G o l d e n G a t e R a p t o r O b s e r v a t o r y

VOLUNTEERS • HAWKWATCH • BANDING TELEMETRY • OUTREACH • DONORS

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 2

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory’s mission is to inspire the preservation of birds of prey. Our business is to monitor and study the bird of prey migration along the central California coast, particularly at the Marin

Headlands, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We are dedicated to the conservation of raptors both through careful data collection and through involving the public in every aspect of our research.

The GGRO is a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service, and is made up of 291community volunteers and a small staff.

GGRO Season Summary 2009 was written by Allen Fish & Buzz Hull. It was edited by Jill Harley, illustrated by Siobhan Ruck, and published by the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Fort Cronkhite, Building 1064, Sausalito, California 94965 (415) 331­0730 • (415) 331­7521 fax • ggro@parksconservancy.org • www.ggro.org

Copyright 2010 by the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. All rights reserved.

Cover Illustration: Nearly one of every three raptors counted at the Golden Gate is a Red­tailed Hawk. And three out of four Redtails are juveniles like this bird. 2009 was a below­

average count year for Redtails; especially low was the number of adults banded.

G G R O S T A F F ALLEN FISH, GGRO DIRECTOR • BUZZ HULL, RESEARCH DIRECTOR • JILL HARLEY, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

2009 INTERNS: ROBYN BOOTHBY • NATHAN ELLIOTT • LISA HARN • ZEKA KUSPA

G O L D E N G A T E R A P T O R O B S E R V A T O R Y

Hawkwatchers Doug Vaughan, Bill Barnaby, and Tom Moutoux are only momentarily distracted by a tight flock of twenty­one Band­tailed Pigeons, one of the many non­raptors we count.

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory enjoyed some wonderful days throughout the 2009 season while we moni­ tored the fall raptors. This was a great year of change and growth as we refined some research activities and focused on getting our work presented to a larger audience, both scientific and public.

Early in the year, we hired GGRO’s first consulting Research Biologist, Josh Hull, thanks to your donations to our Data Analysis and Publication (DAP) Fund. Josh is advancing a small but mighty list of research projects, and in April, he published a GGRO article in the Auk, the journal of the American Ornithologists’ Union. Entitled “Differential migration between discrete populations of juvenile Red­tailed Hawks,” the Auk article was a novel synthesis of GGRO hawk count, banding, and genetic data.

And, oh yes, we turned twenty­five. It was 25 years ago that Judd Howell, the GGNRA’s Resource Ecologist, working with falconer Will Shor and colleagues from the San Francisco Zoo, gathered the first group of GGRO volunteers to train as banders. The GGRO’s 25th Anniversary took shape as a series of autumn events that required the support of dozens of volunteers, park staff, and the methodical oversight of GGRO’s Office Manager, Jill Harley. To kick it off, we invited three ornithologists to deliver “Celebrate Raptors” lectures at three local institu­ tions that were each critical to the GGRO’s start in the early 1980s: the San Francisco Zoo, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

On September 10th, Falcon Research Group director Bud Anderson regaled us with tales of satellite­tracking Peregrines throughout North and South America at the San Francisco Zoo. Bud was introduced by John Aikin, former curator of birds at the Zoo and a critical player in getting the GGRO volunteer program started. On October 15th, Dr. David Mindell, Dean of Science & Research Collections at the California Academy of Sciences, delivered an expansive talk on the arc of his life­long passion for raptors, from early field work to genetics and evolution. Finally, Peterson Guide to Hawks author Bill Clark joined us November 18th for a grand tour of the world’s eagle species. Clark was introduced by Judd Howell, the recently retired director of the USGS’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Held at the GGNRA’s Cavallo Point Lodge, Clark’s eagle talk was co­sponsored by the Institute of the Golden Gate, the newest eco­innovative arm of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

But most of our 25th Anniversary Celebration was dedicated to the GGRO Open House & Raptor Fest on October 24th and 25th at Fort Cronkhite. We set up dozens of exhibits illustrating the wonders of raptors and the ecological stories of many of the 19 species seen here. We demonstrated tools for raptor trapping and radiotracking, and held a symposium on the GGRO’s findings on raptor migration. We showed the works of local raptor artists; we filled a kid’s room with young binocular­makers, owl pellet­dissectors, and hawk­sketchers; and we stared back into the eyes of non­releasable hawks and falcons. All in all, we had over 400 visitors attend the two­day event. A phenom­ enal team of GGRO volunteers, interns, artists, scientists, and educators greeted, talked, showed, listened, and made great new friends for birds of prey. Thanks to each of them, and also to Native Bird Connections, Odwalla, and the Mendocino Brewing Company for their generous support of the Fest.

