This morning no teams have picked up Bonnie's signal. Cheryl and Maxine are on Fremont Peak, Tom and Mike were on Mt. Madonna and have just gotten permission to go through a locked gate to head towards Loma Prieta, and Barb and Jonathan were on Mt. Hamilton, the only spot with the signal yesterday.
At mid-day the ranger at Mt. Hamilton told Barb and Jonathan they would have to leave due to snow. However, they just paged that they have a bearing! Did they actually leave the top and pick up the bearing on the way down? Did they stay, and get snowed in and then picked up the signal? It's too soon to tell, but I wanted you to know that Barb (after spending 3 days last year on San Bruno Mt. without a signal) has finally heard a signal on a moving bird!!! Could it be the work of her magic stilettos?
Friday, Nov. 19 Bonnie Hides Out
Today, we only fielded 2 teams. One team remained on Fremont Peak while the second headed back to the San Luis Reservoir area. Although that location was the last to have a signal on Thursday, they did not pick up the signal this morning. So, at 11:30 they headed to higher ground.... Mt. Hamilton. The team took a couple of hours to reposition. Meanwhile, Fremont Peak continued scanning for Bonnie's beep.
At 3:25, Tom, Ann and Jonathan managed to pick up a weak signal from Bonnie! It looks like that old Ace Tracking Team (and company) succeeded in at least locating her signal. When I spoke with Libby, she said the Fremont team was in the fog, cold and freezing, but Happy! Ah, the True Tracker Spirit lives.
Will tomorrow's teams be able to zero in on Bonnie's hideout? Will Hamilton once again provide critical clues? or Will the weather make Bonnie hunker down, so that her signal will not carry? Stay tuned.................
At 3:25, Tom, Ann and Jonathan managed to pick up a weak signal from Bonnie! It looks like that old Ace Tracking Team (and company) succeeded in at least locating her signal. When I spoke with Libby, she said the Fremont team was in the fog, cold and freezing, but Happy! Ah, the True Tracker Spirit lives.
Will tomorrow's teams be able to zero in on Bonnie's hideout? Will Hamilton once again provide critical clues? or Will the weather make Bonnie hunker down, so that her signal will not carry? Stay tuned.................
Thursday, Nov. 18, Trackers on Highpoints
Today, the trackers positioned themselves with one team on Fremont Peak, one team wandering the lands around Paicines and Hollister and Tres Pinos, one team went down to Clearwater Summit. Only Fremont Peak was successful in picking up Bonnie's signal during most of the day. Finally, one team headed over to San Luis Reservoir (going across Pacheco Pass and looking for access to Pacheco Peak). At about 3:15 that team picked up a signal which pointed back towards Paicines.... but Bonnie could be anywhere in between, since Fremont Peak did not pick up the same signal.
The teams are having increasing difficulty trying to pick up signals in the rolling terrain between Fremont Peak and Highway 5. In the evening, Tom, Jonathan and Mike left Marin and joined up with Cheryl and Ann in Hollister. When I spoke with Tom he said, "The ACE tracking team is on their way". (Sounds something like the Ace Detective Agency). We'll see how well they do on Friday. Good Luck.
The teams are having increasing difficulty trying to pick up signals in the rolling terrain between Fremont Peak and Highway 5. In the evening, Tom, Jonathan and Mike left Marin and joined up with Cheryl and Ann in Hollister. When I spoke with Tom he said, "The ACE tracking team is on their way". (Sounds something like the Ace Detective Agency). We'll see how well they do on Friday. Good Luck.
Wednesday, Nov. 17 Bonnie Tries to Evade the Trackers
Bonnie is a pretty smart gal. She rose early this morning and all three teams had her signal. She then tried to evade their efforts to keep up with her.
(Please understand, that Bonnie doesn't really know that we are out there trying to follow her. We do not try to move in close to her, or obtain sightings of her. We do not want to change her behavior. Most tracking is done from a distance, with us frequently being 5 - 30 miles away. Any reference to "hiding" or "evading" is purely done from the human point of view of the trackers).
While I don't have the maps completed, it appears she woke on the south side of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the moved northward around Loma Prieta. She then tried to slip to the southeast. But she couldn't evade Libby and James on Fremont Peak. They had bearings as she moved eastward, and then to the southeast of their position. Cheryl and Roger hopped from Loma Prieta to Mt. Hamilton, which is not an easy trick. And finally, late in the afternoon, Larry and David located Bonnie hiding out on the east side of the Pinnacles. Great work team.
