcon made a nice flight circling the hill for all to see. The fog rolled in around 3 and we called it quits a little early to go warm up!
Total Sightings: 117
Hours Counted: 5.41
HPH: 21.6
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 62
Northern Harrier: 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 3
Cooper's Hawk: 7
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 31
American Kestrel: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 2
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Great day today! Had lots of good looks at birds like a ferruginous hawk, merlins and peregrines; numbers were high with several adult Cooper's hawks. We had excitement with one unidentified bird that came through giving mostly rear-end/dorsal looks and which was highly disputed. Fun was had by all who saw filling out rare-bird forms, but our hybrid golden eagle/ rough-legged hawk was left unidentified due to failure to come to a consensus. It is still a little early for rough-legged hawks, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility so keep your eyes peeled!
Total Sightings: 518
Hours Counted: 5.75
HPH: 90.09
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 200
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 5
Northern Harrier: 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 24
Cooper's Hawk: 80
Red-shouldered Hawk: 18
Broad-winged Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 138
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 4
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 23
Buteo: 3
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 7
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Quite a day on Hawk hill, breaking the species tally record this season with 15! Among those we saw all falcon species and five buteo species. We had Red-shouldered Hawks in the sky in every hour of the day and a good number of Broad-winged Hawks. The Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, Swainson's Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk got the attention of everyone on the hill when they were sighted.
Total Sightings: 546
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 91
Total Species: 15
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 206
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 18
Cooper's Hawk: 60
Red-shouldered Hawk: 28
Broad-winged Hawk: 22
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 159
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 4
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 7
Prairie Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 15
Buteo: 7
Falcon: 2
Raptor: 8
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, October 08, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Good day, lots of fog rolling in and out but good birds nonetheless. Exciting morning with a yellow-headed blackbird at the lagoon, and a "yellow-shafted" northern flicker on the hill!
Total Sightings: 372
Hours Counted: 5.75
HPH: 64.7
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 114
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 31
Cooper's Hawk: 70
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Broad-winged Hawk: 4
Red-tailed Hawk: 102
American Kestrel: 6
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 26
Buteo: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Got to the hill at 9am to beat Fleet Week traffic and sat there til 1pm; we saw a lot of fog. We heard planes; we didn't see them.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
We enjoyed a solid 13 species day up on the hill (not counting the stealth bomber and blue angels that paid us visits throughout the day). Fortunately, the hill was not overrun by eager fleet week watchers and the weather stayed sunny and clear for everyone! We had a total of 487 sightings with a hawks per hour value of 81.1. The resident pair of peregrine falcons came by close to give us a few great looks while a single golden eagle kept its distance.
Total Sightings: 487
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 81.1
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 119
Osprey: 5
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 37
Cooper's Hawk: 117
Red-shouldered Hawk: 31
Broad-winged Hawk: 8
Red-tailed Hawk: 114
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 25
Buteo: 3
Raptor: 8
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
14 species day! It was great to have the flight pick up again today, as the winds and weather seemed to be in our favor. A beautiful and busy morning gave way to some clouds and fog, but once it cleared again in the afternoon the activity went up again. Spotted a distant Bald Eagle, and a Ferruginous Hawk flew right over with the sun blazing through its bright white feathers. Speaking of rather white birds, there are still quite a few Broad-Winged hawks flying through and many were passing over the bay today. Adult accipiter sightings continue to rise - 7 adult Cooper's Hawks were counted today. A fun day on the hill for sure!
Total Sightings: 482
Hours Counted: 5.88
HPH: 81.93
Total Species: 14
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 137
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 3
Bald Eagle: 1
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 47
Cooper's Hawk: 95
Red-shouldered Hawk: 24
Broad-winged Hawk: 27
Red-tailed Hawk: 108
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 10
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
After the fog rolled in yesterday it was a great surprise to find that hawk hill was below the clouds and fog this morning! It was a little cold and windy, but we had decent visibility throughout most of the day. The flight was slower, but we still got some excellent looks at a peregrine falcon, an adult red-shoulder, and some broad-winged hawks. Our day was capped nicely with some sunshine and views of two dark-morph broad wings in sight at the same time!