The GGRO is made possible by our colleagues at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Also, none of this would be possible if not for the long­term commitment of our volunteers, three of whom also reached their 25­year mark this year. Great thanks to Nancy Mori, David Wood, and Nick Villa for their dedication to birds of prey.

­ALLEN FISH afish@parksconservancy.org

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

V O L U N T E E R S

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Jeff Acuff Christian Alexanderson Rob Allen Jon Altemus Rosemary Andrade Caryn Ansel Anne Ardillo Kendra Armer Michael Armer Stefanie Arthur Diane Bahr Lynn Bantley Bill Barnaby Eddie Bartley Don Bartling Steven Bauer Larry Beard Tim Behr Mukund Belliappa Ande Bennett Maxine Berg Ronald Berg Ardith Betts Lisa Blankenship Jessica Blickley Marc Blumberg Robert Blumberg Natalya Blumenfeld Jeff Boissier Robyn Boothby Heather Borman Carroll Botvinick Richard Bradus Herb Brandt Tony Brake Randy Breaux Max Brier Nancy Brink Johnny Brown Shannon Burke Davida Bushner Michael Butler Julia Camp Phil Capitolo Lynn Carew Sally Cedarblade

Linda Chambers Murray Cherkas Donna Ciccolini Jim Clausen Terry Coddington Courtney Collier Huguette Combs Kay Conneely Tom Conneely Gerald Connell Lewis Cooper Susan Corbaley David Coughlin Jennifer Cutler Mike Danaher Candace Davenport Alex Davis Bob Davis Dennis Davison Pamela Dayton Laura Dee­Ruiz Rachel del Rio Tom Delebo Carmen DeLeon Ron DeLeon Russ DeLong Frank DeMarco Janine DeMartini Richard Drechsler Judith Dunham J.D. Durst George Eade Wade Eakle Nathan Elliott Teresa Ely Cynthia Enderlein Robert Engel Janeann Erickson Laura Erickson Natalee Ernstrom Roxanne Farwell Mark Fenn Richard Ferris Norma Ferriz Alice Fialkin Amy Fillin

Robbie Fischer Allen Fish David Fix Ross Forman Laura Fujii Claire Gallagher Suzanne Garcia Jack Gedney Angelo Gilbert Dan Gottsegen Alane Gray David Gregoire Keith Gress John Griffin Eli Gross Jerry Hadfield Aaron Haiman Joshua Haiman Mike Hall Jim Hallisey Michael Harkins Jill Harley Lisa Harn Judy Harris Susan Harris Michele Harrison Amos Hausman­Rogers Jen Haynes Melissa Hero David Herrema Barbara Hilbourn John Holson Calvin Hom Sam Hontalas Diane Horn Dick Horn Mary Houghteling Penn Hughes Buzz Hull Josh Hull Julian Hyde Bill James Eric Jepsen David Jesus Lynn Jesus Neal Johannsen

Marcine Johnson Jennifer Kaczor Debbie Kahn Kanani Kauka Mamiko Kawaguchi John Keane Mary Kenney Sterling Kinnell Walter Kitundu Leslie Koenig Ann Kositsky Allison Kozak Cheryl Kraywinkel Doris Kretschmer Zeka Kuspa Jason Laffer Corinne Lambden Shelby LaMotte Joan Lamphier Dian Langlois Galen Leeds Chuck Legere Patricia Lessard Allison Levin Marie Lipman Taiyo Lipscomb John Longstreth Chinh Lun Lin Lynn MacDonald Dena MacMynowski Mary Malec Stacy Martinelli Salomon Martinez Charles Massen Stephen McBurney Fran McDermott Cecily McGaw Yvonne McHugh Ewen McKechnie Jim Mead Terry Mead Joe Medley Horacio Mena Alan Meyer Kim Meyer Jess Miller

