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The Celebration of the Raptors Five years ago, wildlife ecologist Gary Deghi wrote in Green Footnotes about the importance of the mosaic of habitats for wintering hawks, owls, and other raptor species at a large open space area in southern Half Moon Bay known as Wavecrest. Gary and other Audubon Society members have documented detailed sightings over the years of the extensive use of the Wavecrest area by winter raptors, including Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, and American Kestrel, as well as Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Barn Owl and Short-eared Owl. The value of the site as wildlife habitat is enhanced by the presence of rare and vagrant species during the winter or in migration, including: Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon, Merlin and Swainson’s Hawk. But this extraordinary habitat for winter raptors was nearing drastic change. A large residential and commercial development project known as Wavecrest Village was under review by the California Coastal Commission, and it was expected that the Commission would be voting later that year on the proposal. New information about the site, including the identification of more extensive wetlands than had been previously delineated by the developer's consultants, and the discovery of the federally threatened California Red-legged Frog, was causing the project to become mired in a re-evaluation process. Community opposition to the project also resulted in the loss of key public elements, including a Boys and Girls Club and an elementary school. The project was going nowhere fast. Recognizing the importance of the site’s environmental values, community concerns, and economic considerations, a stunning announcement was made in mid-August by Bruce Russell, CEO of Kenmark Real Estate Group and representative of the landowners, and Audrey Rust, of Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). The two groups had reached an agreement whereby POST would purchase the site’s 216 acres for habitat protection, scenic vistas, and public recreation and enjoyment. Bravo! Accolades and praise are due all around for this farsighted resolution of a thorny impasse! But who among the applauding humans would have predicted the celebration of the raptors? This fall there has been an unprecedented congregation of White-tailed Kites at Wavecrest. Well over a hundred of these phenomenal acrobats have been counted hovering, diving and feasting on an abundance of voles. Do the kites know their future is suddenly more secure? We’d all like to think so.
Published Fall 2007 in Green Footnotes. Page last updated December 15, 2007. |
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