Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 17, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 11 64 71 Osprey 0 11 12 Bald Eagle 0 4 37 Northern Harrier 0 2 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 16 28 Cooper's Hawk 3 46 59 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 1 5 5 Red-tailed Hawk 2 97 257 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 10 Golden Eagle 0 1 13 American Kestrel 10 122 154 Merlin 0 3 4 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Prairie Falcon 0 5 14 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 15 15 Unknown Buteo 0 10 24 Unknown Falcon 0 11 13 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 1 4 Total: 27 415 730 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Paul Slingsby Observers: Francis Commercon, Joyce Commercon Visitors: Jefferson County Openspace volunteer, Bob Reilly, visited for about an hour. Mr. Reilly helped a hiker find the classes which had blown off his face! Two enthusiastic beginning birders that have been following the hawkcount blog visited for an hour or so. They were Loren Worley and Chuck Catlett. Weather: Warm, 14 to 18 deg C. Windy, about 15 mph with nearly constant gusts over 30 mph. Sunny with clouds mainly in the east. Raptor Observations: We had difficulty identifying Turkey Vultures as migrants or local birds. Red-tailed Hawks presented a similar problem. When birds flew constantly north, they were identified as migrants. The Broad-winged Hawk was an exception. It flew west-north-west but is obviously not a local bird. The local Osprey again visited Dinosaur Ridge from the south and returned the way he came. What does he hunt? Non-raptor Observations: A Yellow-rumped Warbler was seen buffeted away by the wind. An unfortunate Black-billed Magpie attempting to cross the ridge going against the wind was seen flying backwards at several miles per hour. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory ([email protected]) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/ Site Description: Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome. The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the first week of May. Directions to site: >From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow small signs from the south side of lot to hawkwatch site. The hike starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the ridge, turn left, head through the gate, and walk to the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
