Fabulous Weld County raptor day! Blue sky, 33 degrees, 17 birders, gracious Nunn Cafe hosts and a new Colorado resident on her first Colorado birding outing-we did not disappoint.
Good omen at start of day--Ferruginous Hawk on grain silo across from Nunn Cafe--it only gets better from here. Golden Eagle - 6 Prairie Falcon - 5 American Kestrel - 14 Rough-legged Hawk - 8 Ferruginous Hawk - 12(!) Red-tailed Hawk - 18 Unidentified buteo - 2\Bald Eagle - 2 Northern Harrier - 2 Crowning the day for all of us-Red-shouldered Hawk at 2:30PM. We parked in Poudre River Trail parking lot on north; walked no more than half-mile east. The trail goes east; turns south then bends east again-at this bend is where a trail walker mentioned hearing a "hawk- like" cry. We found the bird across the Poudre River perched on limb 10 o'clock in the three "Cottonwoods" closest to river on south bank. It sat for at least 10 minutes-then dove to ground; not sure if he got his prey and flew low west along river and perched low could no longer see the hawk. Crowning day for myself was at home at WCR 33/100 dog colony not one, not two ,not three, not four, not five but SIX Ferruginous Hawks fighting over fresh Prairire Dog kill-AWESOME. Got pix of four them together posting soon. All in all a fab day for Weld County birders Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn http://coloradobirder.ning.com/ -- Home of the "Nunn Guy"