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V O L U N T E E R S Steve Miller Terrie Miller Margaret Mindell Paul Mirocha John Mock Nancy Mori Tom Moutoux Mikiye Nakanishi Jennifer Nazzal Chris Nikitas Craig Nikitas Amber Nordby Arthur Oberbeck Kathy Odell John Odell Brian O'Laughlin Rebecca Olsen Michelle Oltman Claire O'Neil Steve O'Neill Colleen O’Rourke Pat Overshiner Lisa Owens­Viani Elizabeth Palmer Gary Palmer Robert Palmer Ron Parker Susan Pemberton

Jean Perata Ralph Pericoli John Perry Matthew Perry Roy Pisetsky Tania Pollak Bob Power Robbie Preu Bill Prochnow James Raives Don Reinberg Shawn Roberts Steven Rock Laury Rosenthal Elizabeth Rouan Connie Rubiano Siobhan Ruck Ann Ruffer Barbara Sapienza Peter Sapienza Juta Savage Gary Scheppke Lynn Schofield Misha Semenov David Sexton Rich Seymour James Shea Jay Sheets

Sandy Slichter Karen Smith Robert Smith Brian Smucker David Snipper Tate Snyder Curtis Snyder Mara Solomon Patricia Spencer Mandy Stanford Chris Starkweather Kim Steele Polly Strahan Beth Sturgeon Libby Subers Hal Sugishita Jennifer Sullivan Jan Sutcher Mark Sutherland Julie Sykes Michelle Tattersall Heidi Terbrack Janet Thiessen Laura Thomas Sarah Toas Rachel Townsend Leslie Tribe John Ungar

Linda Vallee Douglas Vaughan Denise Villa Nick Villa Erika Walther Noreen Weeden Marion Weeks Emily Weil Dave Wells Barbara Westree Nick Whelan Kevin Whilden Peter White Jeffry Wilkinson Laurie Williams Harvey Wilson Ken Wilson David Wimpfheimer Kathy Wolf Elizabeth Wommack David Wood Jim Yampolsky Ann Yasuda

Hawkwatcher Tom Delebo serves as recorder for his hawkwatch team, keeping track of species and age identifications from a handful of spotters.

RAPTOR­SIGHTINGS IN THE MARIN HEADLANDS DURINGAUTUMN* 2009 Raptor Rate 2009 Raptor Past 10­Year Average (Hawks/Hour) Sightings 1998­2008

Hours 497 506 Turkey Vulture 16.22 8,060 9,309 Osprey 0.16 81 105 White­tailed Kite 0.19 93 90 Bald Eagle 0.02 10 4 Northern Harrier 1.24 614 826 Sharp­shinned Hawk 6.70 3,332 4,479 Cooper’s Hawk 3.50 1,738 2,554 Northern Goshawk 0.00 1 1 Red­shouldered Hawk 1.06 529 454 Broad­winged Hawk 0.36 180 129 Swainson’s Hawk 0.00 1 6 Red­tailed Hawk 16.69 8,297 9,850 Ferruginous Hawk 0.02 11 23 Rough­legged Hawk 0.00 2 9 Golden Eagle 0.02 11 21 American Kestrel 0.92 458 565 Merlin 0.30 149 171 Peregrine Falcon 0.52 259 183 Prairie Falcon 0.02 9 6 Unidentified 1.99 991 1,407

Total 50.00 24,826 30,199

H A W K W A T C H

D A Y L E A D E R S JON ALTEMUS • TIM BEHR • LEWIS COOPER • DENNIS DAVISON • JOSHUA HAIMAN

JULIAN HYDE • DAVID JESUS • KANANI KAUKA • MARY KENNEY • FRAN MCDERMOTT HORACIO MENA • KIM MEYER • BOB POWER • LAURY ROSENTHAL

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Except for rain and fog days, 181 GGRO hawkwatchers staffed Hawk Hill from August 17th to December 6th, counting daily from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. On September 18th, we got evacuated by the National Park Service due to a forest fire in Kirby Cove that we reported, and on November 28th, we got blown off the Hill by 42 mph winds.

Generally, seven species make up 93% of the flight: Turkey Vulture, Harrier, Sharpshin, Cooper’s, Redshoulder, Redtail, and Kestrel. In 2009, there were low points in the cycles of six of these, resulting in a low total count. We’ve been watching Kestrels closely as (1) their numbers in the northeast have been declining and (2) we had low counts in 2007 (377) and 2008 (378). The 2009 tally of 458 Kestrel sightings give us some hope for a rebound.

