Hi Everyone -

For any new staff, interns, or volunteers that don't know me, my name is Gavin Emmons and I lead up the raptor monitoring program for Pinnacles National Park (PINN). The following update details the status of breeding raptor activity at the park so far this season.

Prairie falcons (PRFA) and peregrine falcons (PEFA) have returned to nesting territories and are have settled into incubating eggs at cliff cavity nest sites. Raptor advisories are in effect to help protect these magnificent raptors from disturbance, and advisory signs are posted at Balconies, Hawkins Peak, and near Little Pinnacles / Yaks Wall. For current advisories in effect, refer to the PINN raptor advisories page.

Raptor Advisories - U.S. National Park Service

Raptor Advisory Information To maximize the potential of successful nest establishment, Pinnacles National Park requests that all visitors refrain from rock climbing and off-trail hiking in sensitive areas during the advisory periods.

For the 2025 season, PRFA and PEFA have been confirmed occupying eight and four territories respectively. Most of the falcon pairs have selected nesting sites and are incubating eggs, with a couple pairs late in their nesting patterns and potentially still selecting sites for nesting. For information on territory locations and rock formations, refer to Brad Young's climber's guidebook to Pinnacles.

PRFA and PEFA breeding efforts for 2025 are listed below:

• Goat Rock /Scout Peak: PRFA pair, not nesting
• Egg / Teapot Dome: PRFA pair, nest confirmed
• South Balconies: PRFA pair, nest confirmed
• Crowley Towers: PRFA pair, nest confirmed
• Willow Spring Slide: PRFA pair, nest confirmed
• North Chalone Peak: PRFA pair, not nesting, apparently abandoned territory
• Drywall Slide: PRFA pair, nest confirmed
• Gargoyle / Piedras Bonitas Cliffs: PRFA pair, nest confirmed
• Little Pinnacles / Yaks Wall / The Hand: PEFA pair, nest confirmed
• Hawkins Peak: PEFA pair, nest confirmed
• General / North Balconies: PEFA pair, nest confirmed
• North Chalone Peak: PEFA pair, nest confirmed

As noted above, climbing and hiking advisories are in effect for the 2025 season. The official park website reflects current advisories in effect, as do the Friends of Pinnacles and Mud 'n Crud websites. Let me know if you have further questions.

PRFA and PEFA are actively defending territories and will alarm call or dive at intruders (including people!) that get too close to their nest sites.

In addition to PRFA and PEFA, other raptor species actively breeding right now in the park include American kestrels, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, great horned owls, and long-eared owls.

This year we have confirmed two nests for long-eared owls, a California species of concern that breeds annually at the park. Long-eared owls do not build their own nests; instead they make use of old raptor nest constructs, primarily from sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks here at PINN.

Another highlight so far this year has been a white-tailed kite pair that is occupying an oak / willow grove in the bottomlands, and appears to be preparing to nest soon. White-tailed kites are very elegant-looking raptors and are very specialized predators - they mainly eat California voles in our region, and in recent years have not been active at Pinnacles. However, California voles have had an irruptive year in 2025 and the kites appear to be taking advantage of that.

A few raptor species pass through the park on spring migration and do not stick around to nest at Pinnacles.

Raptor Photo Gallery

(all photos by Gavin Emmons - copyright ©2025)

2025 Raptor Monitoring Photos (click images to enlarge) - All photos by Gavin Emmons ©2025
PRFA male adult in flight.	Another PRFA male adult in flight.
PRFA male adult perched at a cliff-cavity nest site. The male just arrived at the nest after the female flew from the site, and proceeded to settle and continue incubation of the five eggs in the interior.	Beautiful Long-eared owl, trying to hide from view as it incubates eggs at an old Cooper\'s hawk stick construct.
Adult Golden Eagle in flight.	White-tailed kite adult flying with vole prey.
Merlin - a small but fierce falcon species - eating a sparrow near the campground earlier in the season.

This year a number of people have been assisting with raptor monitoring at Pinnacles - Mike Baird, Joseph Belli, Kaitlin Lopez, Megan Gnekow, Holly Miner, Shea Miller, Emmy Elsner, and Emma Gray. Daniel George, Alacia Welch, Paul Johnson, Linda Regan, and other staff and neighbors have also been very helpful in notifying me of raptor encounters at the park. I really appreciate all of the assistance and efforts in confirming raptor status at the park!!

Thank you to all the staff who have continued to provide me with raptor observations; every detail on raptor behavior helps to provide a more complete picture of raptor breeding at the park. If anyone on staff wishes to report raptor or other observations, I would greatly appreciate it if you please email details of observations including species, date, location, and times. Your reports help us comprehensively track raptor activity at the park over the years.

If you have any observations within the park to report, or any raptor-related questions, please contact me via email or extension 4279. Thanks!