Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 22, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 80 87 Osprey 0 19 20 Bald Eagle 0 4 37 Northern Harrier 0 8 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 25 37 Cooper's Hawk 0 56 69 Northern Goshawk 0 2 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 15 15 Red-tailed Hawk 0 121 281 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 4 4 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 10 Golden Eagle 0 1 13 American Kestrel 1 147 179 Merlin 0 5 6 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2 Prairie Falcon 0 8 17 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 20 20 Unknown Buteo 0 11 25 Unknown Falcon 0 14 16 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 10 13 Total: 1 553 868 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Cynthia Madsen Observers: Visitors: A priest and 27 parishioners from Saint Anthony's of Padua conducted a Good Friday's pray service on the ridge. Also 5 hikers came through at various times. Weather: It was another day of complete respect for a bird's ability to maneuver in strong winds. At times I was afraid that if I raised my arms, I myself might take flight. Winds were constant out of the NW from 13 to 22 mph with gusts up to 37 mph. Visibility was excellent with only about 20% cloud cover. Raptor Observations: The strong NW winds may have deterred raptor migration. I spotted only one lone American Kestrel fighting its way north on the west side of the ridge. Local raptors included 3 adult Red-tailed hawks, 1 juvenile hawk displaying nice wing panels, 1 Cooper's, 1 Sharp-shinned, and 1 Turkey Vulture. Non-raptor Observations: Other birds seen were 2 Northern Flickers, 2 Western Scrub Jays, 3 Western Bluebirds, 5 Chipping Sparrows, 1 Western Meadowlark, 2 Spotted Towhees, 3 Black-billed Magpies, 3 Common Ravens, and 10 White-throated Swifts, undaunted by the winds. Also 1 rabbit. Predictions: Hopefully, this day of rest for the raptors will prove to be a banner day for the observers tomorrow . ======================================================================== 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.