Total Sightings: 258
Hours Counted: 5.75
HPH: 44.87
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 96
White-tailed Kite: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 17
Cooper's Hawk: 25
Red-shouldered Hawk: 7
Broad-winged Hawk: 9
Red-tailed Hawk: 74
American Kestrel: 10
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 6
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Buteo: 2
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Posted by: Regan and Heather
What a difference a day makes! The team hiked up to Hawk Hill, ice water cooler in hand, sporting shorts and t-shirts only to discover a ferocious wind making for a cool but sunny day. There was a total of 364 sightings with a hawks per hour value of 76.7. The big sighting of the day was a juvenile bald eagle who flew by the hill and gave us some nice looks. A second was sighted over towards Sausalito at a distance. Our day was cut short by a very abrupt fog intervention! Hopefully it'll clear out tonight for tomorrow's team...
Total Sightings: 364
Hours Counted: 4.75
HPH: 76.6
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 139
Bald Eagle: 2
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 27
Cooper's Hawk: 53
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Broad-winged Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 121
American Kestrel: 3
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 6
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Hot hot hot!!! Birds were still seen but in lower numbers. Good amount of harriers today, one ferruginous, and still several broad-wings. Hoping some amount of fog will return shortly!
Total Sightings: 345
Hours Counted: 5.5
HPH: 62.73
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 62
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 58
Cooper's Hawk: 59
Red-shouldered Hawk: 24
Broad-winged Hawk: 34
Red-tailed Hawk: 80
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 2
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 8
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, October 01, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Today was incredibly hot up on the hill with temperatures reaching 96 around noon! Although the number of birds seemed to have dwindled from peak days, we had a record-breaking species count for the season of 14. Golden Eagles, a Ferruginous, and Broad-wings helped us reach that record along with the usual suspects. Also of note were sightings of two Black Swifts. All in all, an exhausting but good day on the hill.
Total Sightings: 405
Hours Counted: 5.75
HPH: 70.4
Total Species: 14
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 119
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 63
Cooper's Hawk: 55
Red-shouldered Hawk: 26
Broad-winged Hawk: 31
Red-tailed Hawk: 76
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
Golden Eagle: 2
American Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 10
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The skies were clear of fog all day and full of birds for most of it. A little over 100 Broad-winged Hawks were reported today, rivaling the number of Red-tailed Hawks! Weather was HOT with little wind mainly coming from E to NE throughout the day. Despite the heat and the wind direction, we ended up with a fair amount of birds and a respectable species tally.
Total Sightings: 499
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 83.5
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 98
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 5
Northern Harrier: 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 92
Cooper's Hawk: 34
Red-shouldered Hawk: 20
Broad-winged Hawk: 103
Red-tailed Hawk: 107
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 3
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 23
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Absolutely wonderful day on Hawk Hill! The fog cleared at 11 A.M. to reveal the kettles of broad-winged hawks still circling. Unlike Thursday, the birds seemed to have consolidated into a single roving kettle, in which 55 broad-wings were counted at one point! The massive kettle had closer to 80 birds when including the Red-Tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures and a few Accipiters that had joined the group. These birds circled beside the bridge but didn't make the leap across the bay, probably due to the looming fog beneath them.
Other highlight of the day: a banding team caught a Broad-winged hawk in the morning that was affixed with a transmitter and released from the hill in front of a thrilled crowd. The Telemetry team will be chasing this hawk, named Lakota, down to the Mexican border over the next few days! After release, Lakota retreated to a coyote bush just on the edge of the hill, giving the voracious photographers even more opportunities to take shots of our superstar of the day. A map on which you can track Lakota's flight should be available on the GGRO website soon!
Total Sightings: 550
Hours Counted: 4.5
HPH: 122.22
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 72
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 4
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 168
Cooper's Hawk: 39
Red-shouldered Hawk: 38
Broad-winged Hawk: 133
Red-tailed Hawk: 78
American Kestrel: 5
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Today was an incredibly anti-climactic fog out! The Friday II team arrived bright-eyed and ready for a busy day of raptor counting (not to mention with high hopes for another big broad-winged day) only to be let down by some very thick and lazy fog. Credit must be given to these dedicated hawk watchers though! A day of fog is officially scrapped at 1:00 pm and yet members of the team persisted until 3:00 pm, ready to spring into action on a moments notice. Their dedication and optimism should be noted and praised. Let's hope the broad-winged hawks stay around a little while longer and the weekend watchers have a bit more luck!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Posted by: Regan and Sarah
History was made today on Hawk Hill when an astounding 295 broad-winged hawks were spotted on their migration south. We had a number of large kettles (the largest of which may have been 24). Moreover, the broad-winged hawks were not shy, giving everyone in the area some great views as they rose up and around us. Among the mix were three dark morphs (1 adult and 2 juveniles). Despite our late beginning (we were SURE we'd be fogged out today) we had a total of 822 raptor sightings at a rate of 205.5 hawks per hour.
