There are probably few better ways to learn about raptors, raptor behavior and migration, and identification than a hawk count!

My guest, Allen Fish, Director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, tells us all about their hawk count and banding operation, as well as some of the fascinating projects and partners that connect to this community science effort. These are things like satellite and radio telemetry and DNA barcoding.

The GGRO is a long-term, community-science program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, in cooperation with the National Park Service. The GGRO is the longest-running single-location community science program in any National Park.

Allen has been with GGRO since its inception - nearly 38 years. He has a wealth of knowledge on raptor behaviors, habitats, and of course migration. Today, recorded from atop Hawk Hill just north of San Francisco, Allen tells us about many of the raptors they observe, why they migrate, and helps provide a broader context of migrations as they relate to geography and topography, weather, and climate. For example, did you know there are some east/west migrants? And get ready to brush up on zuhgunrohe and umwelt! It's fascinating!

You might recognize Allen from the field guides episode back in May. He's a lot of fun to talk to, and you can tell that he lives raptors and nature with his deep insights. And Hawk Hill itself is also a wonderful character. Located in the famous Marin Headlands, which is in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (a unit of the National Park Service), Hawk Hill offers wonderful panoramic views, unique topography, and unique history that Allen helps decipher. And while it was a foggy day - abnormal even for notoriously foggy San Francisco - we still had some close encounters with birds that we caught on the recording.

Check the full show notes for a few pictures from the area, and things we saw during the recording.  Find the GGRO @goldengateraptors on instagram, or at ggro.org.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links Discussed
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Hull Lab at UC-Davis
Veracruz Rio de Rapaces

Books
Links may be affiliate links
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Hawks from Every Angle by Jerry Liguori
Hawks at a Distance by Jerry Liguori
A Field Guide to Hawks of North America (Peterson Guide) by William Clark and Brian Wheeler

Related Podcasts
My interview with Scott Whittle and Mike Lanzone

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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