Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 18, 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 6 6 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 1 6 6 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 48 48 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Ferruginous Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 0 4 4 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Prairie Falcon 0 5 5 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 2 83 83 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5.75 hours Official Counter: Joyce Commercon Observers: Bill Schmoker, Francis Commercon, Jim Schmoker Visitors: Jefferson County Parks Volunteer Ranger Rob Reilly visited for a while, not long after the Greater Roadrunner had passed by. Several hikers, some with children and/or dogs in tow, stopped to inquire what migrants had been seen. A number also asked about sightings of the Roadrunner. Weather: The morning began sunny, warm and calm with good visibility. A breeze from the E and SE became variable before noon, settling into a strong wind from the S, which often gusted to level 5 (kicking up an annoying amount of dust and grit) by mid-afternoon. Visibility to the south toward Warren Peak was completely obscured (due to dust?) and Mt. Morrison was visibly hazy by 2 pm. Raptor Observations: Our two migrants came early in the morning before the gusting winds. Both passed directly over the ridge and were visible to the naked eye. The migrating Cooper's Hawk was harassed briefly by a local Sharp-shinned, which then returned South while the CH continued North. Three local American Kestrels engaged in an apparent territorial dispute complete with aerial attacks and high chittering vocalizations. There was not much local Red-tail activity near the ridge; a local pair was seen circling over Westridge. Non-raptor Observations: At about 10:15 am, the Greater Roadrunner appeared just below us on the East side of the ridge and continued to move steadily to the South and out of view. Not long before that, two Mountain Bluebirds were seen flying steadily North. Other species seen or heard included American Robin, Black-billed Magpie, Western Meadowlark, Common Raven, American Crow, House Finch, Townsend's Solitaire, Mountain Chickadee, Black-capped Chickadee and Western Scrub-Jay. ======================================================================== 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.