Total Sightings: 822
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 205.5
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 64
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 162
Cooper's Hawk: 135
Red-shouldered Hawk: 22
Broad-winged Hawk: 295
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 117
American Kestrel: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 12
Buteo: 3
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Fogged out again. Went to the annex area and saw a broad-wing, a couple red-tails, a coop, and a few sharpies, one of which dive-bombed a juvie red-tail several times! Hoping fog will lift soon!!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
The fog is the most dense it has been in weeks, and it was sad to be the first full fog-out day in a while. We took a walk around the lagoon and saw an osprey hunting as well as a perched female kestrel. Floating in the lagoon were the regular suspects (Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, and various Egrets) along with an Eared Grebe, a Red-Necked Phalarope and some American Widgeons. Hoping for sun next time...
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Odd foggy day again; we started at the Annex until it cleared a bit, saw some good birds, then it fogged over again. Broad-wings are still out and about, we had some nice looks at them. It was tough to call it and go home, but the visibility was really poor, despite apparently active birds that pop up and disappear before calls could accurately be made.
Total Sightings: 135
Hours Counted: 2.83
HPH: 47.65
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 22
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 41
Cooper's Hawk: 15
Broad-winged Hawk: 12
Red-tailed Hawk: 18
American Kestrel: 6
Merlin: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 11
Buteo: 2
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Started off really nice, had a kettle of nine Broad-wing Hawks come right over the hill! It was warm, even muggy, with no wind, then around 12:30 the fog started to come back in and by 1:00 there was practically no visibility and a wind chill of 46 degrees! We called it and came home.
Total Sightings: 231
Hours Counted: 3.5
HPH: 66
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 31
Osprey: 1
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 79
Cooper's Hawk: 35
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Broad-winged Hawk: 14
Red-tailed Hawk: 34
American Kestrel: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 30
Buteo: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
We had a VERY busy day of counting today but fortunately our normal hawk watching force was joined by a whole score of visiting volunteers! 26 individuals came out to count today and I really don't know how we would've survived without them! We were visited by 662 birds today at a rate of 110.3 hawks per hour (which is still pretty mind-boggling to me, a first time watcher). Notable sitings include 27 broad-winged hawks ('tis the season!), 4 merlins, and 1 gorgeous ferruginous hawk! Of the many broad-winged hawks, one was a molting adult which was a very cool sight. We could not have asked for a more sunny, hawk-filled day!
Total Sightings: 662
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 110.3
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 151
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 4
Northern Harrier: 9
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 156
Cooper's Hawk: 124
Red-shouldered Hawk: 22
Broad-winged Hawk: 27
Red-tailed Hawk: 132
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 9
Merlin: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 17
Buteo: 1
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
Another great day on the hill with a big crowd to join us! The morning gave us excellent views of an incredible "Gashawk", the Endeavour shuttle on display on top of a jet as it passed over the headlands and the Golden Gate. After that thrill our day was filled with exceptionally good looks at Peregrine Falcons, Broad-Winged Hawks, and Northern Harriers. The Accipiter flight was still strong and kept us on our toes until the final minutes of the day! This weekend will be a great time to visit Hawk hill during peak raptor migration, and as always there will be a hawk talk & banding demonstration from 12-1 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Total Sightings: 608
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 101.33
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 148
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 9
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 149
Cooper's Hawk: 82
Red-shouldered Hawk: 14
Broad-winged Hawk: 7
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 152
American Kestrel: 8
Peregrine Falcon: 4
Prairie Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 26
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 5
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Big day folks! We saw lots and lots and lots of accips, a beautiful ferruginous, several broad-wings and even a short-eared owl! The weather couldn't have been nicer and we had lots of visitors. Peak is here! 13 species and 726 birds made it the best day so far this year, so don't be sad, come to the hill and see birds!
