Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: May 07, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 6 30 178 Osprey 1 2 31 Bald Eagle 0 0 38 Northern Harrier 0 1 15 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 13 70 Cooper's Hawk 4 7 102 Northern Goshawk 0 0 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 28 Red-tailed Hawk 4 8 311 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 2 Swainson's Hawk 1 3 9 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 11 Golden Eagle 0 0 15 American Kestrel 3 34 228 Merlin 0 0 7 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 3 Prairie Falcon 0 1 21 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 3 7 33 Unknown Buteo 0 2 29 Unknown Falcon 1 2 23 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 13 Total: 26 110 1171 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Scott Severs Observers: Joel Chapa, Lee Farrell, Roger Rouch Visitors: Jen Jackson, Scott's friend and co-worker was a great addition to the watch as her sharp eyes quickly alerted us to additional raptors. Weather: Times adjusted to MST. Light winds increased from 0 to 2 B at end of period. Temperatures increased from 16 to a high of 28 C. Cloud cover ranged from 28 to 75% near end of day. Visibility was generally good with haze at distance. Raptor Observations: Sparse migrants continue to trickle through with more sub-adults observed, a typical pattern after the peak period of movement has passed. All Red-tailed Hawk migrants today were categorized as such and a couple of individuals gave us good looks. Local Turkey Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk and Cooper's Hawk all observed today. Non-raptor Observations: The hawk watch is a great place for observing migration behaviors as many species travel and align themselves along the leading lines of the ridges. Today's migrants in order of observation included Western Kingbird, American Pipit, Franklin's Gull, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, and Barn Swallow. At one point a group of eight Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flew 8-10 meters over the top of the ridge. Other new arrivals for the ridge included Green-tailed Towhee, Lazuli Bunting, Northern Rough-winged Swallow. All species observed will be logged to ebird.org for historical and biological trends. Predictions: This was Roger and Scott's last stint for the season. It was an excellent year and we toyed again with the idea and location for a fall lookout with good views to the north. Roger hinted at exploring a few nearby sites and Scott has a few favorites in mind too. Let Jeff know if you have any suggestions. ======================================================================== 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.
