What can we help find?

3

Birds in the Golden Gate National Parks

Learn more about birds and birding in the parks.

Black and yellow peregrine falcon with white fluffy chicks in rocky nest
Article

Fledge spotting: Peregrine falcon pair nesting on Alcatraz island

For the first time in recorded history, peregrine falcons have nested on Alcatraz Island! After months of observating the pair, park biologists have spotted two fledglings.
Cooper's Hawk nest
Article

When is Migration, When is Nesting?

The autumn raptor migration at the Golden Gate runs August through December. The spring migration is late February through May. So how is it that my neighborhood Bay Area Redtails are nesting in April? Shouldn’t they be migrating north? How exactly does the hawk breeding season fit between May and...
Peregrine Falcon
Birds in the Golden Gate National Parks

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Hawk Hill sightings peak late September through early December.
The chicks look anxious for their next meal. From the nest cameras on UC Berkeley’s Campanile Tower where Peregrine Falcons Annie and Grinnell have been nesting since 2017, and two baby chicks hatched in April 2019.
Our Work

Photos: UC Berkeley falcon chicks have hatched! Best moments so far

The falcon chicks have hatched, and the world is watching! Check out our favorite moments in this gallery.
A great horned owl.
Article

Presidio’s resident raptor is owl the rage

By Jainita Patel San Francisco Park Stewardship Intern It’s March and you know what that means—bird season! Soon, Lands End will be covered in passing migratory birds of all colors, shapes, and sizes. However, one particular bird caught my eye last month and it wasn’t a migratory bird—and it wasn’t...
An Anna's hummingbird.
Article

Hummingbird: A poem

Take a minute to read a poem about a beautiful bird we see throughout our San Mateo park sites.
A Peregrine Falcon defends its nest at the UC Berkeley Campanile tower.
Article

Conservancy, UC Berkeley team up for Peregrine Falcon nest cam

By now, you might have heard about the nesting pair of Peregrine Falcons discovered at UC Berkeley in 2017. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get a closer look?
A White-Tailed Kite in flight.
Article

The White-Tailed Kite is quite a sight

The White-Tailed Kite is a beautiful predatory raptor that has recently been spotted at various parklands in San Mateo. Read more about the role this bird plays in its ecosystem and why I think it is so special.
Allen's Hummingbird
Conservation

What Bird Personality Fits Your Bill?

What kind of bird are you? Find out with our scientifically dubious but finely feathered personality quiz, based on distinct avian phenotypes!
GGRO bander Ari La Porte examines a Sharp-shinned Hawk
Our Work

Raptor Banding

Specially trained volunteers sit in small blinds in the hills of the Headlands, trapping and banding raptors and taking measurements and health data.