The greatest percentage leap for any species was an increase in Bald Eagle numbers, which hit double digits for the first time in 2009, when we counted ten. Whether this is a blip or the first step on a local increase, only time will tell. However, on Sunday, November 29th, hawkwatchers gazed upon two Balds in the sky at once, a wonderful first for the GGRO.

­ ALLEN FISH

*2009 data still under review.

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 7

B A N D I N G

This was the year of the small raptors at the GGRO. The numbers of captures of Sharp­shinned Hawks, Merlins, and American Kestrels were above average, and record setting for Merlins. For a while in late sea­ son we wondered if we would actually go against historic trends and capture and band more Merlins than American Kestrels. A final push through the headlands by kestrels finally put them firmly ahead, 73 to 62.

For the second year in a row the banding numbers were below the previous year’s total. An early season lack of Redtails and Cooper’s Hawks made us wonder whether we would even break a thousand bandings this season. The probable cause of the slow start was once again weather – thoroughly foggy days were inter­ spersed with hot, windless days, conditions that do not favor good raptor flights. October and early November produced some good flights and the banders were able to have a good run of days with nice num­ bers of birds banded. The early season Redtail peak was especially anemic. Although we had a good second peak of Redtails, we never had much of an adult Redtail flight. The four adult Redtails we banded falls well below our average of 21, and equals our previous season low.

The 13 bander apprentices completed their second season and made a solid contribution to our banding effort in 2009. Forty­seven site leaders and four interns supported the site leader re­certification efforts during the 2009 season. The handful who were unable to complete this process due to a lack of birds on their scheduled days will finish next season.

­ BUZZ HULL

RAPTORS BANDED IN THE MARIN HEADLANDS DURINGAUTUMN 2009 Annual Average Totals

(Aug 7­Jan 6, 2010) 1992­2008* 1983­2009

Northern Harrier 8 11 256 Sharp­shinned Hawk 558 479 9,222 Cooper’s Hawk 451 575 11,482 Northern Goshawk 0 0 5 Red­shouldered Hawk 13 15 303 Broad­winged Hawk 2 1 22 Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 8 Red­tailed Hawk 226 340 7,996 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 2 Rough­legged Hawk 0 0 5 Golden Eagle 0 0 2 American Kestrel 73 53 1,076 Merlin 62** 24 470 Peregrine Falcon 3 4 75 Prairie Falcon 3 2 35 Eurasian Kestrel 0 0 1 Total 1,399 1,503 30,960

* 1992 through 2008 are used for this comparison due to similarity of methods and effort between those years and 2009. ** New GGRO season high!

D A Y L E A D E R S ANNE ARDILLO • RANDY BREAUX • NANCY BRINK • RUSS DELONG • DIANE HORN BUZZ HULL • JOSH HULL • DAVID JESUS • JOHN KEANE • MAMIKO KAWAGUCHI

CRAIG NIKITAS • SIOBHAN RUCK • NICK VILLA • MARION WEEKS

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 8

T E L E M E T R Y

“Yosemite,” our 25th tracked juvenile Red­tailed Hawk, was trapped, banded, and tagged on October 30th, 2009. After being released near Rodeo Lagoon, he flew to a nearby cypress tree and was mobbed by the local ravens. He took flight and headed to the Sausalito ridgeline near Highway 101. That was the begin­ ning of two months of tracking the movement, or non­movement, of our “Freeway Hawk.” Yosemite stayed along Highway 101 in Sausalito through November 5th when Jim Shea, from Hawkwatch, recorded his flight to the East Bay. The following day, Bill James and Phil Capitolo headed towards Mt. Diablo and located Yosemite in Alamo, next to Highway 680. Yosemite remained in the San Ramon Valley for three days, and on November 10th Phil picked up his signal from Mt. Hamilton. On the 11th, Phil located Yosemite in Castro Valley near the intersection of Highways 580 and 238. Through the end of 2009, track­ ers monitored Yosmite in Castro Valley, next to the freeway. From Sausalito to Castro Valley, trackers had many opportunities for visuals of Yosemite as he perched, hunted, and roosted along the freeways. On January 5th, 2010, David Jesus located and retrieved Yosemite’s tail feather with transmitter attached from the landscaped berm of the freeway. No other feathers were around the area, so it is presumed that Yosemite is flying free in the area, minus one central tail feather.

