One of the benefits of so many changed, stalled and cancelled plans and projects this year has been room for the new, different or random to emerge. In the music department around here, that’s meant for some new tunes and home recording. I wrote "Look Up" a couple weeks ago inspired by one of my favorite activities.
This was my 8th season volunteering as a Hawkwatcher for Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, a season that due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the calamitous wildfire season nearly didn’t happen at all. After months of planning and figuring out how to safely conduct the count, the annual volunteer crew, usually numbering in the hundreds, was whittled down to 15 volunteers who counted five days a week between September and November. I was on the Thursday team. We missed a few scheduled count days due to the hazardous smoke from the fires combined with the usual weather vagaries — fog, heat, rain, more fog — but we gave it a go whenever we had a chance.
The fact of bird migration itself is wondrous and life affirming. This year more than ever it really felt like privilege to be there, perched atop a hill with one of the best views in the area, watching falcons, hawks and vultures soar. I wrote “Look Up” after a day on the hill two days after the election.
I recorded it at home and made the video using footage from my last day of counting on the hill this year along with some photos taken by my teammates.
Take a look and listen, and then head on over to the GGRO site to learn how to support the organization.