Getting Ready for the 2011 Tracking Year
We're trying a new flexible schedule, and the sign-ups are moving along pretty well. We are hoping to track a Prairie or Broadwing during this special, early schedule. Prairie Falcons and Broadwings come through the Headlands early during the Fall, so we're hoping to be ready to hit the road IF one stops by. As soon as we hit the tracking road, we'll actively post to the 2011 Telemetry Blog.
Saturday, Nov. 20 Team Snowed Off Mt. Hamilton, but....
This morning no teams have picked up Bonnie's signal. Cheryl and Maxine are on Fremont Peak, Tom and Mike were on Mt. Madonna and have just gotten permission to go through a locked gate to head towards Loma Prieta, and Barb and Jonathan were on Mt. Hamilton, the only spot with the signal yesterday.
At mid-day the ranger at Mt. Hamilton told Barb and Jonathan they would have to leave due to snow. However, they just paged that they have a bearing! Did they actually leave the top and pick up the bearing on the way down? Did they stay, and get snowed in and then picked up the signal? It's too soon to tell, but I wanted you to know that Barb (after spending 3 days last year on San Bruno Mt. without a signal) has finally heard a signal on a moving bird!!! Could it be the work of her magic stilettos?
At mid-day the ranger at Mt. Hamilton told Barb and Jonathan they would have to leave due to snow. However, they just paged that they have a bearing! Did they actually leave the top and pick up the bearing on the way down? Did they stay, and get snowed in and then picked up the signal? It's too soon to tell, but I wanted you to know that Barb (after spending 3 days last year on San Bruno Mt. without a signal) has finally heard a signal on a moving bird!!! Could it be the work of her magic stilettos?
Friday, Nov. 19 Bonnie Hides Out
Today, we only fielded 2 teams. One team remained on Fremont Peak while the second headed back to the San Luis Reservoir area. Although that location was the last to have a signal on Thursday, they did not pick up the signal this morning. So, at 11:30 they headed to higher ground.... Mt. Hamilton. The team took a couple of hours to reposition. Meanwhile, Fremont Peak continued scanning for Bonnie's beep.
At 3:25, Tom, Ann and Jonathan managed to pick up a weak signal from Bonnie! It looks like that old Ace Tracking Team (and company) succeeded in at least locating her signal. When I spoke with Libby, she said the Fremont team was in the fog, cold and freezing, but Happy! Ah, the True Tracker Spirit lives.
Will tomorrow's teams be able to zero in on Bonnie's hideout? Will Hamilton once again provide critical clues? or Will the weather make Bonnie hunker down, so that her signal will not carry? Stay tuned.................
At 3:25, Tom, Ann and Jonathan managed to pick up a weak signal from Bonnie! It looks like that old Ace Tracking Team (and company) succeeded in at least locating her signal. When I spoke with Libby, she said the Fremont team was in the fog, cold and freezing, but Happy! Ah, the True Tracker Spirit lives.
Will tomorrow's teams be able to zero in on Bonnie's hideout? Will Hamilton once again provide critical clues? or Will the weather make Bonnie hunker down, so that her signal will not carry? Stay tuned.................
Thursday, Nov. 18, Trackers on Highpoints
Today, the trackers positioned themselves with one team on Fremont Peak, one team wandering the lands around Paicines and Hollister and Tres Pinos, one team went down to Clearwater Summit. Only Fremont Peak was successful in picking up Bonnie's signal during most of the day. Finally, one team headed over to San Luis Reservoir (going across Pacheco Pass and looking for access to Pacheco Peak). At about 3:15 that team picked up a signal which pointed back towards Paicines.... but Bonnie could be anywhere in between, since Fremont Peak did not pick up the same signal.
The teams are having increasing difficulty trying to pick up signals in the rolling terrain between Fremont Peak and Highway 5. In the evening, Tom, Jonathan and Mike left Marin and joined up with Cheryl and Ann in Hollister. When I spoke with Tom he said, "The ACE tracking team is on their way". (Sounds something like the Ace Detective Agency). We'll see how well they do on Friday. Good Luck.
The teams are having increasing difficulty trying to pick up signals in the rolling terrain between Fremont Peak and Highway 5. In the evening, Tom, Jonathan and Mike left Marin and joined up with Cheryl and Ann in Hollister. When I spoke with Tom he said, "The ACE tracking team is on their way". (Sounds something like the Ace Detective Agency). We'll see how well they do on Friday. Good Luck.
Wednesday, Nov. 17 Bonnie Tries to Evade the Trackers
Bonnie is a pretty smart gal. She rose early this morning and all three teams had her signal. She then tried to evade their efforts to keep up with her.
(Please understand, that Bonnie doesn't really know that we are out there trying to follow her. We do not try to move in close to her, or obtain sightings of her. We do not want to change her behavior. Most tracking is done from a distance, with us frequently being 5 - 30 miles away. Any reference to "hiding" or "evading" is purely done from the human point of view of the trackers).
While I don't have the maps completed, it appears she woke on the south side of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the moved northward around Loma Prieta. She then tried to slip to the southeast. But she couldn't evade Libby and James on Fremont Peak. They had bearings as she moved eastward, and then to the southeast of their position. Cheryl and Roger hopped from Loma Prieta to Mt. Hamilton, which is not an easy trick. And finally, late in the afternoon, Larry and David located Bonnie hiding out on the east side of the Pinnacles. Great work team.
(Please understand, that Bonnie doesn't really know that we are out there trying to follow her. We do not try to move in close to her, or obtain sightings of her. We do not want to change her behavior. Most tracking is done from a distance, with us frequently being 5 - 30 miles away. Any reference to "hiding" or "evading" is purely done from the human point of view of the trackers).
While I don't have the maps completed, it appears she woke on the south side of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the moved northward around Loma Prieta. She then tried to slip to the southeast. But she couldn't evade Libby and James on Fremont Peak. They had bearings as she moved eastward, and then to the southeast of their position. Cheryl and Roger hopped from Loma Prieta to Mt. Hamilton, which is not an easy trick. And finally, late in the afternoon, Larry and David located Bonnie hiding out on the east side of the Pinnacles. Great work team.
Tuesday, Nov.16 Bonnie Continues South
By mid-day Bonnie was moving south, not particularly quickly, but with steady flight. Libby and Roger on Black Mountain on the Peninsula marked off her bearings as she moved to the west of their location, and then to the south. James and Tom along Hwy 1 had frequent cross-bearings as Bonnie coursed over the hills. Larry, David and Ari found a new highpoint off Skyline which gave them bearings as she began moving southward. The last bearings in the late afternoon were from Mt. Bielawski, along Hwy 35, south of Hwy 9 in the Santa Cruz Mts.
James reported that Athena was still hanging out at Martins Beach.
James reported that Athena was still hanging out at Martins Beach.
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