“Zephyr,” our 26th juvenile Red­tailed Hawk was trapped, banded and tagged on November 3rd, 2009. She was released from Hawk Hill in the early afternoon, and immediately flew to the pine trees in the west quadrant. The teams recorded her flight as she circled over Rodeo and Tennessee Valleys and then her signal disappeared. On November 4th, Zephyr was located near Tomales Bay. For the next three days, the team on Mt. Vision in Pt. Reyes continually recorded her signal. The weather was rainy and foggy, and Zephyr remained local. On November 7th, Zephyr flew inland towards Santa Rosa, and on the 8th the teams tracked her as she moved north of Healdsburg to the watershed of Little Sulphur Creek, near Geysers Peak. On November 9th and 10th, the teams recorded only local, short flights for Zephyr; and on the afternoon of the 10th the teams packed up their gear and returned to the headlands. On November 21st Bill James and I returned to the area and were unable to locate Zephyr. We continued driving north on Geysers Rd. and then Highway 101 towards Ukiah, where we picked up her signal to the west. The follow­ ing day, Galen Leeds returned to the area and drove west along Orr Springs Rd., and then Running Springs Rd. where he monitored her signal and was able to get a visual on Zephyr as she flew directly overhead towards Ukiah. On November 31st, Larry Beard and Steve Rock returned to the Ukiah but were unable to pick up Zephyr’s signal.

Last year, teams tracked juvenile Redtail XXIV as he flew north to Ukiah. Some of his last recorded sig­ nals were taken along Orr Springs Rd. While XXIV took the Highway 101 route, Zephyr chose the coastal route, but their final known locations were in the same area, more than 110 miles north of the headlands.

­ LYNN JESUS

JUVENILE RED­TAILED HAWKS RADIOTRACKED IN 2009

Name Active Post­season Net Last Known Net Distance from Tracking Tracking Direction Location Headlands

Yosemite Oct 30­Nov 3 Thru Jan 5, 2010 Local (East Bay) Castro Valley 25 miles

Zephyr Nov 3­11 Thru Nov. 31 North NW of Ukiah 118 miles

T E L E M E T R Y L E A D E R S CARYN ANSEL • LARRY BEARD • MAXINE BERG • JEFF BOISSIER • PHIL CAPITOLO

BILL JAMES • LYNN JESUS • CHERYL KRAYWINKEL • JOHN LONGSTRETH • JAMES RAIVES JAMES SHEA • LINDA VALLEE • BARB WESTREE • DAVID WIMPFHEIMER

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 9

O U T R E A C H A magnificent outreach achievement for 2009 was the re­launching of our re­designed, colorful website, www.ggro.org, by long­time volunteer Lynn Bantley just in time to coincide with the GGRO’s 25th Anniversary. A GGRO bander for 17 years, Lynn has been re­working the GGRO website in his mind since at least 1996. We finally got to see his design on­screen this past fall, and it looks great. We will continue to refine the site so feel free to send in your comments and ideas.

GGRO photos and headline stories are also listed in the Parks Conservancy website. Visit www.parksconservancy.org to see the amazing range of activities for volunteers and visitors through­ out the Golden Gate National Parks. You can also order GGRO 25th Anniversary t­shirts here, as well as anniversary baseball caps, water­bottles, and pins.

Although we did a strong publicity campaign this year to alert the world about the 2009 fall migration and our 25th Anniversary events – great thanks to Veda Banerjee, David Shaw, and Mike Hsu – our best response was not on paper but rather online. All of these articles are still online and highly searchable:

• Ryan White covered GGRO’s “Raptor Rapture” forMarinScope • KQED Quest made GGRO’s Open House a “Science Event Pick” • GGRO’s 25 years were reviewed on Bay Nature Online • SF Gate ran Pam Gould’s blog on “Hawks & More Hawks in Marin” • Wall Street Journal Online showed Dara Kerr’s video, “Raptor Watch”

Visitors to Hawk Hill exceeded 10,000 during the 2009 fall migration, and GGRO docents exceeded 25, as they delivered more than 32 entertaining HawkTalks and Banding Demos on weekends in September and October. Former GGRO intern Lisa Blankenship stepped in to take classes of kids up to Hawk Hill. More than 200 young people from six schools joined Lisa last fall: Park, Prospect­ Sierra, Greenwood, Marin Primary and Secondary, Marin Horizons, and various home­school groups.

