S & I finally got around to going to the weekend Hawk Talk and banding demonstration put on by the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. After an informative talk about hawks, punctuated by flyovers by Red-tailed Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks (and Ravens and Turkey Vultures), we got to watch the release of a recently-banded Sharp-shinned Hawk, which are awfully cute up close!
There were a TON of people on Hawk Hill, easily 100 birders between the raptor counters and us folks there for some learnin’. There weren’t a ton of raptors out, but the weather couldn’t have been nicer.
Today’s (short) bird list is:
– Common Raven
– Cooper’s Hawk
– Golden-crowned Sparrow
– Red-tailed Hawk
– Rock Piegon
– Sharp-shinned Hawk
– Turkey Vulture
Wonderful photo of this SSHA!! I love your list of birds observed today, all amazing birds and then the Rock Pigeon! Did you get him at the hawk blind?
Hi mon@rch,
Actually there’s no blind at Hawk Hill – the raptors, especially in fall, circle above the hill waiting for a good enough thermal to take them south across the Golden Gate. See the GGRO website for their daily list of raptors – it’s pretty impressive stuff, although I don’t have the patience (or the identification skill) to sit atop the hill all day and try to make out distant silhouettes!