Zoom Program - CLICK HERE to signup
Start Date:  Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Time:  7 PM to 8:30 PM
With Allen Fish

Each fall, tens of thousands of birds of prey funnel overhead at the Marin Headlands, the largest known raptor migration along the Pacific Coast.  In the early 1980’s a few Marin citizens started conducting counting and banding studies on the flight, studies that drew many volunteers and soon evolved into the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, a full-fledged program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in cooperation with the National Park Service. Today, the GGRO is part of a broad program of community science and ecological stewardship coordinated by the Parks Conservancy, including ONE TAM, and the Native Plant Nurseries.

Now 35 years old, with four staff and 240 volunteers, the GGRO is the only barometer of migrating raptor populations in California, providing population trends and migration locations for up to 19 species of hawks, kites, falcons, eagles, osprey, vultures, and harriers.  Along with keeping an annual pulse on California’s raptors, the GGRO has forged long-term relationships with local biologists – to study a range of stressors on the wild birds of prey we have in hand, among them, diseases, parasites, rat poisons and other toxins.

Come join us for an entertaining discussion of the GGRO, Migratory Story and all things raptor, as GGRO director Allen Fish delves into the best stories from Hawk Hill, as well as the unique meaning of 2020 for long-term bird monitoring.  For many Bay Area birders, Allen needs no introduction.  The GGRO’s first director, he was hired in 1985.  With a background in evolutionary ecology and conservation biology from UC Davis, Allen has a particular interest in bird population responses to urban development, climate change, and other human pressures. His presentations always manage to inform and entertain audiences.  This program will no doubt continue that tradition.