A great range of other groups and schools attended GGRO talks on or off Hawk Hill in 2009: Sonoma State University, UC Santa Cruz, Marin Audubon Society, REI, Head Royce School, Elderhostel, Conservation Corps of the North Bay, Santa Rosa Junior College, City College of SF, Burke School, Oakland Museum Natural History Guild, Yolo Audubon Society, UC Santa Cruz, Galt Winter Birding Fest, Hungry Owl Project, Redwood Region Audubon Society, and the SF Bay Chapter of the Wildlife Society.

­ ALLEN FISH

D O C E N T S ANNE ARDILLO • EDDIE BARTLEY • LISA BLANKENSHIP • NATALYA BLUMENFELD • ROBYN BOOTHBY RANDY BREAUX • DENNIS DAVISON • TOM DELEBO • NATHAN ELLIOTT • ALLEN FISH • ZEKA KUSPA MICHAEL HARKINS • LISA HARN • ERIC JEPSEN • DAVID JESUS • CHARLES MASSEN • CRAIG NIKITAS

KATHY ODELL • PAT OVERSHINER • JOHN PERRY • BILL PROCHNOW • SIOBHAN RUCK POLLY STRAHAN • DENISE VILLA • NICK VILLA • NICK WHELAN

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D O N O R S Cheryl Abel Rob Allen George & Stephanie Almeida Caryn & Joe Ansel Marilyn Armbruster Kendra Armer Michael Armer Loretta Armstrong Marylou Avanzino Diane Bahr Bill Barnaby Lynn Bantley Reginald & Katherine Barrett

Eddie Bartley Guy Baty Linda Becker Catherine Bell Mukund Belliappa Maxine Berg Ardith Betts William Bianco Carl & Jean Blom Marc Blumberg Robert & Marion Blumberg Shirley & Peter Bogardus Jennifer Bollinger John & Olive Borgsteadt Dix & Marilyn Boring Anthony Brake Geraldine Brown

Phyllis Browning Davida Bushner Richard & Sandra Camp Hugh & Pearl Campion Lynn Carew Ann Cassidy John P. Caulfield Sally Cedarblade Shelley & Oliver Chesley Donna Ciccolini Jim Clausen Terry Coddington Joanna Cohen

Jeanne Cohn Ron Colwell Huguette Combs Gerald Connell Lewis Cooper Marilyn Cooper Kanit Cottrell Jennifer Cutler Charles Cutting Ludek Dadok Mike Danaher Anne Darragh & David Ford Thomas Dawson Pamela Dayton Laura Dee­Ruiz Tom Delebo Russ & Sandy DeLong

Frank DeMarco Janine DeMartini Karen DeMello Leslie & Charles Dicke George Eade Wade Eakle Peter Ehrlich Bob Elliott Robert Engel Marian Erdelyi Janeann Erickson Natalee Ernstrom Susan Ezra

Val Fairman Roxanne Farwell Tom Felts Richard Ferris Amy Fillin Robbie Fischer Rebecca Freed Gayle Fuetsch Laura Fujii Lillian Fujii & Steven Hayashi

Heather Furmidge Theresa Gabel & Timothy Zumwalt

Kris Geiger David Ginsburg Quentin Goodrich

A youthful Hawk Hill visitor discovers the joy and ease of seeing raptors through his 1x50 Odwalloculars ­ absolutely unbreakable and with no optic aberrations.

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D O N O R S Patricia Gotchall Jim & Ruth Gravanis Alane Gray David Gregoire Dorothy Gregor Earl Gress John Griffin Julian Gross Mary Haack Jerry Hadfield Mike Hall Michael Harkins John Harris Judy Harris Michele Harrison George Hartzell Robert Hassell Melissa Hero Diane Hichwa Sam Hontalas

Richard Horrigan Michael House J. Pearce Hurley Joseph Hyde Julian Hyde Mark Inman Angela Ippolito David Jesus Marcine Johnson Barbara Jording Charlene & Derry Kabcenell Mamiko Kawaguchi Susan Kelly John Kirvan Nancy Kittle Walter Kitundu Leslie Koenig Donald Koors & Nancy Williams

Allison Kozak

Doris Kretschmer Julia Kringel Coby LaFayette­Kelleher Jason Laffer Lori Lambertson Barbara Lancaster Galen Leeds Owen & Eva­Lynne Leibman Winifred Lennihan Peter Leveque Marie Lipman Sue Loar David Loeb John Longstreth Paul & Diane Lowrey Lynn MacDonald Chris Macintosh Marty Mackowski David & Lynn Madison Elizabeth Madriz

From the Sausalito waterfront, radiotracker Larry Beard keeps tabs on Yosemite, a juvenile Red­tailed Hawk with a tail transmitter.

