Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 07, 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 3 3 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 0 2 2 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 13 13 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 1 1 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Prairie Falcon 0 3 3 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 0 28 28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 10:00:00 Total observation time: 1 hours Official Counter: Cynthia Madsen Observers: Visitors: There were no visitors. Weather: The winds were 7 mph coming out of the ENE. The humidity was 91%. A light rain developed into a rain/snow mixture by the end of my hour. When I arrived the visibility on the east side of the ridge was .5 to 1 km and on the west side it was about 1.5 km. By the time I left, I could only see to the bottom of the ridge on both sides. Raptor Observations: No raptors were observed during this hour. Non-raptor Observations: I saw 5 American Robins and 2 Townsend's Solitaires on the ridge and one Black-billed Magpie in the parking lot when I descended the hill. One robin pecked away at the pebbles on the platform below me for a full 5 minutes. I probably didn't look too much like a human with my large poncho on so I didn't trigger the alarm response, but it was neat to be so close. Predictions: With the upcoming improvement in the weather, maybe the Hawk Watchers will have a good count 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.
