Jenner Headlands Hawkwatch

Jenner Headlands Hawkwatch Jenner Headlands Preserve's annual fall raptor migration at the Sonoma Coast. Raptor Identification. Sonoma County California.
(1)

Jenner Headland's annual fall migration. Come see hundreds of migrating hawks along the Sonoma Coast. The stunning Jenner Headlands provide a large coastal prairie with vast open areas and endless perching spots. Some of the raptors fly right on by, some slow, some fast. While other southward raptors stop over for a meal, it may be avian prey for the Merlin's, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. As

well as crucial undeveloped coastal prairie grassland habitat that is bustling with small mammals for the Kites, Harriers, Buteo's and Kestrels. The Jenner Headlands Hawk Watch was established over a decade ago involving volunteer citizen scientists, specializing in raptor identification, census and surveys. These volunteers came from many different north bay communities, such as Madrone Audubon, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Wild by Nature walks & talks, North Bay Birds, I'm Birding Right Now!, Redwood Regional Ornithological Society, West County Hawkwatch, various land trust and open space groups, as well as various north bay wildlife care and rescue organizations. West County Hawkwatch aka West Coast Hawkwatch is a local raptor education, natural history and identification outreach group. WE currently run the teams out at the Jenner Headlands migration location. The teams work under guidance and permission from The Wildlands Conservancy and Sonoma Land Trust. The public support to TWC and SLT has paid off and now the hawks are on display. The Jenner Headland’s Coastal Migration Project is well on its way, with special interest in helping people learn about the natural history and identification of birds of prey. During the raptor migration counts we are also compiling data on rare raptor species and sightings. We also study raptor interaction with other raptors, hunting success and territorial battles. As well as all the other bird species and their movements. We also document other animal activity such as the bobcats, coyotes, badgers, deer, butterflies, ground squirrels, reptiles, turkeys and feral pigs...
Come out and enjoy your Jenner Headlands Preserve.

08/31/2026
Fellow Raptor Enthusiasts, Today was our first Sunday of the 2026 Hawkwatch Season. The day started out slowly with some...
08/31/2026

Fellow Raptor Enthusiasts,

Today was our first Sunday of the 2026 Hawkwatch Season. The day started out slowly with some fog hugging the coast, but it cleared around 11:00. Visibility was good. We could see all the way to Bodega Head to the south. Temperatures were in the 60s with light winds.

I was joined by Adrian Johnson, Ric Vetter, Vicki Chung, Mookie Fudemberg, Melissa Witte, Joe Lishka and Roger Dunstan.

We saw a total of 126 raptors made up of 6 species.

Here are the numbers;

TUVU: 70
OSPR: 2
NOHA: 1
COHA: 4 juveniles
RTHA: 38, 24 juveniles, 5 undoc
AMKE: 5

unidentified raptor: 1

We also saw 2 Bobcats on the drive up and 1 whale.

Looking forward to our next Hawkwatch on Sunday!

Photo courtesy of Team Photographer Ric Vetter.

Greetings Fellow Raptor Enthusiasts, Join us this Sunday, August 30th for our first Sunday Hawkwatch of the 2026 Fall Se...
08/28/2026

Greetings Fellow Raptor Enthusiasts,

Join us this Sunday, August 30th for our first Sunday Hawkwatch of the 2026 Fall Season! Dave's team on Wednesday had a great day.

Fall migration is starting and the Jenner Hawkwatch team is gearing up for the 2026 season. We hope you can join us up on the hill!
We are excited to sponsor two weekly teams this year, Wednesday and Sunday – and some additional surge days when migration peaks.

Individual day sign up is encouraged, but not required. Email and text still work for us. As you may remember, we are limited to 5 vehicles, so our maximum is 12-15 people each day watch.

We hope to see you soon!

The usual Jenner Hawk Watch protocol applies:
Meet @ the Jenner Visitor Center (JVC) @ town of Jenner 9:15 am
Then at 9:30 am Sharp, we will head up to the Jenner Headlands. > There is limited space for parking, so Carpooling is a must.
The count up on the hill runs from 10 AM - 2 PM, weather permitting. We'll drive back down to JVC by 2:20 PM.
All attending MUST sign a liability waiver ONCE a season AND a daily sign in sheet each time day you're on the watch (per The Wildlands Conservancy).
What to bring: water, lunch, layered clothing, sunscreen, shade hat, camping chair or blanket to sit on, raptor ID books, binoculars, spotting scope.
Hawkwatch runs from 10am to 2pm, We are behind a locked gate.

The 2026 Jenner Hawkwatch Team.

08/28/2026
Today was our Opening Day of the 2026 Hawkwatch Season.I was joined on the hill by Sarah Reid, Deborah Kremins, Monica S...
08/26/2026

Today was our Opening Day of the 2026 Hawkwatch Season.
I was joined on the hill by Sarah Reid, Deborah Kremins, Monica Schwalbenberg-Pena, Sue Rahmer, Jerry Meshulam, Don Kirker, and John Markham.
It was great having Team Photographer back on the hill after a 2 year absence! Jerry you're a great guy.
It was a rather hot day on the Sonoma Coast ranging from 70-80 degrees (that's hot for the coast).
Considering the heat index and the beginning of the season I'd say we had a better then average day as far as Raptors were concerned.
We saw 117 Raptors made up of 8 species;

TUVU; 74
OSPR; 3
NOHA; 2
SSHA; 1
COHA; 4
RSHA; 1
RTHA; 17 (4 juve's)
AMKE; 14

unidentified accip; 1

We also were blessed with 2 Bobcats one of which was huge!
And on our drive out an AMERICAN BADGER!
Come on out and join us this year!

Great way to kickoff the 2026 Raptor Migration Season!
Thanks Team, Dave Barry

Greetings Fellow Raptor Enthusiasts, Join us this Wednesday August 26TH for our First Hawkwatch of the 2026 Fall Season...
08/23/2026

Greetings Fellow Raptor Enthusiasts,

Join us this Wednesday August 26TH for our First Hawkwatch of the 2026 Fall Season!

Fall migration is starting and the Jenner Hawkwatch team is gearing up for the 2026 season. We hope you can join us up on the hill!
We are excited to sponsor two weekly teams this year – and some additional surge days when migration peaks.
Wednesdays starting 8/26 with Dave Barry
Sundays starting 8/30 with Bill Perry and Shelly Anderson
Individual day sign up is encouraged, but not required. Email and text still work for us. And Dave is a big facebook user and communicates that way as well. As you may remember, we are limited to 5 vehicles, so our maximum is 12-15 people each day watch.
We hope to see you soon!

The usual Jenner Hawk Watch protocol applies:
Meet @ the Jenner Visitor Center (JVC) @ town of Jenner 9:15 am
Then at 9:30 am Sharp, we will head up to the Jenner Headlands. > There is limited space for parking, so Carpooling is a must.
The count up on the hill runs from 10 AM - 2 PM, weather permitting. We'll drive back down to JVC by 2:20 PM.
All attending MUST sign a liability waiver ONCE a season AND a daily sign in sheet each time day you're on the watch (per The Wildlands Conservancy).

What to bring: water, lunch, layered clothing, sunscreen, shade hat, camping chair or blanket to sit on, raptor ID books, binoculars, spotting scope.
Hawkwatch runs from 10am to 2pm, We are behind a locked gate.

The 2026 Jenner Hawkwatch Team.

08/18/2026
08/17/2026
08/15/2026
08/07/2026

Address

10439 Highway 1
Jenner, CA
95450

Telephone

(707) 791-0335

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jenner Headlands Hawkwatch posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category