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D O N O R S Nancy Martin Stacy Martinelli Charles Massen Ron Maykel Maureen McCormick Mary McFadden Susan McGreevy Yvonne McHugh Ewen McKechnie John McQuown Terry Mead Barbara Miller Steve Miller Margaret Mindell Henry Mitchell Mary Morgan Nancy Mori Denise Mortorff Alida Morzenti Don Moseman Tom Moutoux Heidi Munzinger Shott

Daniel Murphy Jean M. Myers Mikiye Nakanishi Clyde Nance Soo­Hi & Alan Nayer Mark Neuburger Gregg & Sharon Niceley Ed & Marcia Nute Kathy Odell Steven O'Donnell Rebecca Olsen Pat Overshiner Gary Palmer Diane Parish & Paul Gelburd Ron Parker Katherine Pattison Richard Pavek Allan Peoples Jean Perata Roy Pisetsky Marjorie & Theodore Plant Allan Plumb

Carol Poole Bob Power David & Cay Pratt C. John Ralph John & Cynthia Rathkey Gail Richardson Eileen Richey H. Allan Ridley Marci Riseman & Evan Sagerman

Barbara & Duane Robinson Steven Rock Marjorie Roth Elizabeth Rouan Connie Rubiano Siobhan Ruck Ann Ruffer Leonard & Elizabeth Rush Serena Salomon Ivan Samuels Peter & Barbara Sapienza Juta Savage

Twenty­five year GGRO veteran bander Nick Villa and a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk collaborate on a banding demonstration for several dozen Hawk Hill visitors.

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 1 3

D O N O R S Michael Savino Rolf & Charlotte Scherman Birgit Schilling Norma Schmid Marilyn Schmitz Donald Schmoldt Linda Schneider Leslie Schroeder Samuel & Ilana Schuchat David Sexton James Shea Debra Love Shearwater Dan Sherman Carrie Sherriff Martin Sidor Sandy Slichter Marjorie Smith Robin Smith David Snipper Tate & Curtis Snyder Sharon Solomon Patricia Spencer Kim Steele Philip Steiner Polly Strahan Hal Sugishita Meryl Sundove Mark Sutherland Julie Sykes Nancy Szymanski Jan Talbert Cynthia Thomssen James & Merle Todd Bill Trione Linda Vallee Richard Vanderlugt Jullie Vasquez Nick Villa Erika Walther Wendy Warrington Mary & Roman Watt Noreen Weeden Marion Weeks Emily Weil S. Paul Welles Dave Wells

David & Kathi Wells Richard & Virginia Welsh Nick Whelan M.K. & Karen Whyte David Wichner Jeff Wilkinson Edwin Williams & Joan Halverson

Deborah Wilson Harvey Wilson Katie Winslow Richard Winslow Ron Wolf Nick & Kathleen Yatsko Bob Zeiss

CORPORATIONS & FOUNDATIONS Ansel Associates, Inc. Cephas & Annie Close Trust Chinese American International School

Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley

CSI Telecommunications Head­Royce School Madison Images Mendocino Brewing Company

Motorola Foundation Native Bird Connections Nature Bridge Odwalla Prospect­Sierra School Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Union Square Investment Company

DAP CAMPAIGN Adobe Systems Inc. Jeff Acuff Kendra Armer Bill Barnaby Steven Bauer

Ardith Betts Robert Blumberg Gleneda Borton Donna Ciccolini C. Major Close Hannah Edwards Alane Gray Mike Harkins Calvin Hom J. Pearce Hurley Marcine Johnson Libby Kelly­McMahon Allison Kozak Allison Levin John Longstreth Sharon Osberg Gary Palmer Annette & Robin Pennell Roy Pisetsky Siobhan Ruck Ann Ruffer Ashley Sexton & Jack Turner Jay Sheets Marion Weeks Kathy Wolf

IN HONOR ­of Tim Behr Stephen Dykes

IN MEMORY ­ of Mat Stanley Peggy Stanley

­ of Robert Pedencelli John & Edna Hayes Jim & Joanne McKenna William Paganini Barbara Schuerman & Family Marie Wilson

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 1 4

NUMBER

OF RAPT

ORS BANDED

1983­2009, M

ARIN HEA

DLA

NDS*

*Datacompiledby Buzz H

ull. 2009dataare throughJanuary 6, 2010.

