Raptor Run Report 2025
Ferruginous Hawk, photo by Tim Bray
We had a beautiful sunny day for the annual Raptor Run down the coast from Elk to Point Arena. Bald Eagles put on a good show, appearing at Elk, Elk Creek (where they are now regularly seen, and probably about to begin nesting), and the Garcia River. We used to stop at Elk Creek mainly for the waterfowl, but since a pair of Bald Eagles moved in, few ducks take their chances. We watched a juvenile Western Gull come flying in, clearly intending to land on the gravel bar near the creek mouth - and then suddenly flare and change course as he spotted the eagle perched on its usual spot.
We found three Ferruginous Hawks, the main target bird for these trips. The largest Buteo in North America and a truly regal-looking bird, a magnificent sight in flight. They are a bird of open country, primarily grasslands and open shrubland, which makes them vulnerable to the continuing mass conversion of those landscapes to agriculture and other human development (including windfarms). Their overall population is in decline, so it is a treat to find a few still wintering here. White-tailed Kites are in the same situation, compounded by their preference for large old-growth trees for nesting and roosting. This time, we found only one.
Bald Eagle, photo by Tim Bray
On the other hand, American Kestrels – which are also diminishing in population, primarily from loss of habitat – were well represented with at least 20 individuals counted along the route. Several were actively foraging and we saw two or three catching and eating prey, apparently insects (they are great consumers of grasshoppers). They also were actively defending “their” territories from other raptors, especially Red-tailed Hawks, against whom they seem to display an intense dislike.
We failed to find any Peregrine Falcons, despite their relative abundance along our coast.
We just weren’t looking at the right moment!
Lisa Walker found two Swamp Sparrows off Navarro Beach Road before the field trip began. Other good birds included a Chipping Sparrow north of Elk, a lovely Say’s Phoebe at Kinney Lane, and a lone Brant in the mouth of the Garcia River. On the way home from Lighthouse Point, David Jensen spotted a Cattle Egret among several Great Egrets on the Garcia Flats.
Full checklist here:
