Winter Raptor Surveys at White Rocks
Seven teen naturalists and three fellow travelers hiked the White Rocks Trail on a crisp, foggy early March morning with sunlight filtering through the mist and hoarfrost glistening on the willows. In all, we saw 13 raptors including a young Golden Eagle, a young Bald Eagle, and a Ferruginous Hawk. Many were perched in and flying over the Boulder Creek corridor. An area that appears to be a concentration area for both wintering and nesting raptors.
One highlight was seeing the eagles, the Ferruginous Hawk, and three Red-tailed Hawks all soaring among a dozen Common Ravens, right over the creek. It was a wonderful experience to see their relative sizes.
The Teen Naturalists program hopes to continue these winter surveys next year.
Thanks to Mia Hock for providing these photos, as well as all the student participants, who did a fabulous job spotting the raptors and identifying other birds: Lucian Gaddis, Mia Hock, Owen Robertson, Kieran Schnitzspahn, Raelan Schmidgall, Calliope Scott, Ella Stevens-Green.