(Please understand, that Bonnie doesn't really know that we are out there trying to follow her. We do not try to move in close to her, or obtain sightings of her. We do not want to change her behavior. Most tracking is done from a distance, with us frequently being 5 - 30 miles away. Any reference to "hiding" or "evading" is purely done from the human point of view of the trackers).
While I don't have the maps completed, it appears she woke on the south side of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the moved northward around Loma Prieta. She then tried to slip to the southeast. But she couldn't evade Libby and James on Fremont Peak. They had bearings as she moved eastward, and then to the southeast of their position. Cheryl and Roger hopped from Loma Prieta to Mt. Hamilton, which is not an easy trick. And finally, late in the afternoon, Larry and David located Bonnie hiding out on the east side of the Pinnacles. Great work team.
Tuesday, Nov.16 Bonnie Continues South
By mid-day Bonnie was moving south, not particularly quickly, but with steady flight. Libby and Roger on Black Mountain on the Peninsula marked off her bearings as she moved to the west of their location, and then to the south. James and Tom along Hwy 1 had frequent cross-bearings as Bonnie coursed over the hills. Larry, David and Ari found a new highpoint off Skyline which gave them bearings as she began moving southward. The last bearings in the late afternoon were from Mt. Bielawski, along Hwy 35, south of Hwy 9 in the Santa Cruz Mts.
James reported that Athena was still hanging out at Martins Beach.
James reported that Athena was still hanging out at Martins Beach.
Tuesday, Nov. 16 Morning Report on Bonnie
This morning the teams located Bonnie's evening hide-away west of Skyline Blvd, and south of Hwy 92. And the 11 AM cross-bearings of Black Mt. and Hwy 1 teams, have Bonnie just S. of Martins Beach. Has Bonnie found the beach party with Athena? stay-tuned...
Monday, Nov. 15 Mid-day, Bonnie is on the Run
Bonnie spent last night above Highway 101 near Spencer Ave. This morning she escaped southward, and is now on the run down the Peninsula. Stay tuned.
Sunday, Nov. 14 Telemetry Starts a New Bird
At mid-day today, Jonathan called from HAWK blind to tell us that they had a new Red-tailed Hawk for us. That was the beginning of a massive shift. Pager messages were sent to the teams in the field, "We Have a New Bird"; and then the rush was on. The teams near Half Moon Bay had to re-position to San Bruno Mt., the San Pablo area, and one team had to come into the Headlands. And David and I needed to get to the blind to pick up our new bird and apply the transmitter. It all went very smoothly.
Oh, no. We didn't have days to ponder over a wonderful name for our new bird. "B", hmmmmm. In honor of the Giant's, how about "Buster?", nope it's a girl. What about noble people..... a big blank. How about towns far south.....another blank. Belvedere is across the water, but I think the teams would like to head outside of the neighborhood. We made a call back to Hawk Blind to ask for help in naming our "B" bird. "Give us a list of names starting with "B", was our request.
On the list was the suggestion to name this bird, our "B" bird, Bonnie; and then, the next bird would be "Clyde". Not the most heroic of names, but being half Irish I thought we could try to have a bonnie good time tracking this bonnie lass. Now, let's think about this. Bonnie and Clyde were on the run, and covered a lot of ground. That's good. In the past, names such as "Traveler", "Nomad", "Nimbus", etc. had little effect on the respective raptors. Maybe this time we'll try to be more subtle.
Tonight, the team left Bonnie along the Sausalito ridgeline..... overlooking Belvedere. Where will she take us tomorrow? Stay tuned.
Oh, no. We didn't have days to ponder over a wonderful name for our new bird. "B", hmmmmm. In honor of the Giant's, how about "Buster?", nope it's a girl. What about noble people..... a big blank. How about towns far south.....another blank. Belvedere is across the water, but I think the teams would like to head outside of the neighborhood. We made a call back to Hawk Blind to ask for help in naming our "B" bird. "Give us a list of names starting with "B", was our request.