Total Sightings: 726
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 121
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 117
Osprey: 6
White-tailed Kite: 5
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 205
Cooper's Hawk: 166
Red-shouldered Hawk: 15
Broad-winged Hawk: 11
Red-tailed Hawk: 128
Ferruginous Hawk: 2
American Kestrel: 12
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 6
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 37
Buteo: 6
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Posted by: Regan and Heather
Big, big, BIG day on the hill today! Counted an impressive 13 species, 623 individuals, with a hawks per hour value of 103.8!! We had our fill of all the normal suspects - accipiters, red-tailed hawks, and vultures - but today they were joined by 8 peregrine falcons, 4 merlins, 6 harriers, and a white-tailed kite (to name a few). However, the REAL treat (or treats) of the day were 3 broad-winged hawks and a beautiful ferruginous hawk the latter of which payed us a visit in our last hour of counting. A truly stunning way to end the day and all 20 hawk watchers left the hill content to say the least. Let the good times roll!
Total Sightings: 623
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 103.8
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 108
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 187
Cooper's Hawk: 121
Red-shouldered Hawk: 9
Broad-winged Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 130
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 11
Merlin: 4
Peregrine Falcon: 8
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 26
Buteo: 3
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Posted by: Regan and Kate
Today we enjoyed one of the biggest days of the season counting 493 birds with a hawks per hour value of 82!! We were graced by a number of white-tailed kites, merlins, and broad-winged hawks. A few juvenile red-shouldered hawks also gave us some good looks. Outside the world of raptors, but still notable, we saw a flock of white pelicans and three black swifts (who had temporarily disguised themselves as merlins until they flew right over head...). Beautiful, sunny, and clear day on the hill with lots of birds to keep us happy - can't complain with that now can we?
Total Sightings: 493
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 82.17
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 89
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 6
Northern Harrier: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 113
Cooper's Hawk: 94
Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
Broad-winged Hawk: 4
Red-tailed Hawk: 124
American Kestrel: 17
Merlin: 7
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 19
Buteo: 2
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Posted by: Keith G.
If I am not mistaken, today the GGRO Hawkwatchers made their first Broad-Winged Hawk sighting of this season; a juvenile bird provided us with a fine look this morning!
Today's weather was a mix of fog and sun, but with good visibility for six count hours today.
We also enjoyed close looks at three faclon species: Am. Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine.
Also of local interest were the approximately 3000 Sooty Shearwaters sitting on the water in the morning hours off Baker Beach.
A good day overall with Accipiter numbers picking up steadily.
Total Sightings: 290
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 48.3
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 59
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 61
Cooper's Hawk: 34
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Broad-winged Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 101
American Kestrel: 5
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 6
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 10
Buteo: 3
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Posted by: Chris Briggs
Fog early, hawks late.
Total Sightings: 140
Hours Counted: 3
HPH: 46.67
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 21
Osprey: 1
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 26
Cooper's Hawk: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 58
American Kestrel: 4
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 21
Buteo: 1
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
The Accipiter surge is still going strong! Today brought us many great views of Sharp-Shinned and Cooper's Hawks and much practice in facing the pernicious challenge of distinguishing these two similar species. Thick fog that plagued us for almost the entire day - we didn't start counting until 11:30, had clarity in only the east quadrant until close to 2pm. Nonetheless, we still counted throughout the day and were finally rewarded with some afternoon sun!
Total Sightings: 204
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 51
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 22
Osprey: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 91
Cooper's Hawk: 19
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 45
Merlin: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 15
Raptor: 7
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Posted by: Regan
What started out as a dismal, foggy day on Hawk Hill turned into a fun and successful day of counting! Lots of very cool accipiter action in the morning as groups of sharp-shinned hawks dipped and stooped at each other through the fog. Most of the day was filled with sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, red-tailed hawks, and turkey vultures. We were rewarded for our efforts with some osprey, a juvenile Northern harrier, and a juvenile peregrine late in the day (all at the same time, in fact)!
Total Sightings: 268
Hours Counted: 4.25
HPH: 63.06
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 41
Osprey: 2
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 105
Cooper's Hawk: 28
Red-shouldered Hawk: 3
Red-tailed Hawk: 60
American Kestrel: 4
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 13
Buteo: 6
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
The hawk watch team made a valiant effort on the hill today. Despite the fog we got up on the hill and braved the elements from 11:00 to about 1:20. The skies cleared for about an hour and a half during which time we saw a good amount of accipiter action as well as one white-tailed kite. Even though we were forced to quit early as the fog settled back down around the hill, it was still a fun day of watching.
