A hatch-year male Northern Harrier displays the distinctive facial disc that sharpens its hearing.
GGRO
Lovely Prairie /
As a volunteer with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory I've sat through many cold and foggy hours waiting to band hawks. When the sun shines anything can happen and this weekend was no exception. The highlight was my first encounter with a large falcon, a beautiful and scarily fierce juvenile female Prairie Falcon. Yeah, I know she looks cute but you have to be comfortable putting your hand into a pulsing blender to feel comfortable handling Prairies.
This one was extra large and extra fierce and completely awe inspiring.
She was in great health and left us wearing a new band with a unique number that I hope isn't recovered for a few decades.