Hawk Hill
September 27, 2023
(37.8255° N, 122.4994° W, 923 ft, 900 Feet Above Sea Level)
https://ebird.org/checklist/S151365367
Site Description:
Hawk Hill is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco. It offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the surrounding surroundings. The terrain consists of rolling hills covered with coastal scrub vegetation and grasslands, with scattered cypress/pine trees. Chaparral, coastal grasslands, and coastal woodland are among the habitats. Raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks, Ospreys, American Kestrels, as well as songbirds such as California Towhees and Anna’s Hummingbirds, are frequently spotted at Hawk Hill. There’s even Monarch Butterflies! Many folks tend to go bird-watching here as it offers a great view and exposure to traveling birds.
Species Account:
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
For this weeks species account I chose to look at the osprey because when Professor Paul asked us what bird it was I was the first to correctly name it! The Osprey is one of the North American raptors, and is smaller than a Bald Eagle, but bigger than a Red-tailed Hawk. In terms of color they are brown on top and white on the bottom. They tend to live around water, and can be seen at salt marshes, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, estuaries, and even coral reefs. They often place their nests on poles, dead trees, etc. They primarily eat fish, and can be seen diving into water to catch them. They tend to coexist pretty well with humans and have been able to increase once again in numbers after the ban on the DDT pesticide. A fun fact is that the oldest known Osprey was 25 years old! They can be found in North, South, and Central America.
Narrative:
Compared to our other sites, Hawk Hill honestly had the least amount of walking, which I appreciated haha. I was blown away with how beautiful the view was, and it was so cool to be able to see the Golden Gate Bridge and the city from this view point. It was a really scenic walk up, and on our way to the observatory we actually had the chance to see many cool birds. We saw a cute Common Raven on top, and it was vocalizing and chirping. It kind of sounded like a shuttering camera. I really wished I could understand birds in this moment, as this little guy seemed like he had a lot to say. Something that surprised me was the monarch butterfly that we kept seeing. I never knew that they could go up that high!
Allen from the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory talked with us about what he does, and what raptors were out here. It was cool to hear about how this was his first job after college and how he had stuck with it for so many years. It was also fun to hear his descriptions and see him draw out the birds. It was also interesting to see the system they had going on, how they would rotate, and how they kept track of the birds. It was also cool to see and learn about how the birds take advantage of the warm air.
Works Cited:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/maps-range