Total Sightings: 133
Hours Counted: 2.33
HPH: 57
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 17
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 54
Cooper's Hawk: 22
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 18
American Kestrel: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 17
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Today's team was fogged out and didn't make it up to the hill. Banders reports were not promising for visibility, so we did a birding walk around the lagoon and called it a day early. While walking along the beach and lagoon we saw a number of mammals in addition to the usual birds: bottlenose dolphins, a bobcat, river otters. Bird species of the day were: Red-necked Phalarope, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Yellow Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Common Yellow Throat, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Pacific Loon, and the vocal ID of a Great Horned Owl. In addition to a number of Turkey Vultures, we did get a good view of a Sharp-shinned Hawk as we were walking back to 1064.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Posted by: Sarah
After a trip to the Kirby Cove lookout and a good look at a pair of Peregrine Falcons perched on the Golden Gate's north tower, team Tuesday I hopefully went up to the hill despite foggy conditions. We counted the few birds we could see for an hour and a half. Some glimpses of Accipiters let us know the hawks were flying, but identification was difficult through the fog. We hoped and hoped for clearing but the visibility only decreased and the wind picked up, so we ended our day prematurely.
Total Sightings: 16
Hours Counted: 1.5
HPH: 10.67
Total Species: 3
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 7
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Posted by: KAH
First merlins and first ferruginous today!!! Fog came in and out but we had pretty good visibility for most of the day until the late afternoon. Sharp-shinned hawks have come out in earnest, we saw 57 today. Other birds of interest include some white-tailed kites, a few harriers, one red-shouldered hawk, and a few osprey. 3 peregrines were spotted and kestrels are still coming in strong at 22. Over-all a wonderful raptor watching day!
Total Sightings: 266
Hours Counted: 4.8
HPH: 55.03
Total Species: 12
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 50
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 3
Northern Harrier: 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 57
Cooper's Hawk: 6
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 100
Ferruginous Hawk: 1
American Kestrel: 22
Merlin: 2
Peregrine Falcon: 3
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Falcon: 3
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, September 09, 2012
Posted by: Jill
Beautiful day on the Hill with a fair amount of birds and diversity for this time of year - mostly Redtails and Turkey Vultures, but Accipiters are beginning to come through. One of the non-raptor highlights of the day was seeing several large "rafts" of Sooty Shearwaters between the bridge and the open ocean numbering in the thousands!
Total Sightings: 376
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 62.67
Total Species: 10
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 93
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 14
Cooper's Hawk: 21
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 204
American Kestrel: 22
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 9
Raptor: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Posted by: Regan
It was a beautiful day on Hawk Hill today and my first full day of hawk watching (yes, I have had extraordinarily bad luck with the fog on my hawk watch days). The day just got warmer and clearer as time passed with never really too much wind. We had a very busy morning which brushed the rust off our gears pretty quickly. Some sharp-shins and Cooper's hawks gave us good looks early in the day (which was a great learning exercise) and we also practiced gender identification with kestrels as they zipped around the hill. Plenty of red-tails (including a few gorgeous dark morphs) and turkey vultures as well. We were even visited by 2 osprey! A very fast-paced day to initiate me into the world of hawk watching (let's see if I can keep up!)
Total Sightings: 438
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 73
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 147
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 16
Cooper's Hawk: 22
Red-tailed Hawk: 213
American Kestrel: 15
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 8
Buteo: 5
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 3
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, September 07, 2012
Posted by: Jill
Today there was a wonderful selection of birds including an Osprey, a Golden Eagle, and a Prairie Falcon! The sky was clear and it was very windy, which blew the birds right in.
Total Sightings: 313
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 52.17
Total Species: 13
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 83
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 6
Northern Harrier: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2
Cooper's Hawk: 19
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 168
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 16
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Prairie Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Buteo: 4
Falcon: 2
Raptor: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Beautiful day! First full day of the season with a total 6 hour count. We saw good numbers of red-tails again, with some osprey and kites as well. Not too many accipiters today, only one sharpie and a few Coops. Kestrels weren't as numerous as in past days but we did see 12. A few red-shoulders came through, and a couple of peregrines, and today's highlight: a prairie falcon! Hoping to see a few more before the season is over.
Total Sightings: 264
Hours Counted: 6
HPH: 44
Total Species: 11
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 71
Osprey: 3
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 5
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 153
American Kestrel: 12
Peregrine Falcon: 3
Prairie Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Our fearless leader, Allen, brought us to the annex to wait out the fog. Sure enough, not too much later, we arrived at the top of the hill with fair visibility. Unfortunately, within twenty minutes we were completely fogged in! We optomistically waited for a miraculous clearing, but packed it up and brought our frozen selves down the hill at 1 pm. We did spend some time birding at Rodeo Beach this morning, but paid more attention to a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins frollicing in the surf, incredibly close to the surfers. We also saw Pigeon Guillemots, Surf Scoters, and a likely Pacific Loon!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Today the hawk watch was fogged out sadly, but the day was not totally lost - Rodeo Beach had a visit from two bottlenose dolphins who are uncommon guests north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Additionally the lagoon was filled with phalaropes today (estimated in the hundreds though we didn't count these birds with any serious conviction). A few turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks were seen above the annex where the fog had cleared slightly by noon but again, the hill remained too foggy to do any counting.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, September 03, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The Monday I team had a great day counting on Hawk Hill, arriving around 9:30 and patiently waiting until 10 to start collecting data, as the fog obscured nearly all quadrants completely. It couldn't make up it's mind, first clearing and then thickening until around noon when visibility had greatly increased. We saw a number of Kestrels today, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and Osprey, in addition to the usual large quanities of Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures.
Total Sightings: 216
Hours Counted: 5.5
HPH: 39.27
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 72
Osprey: 4
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 9
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 98
American Kestrel: 22
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 4
Falcon: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The fog appeared to be thick down at the GGRO office this morning, but the Sunday II team drove into sunshine as we approached Hawk Hill. A thick layer of fog ran low down along the bay and rodeo lagoon, but didn't stop us from counting 253 hawks, including the first Swainson's of the season! Just as we closed up at 3:30, the fog rolled into the valley, obscuring the North quadrant completely. All in all, a surprisingly good weather day, and a very good raptor day.
Total Sightings: 253
Hours Counted: 3
HPH: 84.3
Total Species: 8
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 34
Osprey: 5
White-tailed Kite: 2
Cooper's Hawk: 7
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 186
American Kestrel: 11
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 5
Buteo: 1
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Posted by: SES
An overcast and somewhat foggy day, but we were happy to get out on the hill for a few hours! A juvenile red-tailed hawk was shown off and released for the first hawk talk / banding demonstration of the year, which was quite well attended by an enthusiastic crowd.
Total Sightings: 91
Hours Counted: 3.5
HPH: 26
Total Species: 3
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 22
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 65
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Heading into the morning meeting the troops were sure the entire day would be fogged out. But as luck would have it, Hawk Hill cleared up around midday and I finally was able to officially hawk watch for the first time (a very exciting prospect for an intern that had already been fogged out 4 times in a row)! Conditions were fairly windy and overcast but overall visibility was swell. Two osprey sightings were probably the highlight of the day while most of our time was spent identifying turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks while practicing our communication and "bird hand offs".
Total Sightings: 68
Hours Counted: 2.5
HPH: 27.2
Total Species: 4
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 15
Osprey: 2
Cooper's Hawk: 4
Red-tailed Hawk: 43
Unidentified...
Falcon: 2
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Posted by: SES
Sadly the fog has returned and kept us from counting raptors today. The interns replaced the display of the average wingspans of the raptors of hawk hill, which can now be found on the middle platform near where the hawk watchers are normally found.
If this weekend brings sunny weather, it will also mark the the start of our Hawk Talk and Banding Demonstrations, which will happen on Hawk Hill every clear Saturday & Sunday at 12 pm through October. The presentations are free and there is no RSVP required. Hope to see you on the hill!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Posted by: SES
Sorry for the late posting. The highlight of the day was seeing the first golden eagle of the season!
Total Sightings: 211
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 51.67
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 118
Osprey: 2
White-tailed Kite: 2
Northern Harrier: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 69
Golden Eagle: 1
American Kestrel: 8
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Posted by: Heather
The Tuesday II team had a clear day up on Hawk hill with wonderful visibility and temperatures in the 80's. We also saw our first White-tailed Kite of the season within a few minutes of our arrival! The banding team at Hawk blind captured enough raptors today to allow us to do 6 raptor ID studies.
