Jenner Headlands Hawkwatch

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

05/19/2026
05/11/2026
04/30/2026

We now have a first version of an abieticola identification plate! This plate gives a brief overview of some features for identifying the subspecies, and for separating similar subspecies such as calurus, especially for dark morphs, and harlani for dark juveniles. There is much more detail that can be covered, so we soon plan to create specific plates that detail each identification challenge with the subspecies placed side by side. Stay tuned for these, and for a full treatment of abieticola in the subspecies account!

Click the link below to access a high resolution and downloadable PDF!

https://redtailedhawkproject.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/abieticola-1.pdf

04/22/2026

Migration update 📣

May was the first to arrive at her summer site in New Hampshire on April 12, followed by Billings who arrived back on territory in Vermont two days later.

The others are still making their way north with their locations as of 20 April:

Amelia → Illinois
Granite → New York
Hugger → Ontario
Kathleen → northern Mexico
Kenauk → Pennsylvania
Largo → Florida
Moose → Virginia
Muskoka → Texas
Ottauquechee → Tennessee
Potts → Washington D.C.
Seguin → Arkansas
Skatutakee → southern Mexico
Stuart → North Carolina

04/03/2026
03/17/2026
03/11/2026
02/03/2026

On January 7, 2026, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP) received a mortality signal from condor B8’s transmitter. The NCCRP crew immediately mobilized to the bird’s location in hopes of providing life-saving care but upon arrival they discovered B8 had already perished. Found in a remote part of the Bald Hills area on the Redwood National and State Parks property, the remains had been heavily scavenged. Following program protocol, remains were sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland for a necropsy to determine the manner of death, which is currently unknown.

“Our team felt quite a bit of affection for B8, who was the last released of this year’s cohort. He was low in the condor ‘pecking order,’ but insistent, tagging along and inserting himself wherever the more established birds were congregating. So, we’ve named him 'Ne-kew (Our Little Sibling),” conveyed Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen.

Released on October 14, 2025, B8 was one of 25 free-flying condors managed by the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks. Once the bird’s remains are returned from the laboratory, B8 will be laid to rest at a private site. The young male condor was born on June 6, 2023, at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise Idaho. He was two years and seven months old.

*Stock photo

Address

10439 Highway 1
Jenner, CA
95450

Telephone

(707) 791-0335

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