On the list was the suggestion to name this bird, our "B" bird, Bonnie; and then, the next bird would be "Clyde". Not the most heroic of names, but being half Irish I thought we could try to have a bonnie good time tracking this bonnie lass. Now, let's think about this. Bonnie and Clyde were on the run, and covered a lot of ground. That's good. In the past, names such as "Traveler", "Nomad", "Nimbus", etc. had little effect on the respective raptors. Maybe this time we'll try to be more subtle.
Tonight, the team left Bonnie along the Sausalito ridgeline..... overlooking Belvedere. Where will she take us tomorrow? Stay tuned.
Sunday, Nov. 14 Mid-day Teams Say Good-bye
Mid-day, the banders called to report that they had a new Red-tailed Hawk for us. Pages were sent, and the teams packed up and headed away from Martins Beach. If anyone would like to check on Athena, there is an extra set of equipment. On to the "B" bird.
Sunday, Nov. 14 Morning Report
The teams arrived to find Athena was still along Highway 1. Instead of heading to highpoints, the teams meet locally. Two teams then stay local, with one near Athena and the other moving down the coast to get cross-bearings.
Saturday, Nov. 13, Mid-day Report
Hold onto your hats! Athena crossed the road!! Yes, the team at Martin's Beach reported that they saw her actually fly across the road to a location behind Bob's Pumpkin Farm. One of the teams immediately called to share the news with me; and I, in turn, am sharing the news with you.
Saturday, Nov. 13 Morning Report
Athena spent last night at Martin's Beach, which is along Highway 1, south of Half Moon Bay. The morning report was that she was still on the west side of the road, in otherwords, ocean-side. Her signal is not carrying very far, so two teams were along Highway 1 this morning. Eventually, one team headed south to San Gregorio where they could get cross-bearings..... Yeah! The third team is planted in the cemetery along Highway 92 at Skyline. They report it is a very quiet place.
Friday, Nov. 12 Athena Remains Oceanside
Last night Athena remained at Martin's Beach; and as of midday today, she's not budging. There are several other redtails in the immediate area, and the teams have seen interaction between them. Athena is between Highway 1 and the ocean in an area with dunes.
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010 Athena Crosses the Gate
Athena is an earlier riser. Having spent the night in Gerbode Valley, in the center of the Headlands, Athena was up and heading south over the Golden Gate before 9 AM. Ron and Phil had a bearing on her from San Pablo Ridge, as she crossed the gate. Ann and Theresa on San Bruno Mt. tracked her as she headed along the coast towards Half Moon Bay. Bill and James headed over to Highway 1, and followed her as she headed further south to Martins Beach. By midday, she seems to have slowed down. The other teams are re-positioning to get her roost site. More to come.......
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010-- 3 PM, Athena Flies Free
In the early afternoon, Slacker provided a big, healthy, female, juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Larry released her from Conzelman Rd, just below Hawk Hill. and she flew north through the valley. Adrenalin is pumping and the teams are now tracking her near Sausalito.
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 A New Day, 9 AM
It's another beautiful day in the Headlands. Now, all we need are birds. The banders are all primed and This Will Be The Day.
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, 3 PM, End of Day
I wish I could say "End of Wait", but unfortunately, the wait continues until tomorrow. It is the end of another day of waiting. Five and counting. The skiies were clear, but there was generally a lack of birds flying. We updated maps, re-scheduled those who missed their time in the field, did the dishes, and waited......
David is Banding Dayleader tomorrow, and he really wants to go home at the end of the day. Keep your fingers crossed.
David is Banding Dayleader tomorrow, and he really wants to go home at the end of the day. Keep your fingers crossed.
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, Morning Wait
It's a beautiful day here in the Headlands. Marion and her crew are out and trying their darndest to entice a juvenile RT, Prairie Falcon, Goshawk, Swainson, Ferrug, or Broadwing out of the sky. If a Rough-legged Hawk happens by, it will be the first of the season.... but we'll take it! A slight chance of rain later today, should squeegie the birds down to us..... at least we hope so.
Monday, Nov. 8, 2010, 3 PM
3PM has now passed, and we've no bird to track. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the day we get to finally hit the road and follow a hawk.
Monday, Nov. 8, 2010
Today the telemetrists are waiting at Building 1064 for a juvenile red-tailed hawk. We've been "waiting" since Friday. Today, the weather is beautiful, the winds are up, and yet the bander's have not been able to attract a single redtail. We remain hopeful for the next 30 minutes, until we will have to give up for the day.
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