NorthernHarrier

Sharp­shinnedHaw

k

Cooper’sH

awk

NorthernGoshawk

Red­shoulderedHaw

k

Broad­wingedHaw

k

Swainson’sHaw

k

Red­tailedHaw

k

FerruginousH

awk

Rough­legged

Haw

k

GoldenEagle

American

Kestrel

Merlin

PeregrineFalcon

PrairieF

alcon

EurasianKestrel

Total

1983­2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Total

193

2 13

0 20

15

5 8

256

4,903

628

461

676

767

583

646

558

9,222

6,796

449

719

686

829

1048

504

451

11,482

4 0

0 0

0 1

0 0

5

182

13

18

9 27

24

17

13

303

13

1 0

3 3

0 0

2 22

3 0

0 0

3 2

0 0

8

5,845

202

489

121

381

452

276

226

7,996

2 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

2

3 0

0 0

1 1

0 0

5

2 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

2

631

60

62

63

90

59

38

73

1,076

174

14

29

56

57

51

27

62

470

41

4 5

4 3

5 10

3 75

17

1 6

3 1

1 3

3 32

0 0

0 0

0 1

0 0

1

18,809

1,374

1,802

1,621

2,182

2,243

1,526

1,399

30,960

G G R O S E A S O N S U M M A R Y 2 0 0 9 • 1 5

NUMBER

OF RAPT

OR SIGHTINGS 2000­2009, M

ARIN HEA

DLA

NDS*

*Datacompiledby AllenFish. 2009dataare stillunder review.

**Includes 1Mississippi Kite.

Hour s

TurkeyVultur e

Osprey

Whit e­tailedKite

Ba ldEagle

Northe rnHarr ier

Sharp­shinn edHaw

k Coop er’s H

awk

NorthernGoshawk

Re d­should eredHa w

k

Broad­ wingedHaw

k

Swain son’sHaw

k

Re d­tailedHa w

k Fer ruginousH

a wk

Rough­legge d

Haw

k

Gold en Eagle

Ameri can

Kestrel

Merlin

PeregrineFalco n

Prair ie Falcon

Uniden tified

Tota l

Ra ptor Ac tivit y

(raptor sperhour)

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

549

446

524

490

536

455

493

524

508

497

9,519

8,307

11,046

10,786

10,250

7,876

9,212

9,222

7,515

8,060

138

71

106

133

128

110

108

90

88

81

59

86

79

63

204

66

130

71

69

93

6 4

4 4

3 6

2 2

6 10

559

698

1,318

352

960

459

1,090

1,002

457

614

2,476

3,373

5,844

5,208

3,260

4,406

5,250

4,636

4,087

3,332

1,998

1,815

2,769

2,018

2,460

2,426

3,370

3,722

1,951

1,738

3 2

0 1

0 0

0 4

2 1

279

485

677

288

548

149

613

512

559

529

89

89

180

123

42

146

183

70

131

180

4 5

9 8

5 4

7 12

1 1

7,750

8,353

12,194

6,986

13,303

7,272

11,411

11,872

6,836

8,297

23

18

34

14

37

33

25

13

15

11

14

5 12

1 0

4 21

10

4 2

20

22

21

14

22

13

24

38

18

11

473

580

670

694

551

627

612

378

377

458

103

150

208

170

173

198

230

140

184

149

177

134

105

220

233

218

237

181

223

259

3 5

12

12

10

5 8

4 7

9 1,537

1,158

1,358

1,233

1,474

1,442

1,435

1,383

903

991

25,231

25,360

36,646

28,329**

33,663

25,461

33,968

33,362

23,434**

24,826

45.9

56.9

69.9

57.8

62.8

56.0

68.9

63.7

46.1

50.00

Golden Gate Raptor Observatory F o r t C r o n k h i t e , B u i l d i n g 1 0 6 4

S a u s a l i t o , C a l i f o r n i a 9 4 9 6 5

GGRO Season Summary 2009 •

V O L U N T E E R S

H AWKWAT C H

B A N D I N G

T E L E M E T RY

O U T R E A C H

D O N O R S

•

Printed on recycled and recyclable paper.

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory is a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in cooperation with

the National Park Service.

(415) 331­0730 • ggro@parksconservancy.org • www.ggro.org