Raptors in Winter

Dates: February 10, 7 pm to March 1, 3 pm

Instructor: Maureen Lahiff, MLahiff@aol.com

Description: Year-round resident hawks, falcons, kites, and eagles of the greater Bay Area and the Central Valley are joined by several wintering migrants (including Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks).  We will explore the rhythm of their lives and discuss identifying juveniles and adult birds, including birds in flight. We will travel to San Mateo, Sonoma, and San Benito counties. One of the nice things about raptors is that we don’t have to be on scene at daybreak to get good looks at these birds, so we can travel a bit further afield.

Planned field trip sites are Wavecrest Open Space Preserve (afternoon), Lynch Canyon Open Space (mid-morning to mid-afternoon), and Pinnacles National Park (with driving, most of the day). 

At Wavecrest Open Space Preserve, we will walk on level trails. Depending on the rains, these could be quite muddy and have large puddles in spots. At Lynch Canyon, the trails may also be muddy.  The hike at Lynch Canyon has gentle ups and downs. At Pinnacles, we will first look for California Condors in the parking area behind the Visitor Center and in the campground.  After that, hiking on the Condor Gulch Trail involves rocky, uneven trails with some steep sections. Gentler trail alternatives are also available.

Carpooling will be encouraged.

Recordings of the lecture presentations will be available to class participants for a limited period of time.

Three Tuesday evening classes by Zoom, 7 to 9 pm: February 10, 17, 24.

 (Zoom link will be provided when you register.)

Three Sunday field trips, February 15, 22, and March 1.

Class Size: Limited to 20 participants

Price: $175 ($140 for GGBA members (a 20% discount)

Registration opens on Wednesday, December 3, for all Winter classes, and closes on Monday, February 9.