Total Sightings: 173
Hours Counted: 3.5
HPH: 49.43
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 68
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 7
Red-tailed Hawk: 85
American Kestrel: 5
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 3
Buteo: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Yet another gorgeous day on the hill! Temperatures soared up to 80 and although we had less birds today than yesterday we saw 2 additional species; one white-tailed kite and 2 northern harriers! Other sightings included 33 turkey vultures, one osprey, 3 Cooper's, 5 red-shoulders, 60 red-tails and one glorious peregrine. Stay tuned, we should be seeing higher numbers as we get into September!
Total Sightings: 114
Hours Counted: 4.0
HPH: 28.5
Total Species: 9
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 33
Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 1
Northern Harrier: 2
Cooper's Hawk: 3
Red-shouldered Hawk: 5
Red-tailed Hawk: 60
American Kestrel: 5
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Raptor: 2
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Beautiful day on the hill! The Farallons even made an appearance on the horizon. We had 187 sightings today, including 70 turkey vultures, one osprey, 17 Cooper's, 2 red-shoulders, 70 red-tails, 12 kestrels, and 7 peregrines. Highlights included adult peregrines, one of which did some fantastic aerial maneuvers to head off a young red-tailed hawk. There was a big crowd for the Sunday crew and all were glad to catch up and help train the new folk on this year's Sunday I crew.
Total Sightings: 187
Hours Counted: 4.75
HPH: 39.37
Total Species: 7
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 70
Osprey: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 17
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Red-tailed Hawk: 70
American Kestrel: 12
Peregrine Falcon: 7
Unidentified...
Accipiter: 1
Buteo: 1
Falcon: 2
Raptor: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
After yesterday's brief hiatus the fog settled down on Hawk Hill once again today, preventing us from doing any counting, which was of course quite sad. We did manage to keep ourselves busy in the valley spotting some red tailed-hawks, turkey vultures, and even 2 osprey from the rifle range and a female kestrel perched on a power line from the stables. We even took a detour to the Visitor's Center and admired the diverse merchandise. With hope in our hearts, we took one quick trip up to Hawk Hill which confirmed the dismal conditions. But yesterday proved that the sun can exist in "Fogust" and so we will continue to stay positive!!!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Posted by: SES
The Friday I team was thrilled to be the first to make it up to Hawk Hill this season. After an unpromising and foggy morning, bright blue sky burst through the clouds and we rushed up to the hill to begin counting. Though we experienced some more fog and wind throughout the day, the hawk count slowly rose each hour. We got especially excellent views of juvenile Red-Tailed Hawks stilling above the hill, and a few American Kestrels shooting by above our heads. Hopefully the worst of the "Fog-ust" of August is behind us and the Saturday crews will get to see the sun and some more birds tomorrow!
Total Sightings: 80
Hours Counted: 4
HPH: 20
Total Species: 4
Species Counts:
Turkey Vulture: 29
Cooper's Hawk: 6
Red-tailed Hawk: 36
American Kestrel: 4
Unidentified...
Falcon: 1
Raptor: 4
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Posted by: KAH
Fogged out. Went to annex, saw two Red-tailed hawks. Turkey vultures made appearances. Hoping fog will lift some day.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Fogged out yet again! The Wednesday I team went for a birding walk around the lagoon, watched four Turkey Vultures pick at carrion, and spotted several Red-necked Phalaropes bobbing on the surface. We spent the remainder of the day until 1 pm at the annex with our fearsome leader, Allen Fish, optimistically hoping the fog would clear, though it soon became apparent that it was there to stay.
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Posted by: Regan Dohm
Fogged out again today but the team was still able to enjoy a leisurely hike in the valley. On the raptor front we spotted a female American kestrel and an adult red-tailed hawk. In the marvelous world of mammals, we glimpsed a coyote! Pleasant walk but here's to hoping hawk watch gets up on the hill soon!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Posted by: Heather
Fogged out!
Total Sightings: 0
Hours Counted: 0
HPH: 0
Total Species: 0
Data have not been entirely checked — contact Buzz Hull at bhull@parksconservancy.org for final results and for permission to use.
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