Golden Gate Raptor Observatory

Inspiring the preservation of birds of prey since 1984

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Ferruginous Hawk in flight over Hawk Hill

Don Bartling/GGRO Volunteer

A "kettle" of raptors rises over the Golden Gate Bridge

George Eade

Projects & Conservation

Which hawks were counted today?

For over 40 years, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) has been a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in cooperation with the National Park Service.

Our mission is to inspire the preservation of California raptor populations. The GGRO was formed in the early 1980s to track the Golden Gate migration, an annual flight of tens of thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures, birds collectively called “raptors.” With the help of over 150 volunteer community scientists each year, we conduct long-term studies of the seasonal movements of birds of prey along the Pacific Coast, particularly over the Marin Headlands, to further the understanding and preservation of raptor populations.

What's new?

Volunteer Programs

Education Programs

Data

Raptors encountered at GGRO provide an invaluable opportunity to further our understanding of raptor ecology, physiology, and conservation status. Through collaborative opportunities, we look to: explore population status and trends and basic raptor ecology, better define the populations that migrate through the Golden Gate, and increase our knowledge of raptor health and the effects of stressors at both individual and population levels.

Thank you to Cellular Tracking Technologies for supporting GGRO's satellite tracking work.

Community Science

Raptors

Photos from Hawk Hill

A close up of a hawk

Jessica Weinberg-McClosky/Parks Conservancy

Hands release a hawk

Jessica Weinberg-McClosky/Parks Conservancy

Spectators try to catch a glimpse of a raptor

Jessica Weinberg-McClosky/Parks Conservancy

Up close to a raptor

Jessica Weinberg-McClosky/Parks Conservancy

A personal experience with a hawk

Alison Taggart-Barone/Parks Conservancy

A hawk in flight

Parks Conservancy

Students search for migrating raptors

Alison Taggart-Barone/Parks Conservancy

A group stroll while spotting hawks

Alison Taggart-Barone/Parks Conservancy

On the lookout for hawks passing by

Paul Myers/Parks Conservancy

Students get up-close and personal with hawk feathers

Alison Taggart-Barone/Parks Conservancy

A juvenile Northern Harrier after banding. GGRO bands an average of just 10 Northern Harriers per season, but counted 600 Northern Harrier sightings from Hawk Hill in 2018.

Courtesy Jeff Robinson

A juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk before release.

Courtesy Siobhan Ruck

A banded juvenile Red-tailed Hawk takes flight after release.

Courtesy Robyn Boothby

Hawkwatchers work to quickly identify an Accipiter as it flies past Hawk Hill.

Courtesy Phoebe Parker Shames

Park visitors admire a juvenile Cooper's Hawk during a Hawk Talk at Hawk Hill.

Courtesy Phoebe Parker Shames

A Ferruginous Hawk is captured flying past Hawk Hill in November of 2016. The 2019 season touts the earliest sighting of a Ferruginous during the fall migration at Hawk Hill. An adult Ferruginous Hawk was sighted from the hill on August 14, the third day of the 2019 fall migration.

Courtesy Don Bartling

An adult Cooper's Hawk, one of GGRO's most frequently banded species, is photographed before release.

Courtesy Siobhan Ruck

Oasis: Raptors

Augusta's Cell Phone Transmitter

Rapt by Raptors

Intern Laura Echavez learning to hold a Red-tailed Hawk

GGRO Internships

GGRO Raptor Migration Interns split their time evenly between the banding and hawkwatch programs, and work with a large and dedicated group of volunteer community scientists on a daily basis.

2018-sep-10-hawkwatch-monday-1---01of46_45556769245_o.jpg

Volunteer at GGRO

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) uses long-term volunteer-powered research programs to track the fall migration of raptors through the Marin Headlands.