Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 13, 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 3 35 36 Osprey 0 7 8 Bald Eagle 0 1 7 Northern Harrier 0 1 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 5 8 Cooper's Hawk 1 19 27 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 3 51 202 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 2 Golden Eagle 0 2 9 American Kestrel 2 24 44 Merlin 0 1 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 3 Prairie Falcon 1 2 8 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 9 13 Unknown Buteo 0 3 11 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 6 Total: 11 162 392 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Cynthia Madsen Observers: Brock Moran, Dave Hill, Jim Schmoker, Michael Kiessig Visitors: Two runners, 24 hikers, and 7 bikers visited the ridge. We spoke to 13 of these about the RMBO HawkWatch project. One group consisting of a lady and 6 children received a brief tutorial on the hawks we see using the pictures from Jerry Liguori's books. The kids were then ready to see some hawks. Almost on cue, a Red-tailed Hawk appeared on the east side in plain view and then was harassed by an American Kestrel. HawkWatch delivers! Weather: It was a clear day that began with only 5% cloud cover that increased to 50% by the last hour. Westerly winds remained steady from 10 to 18 mph with gusts up to 33 mph, but shifted from the east around noon. The temperature gradually rose from 48℉ to 58℉. Raptor Observations: The migrating falcons and accipiters were all very close to the ridge, either just above eye level or below. The Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks were over the west ridge except for one Red-tailed Hawk who flew from south to north directly overhead. Non-raptor Observations: We saw 2 local Turkey Vultures near Mount Morrison and over the west ridge. We had 3 local Red-tailed Hawks, 2 of which gave us a spectacular aerial display. There were 3 local American Kestrels, a pair seen copulating on the telephone pole below the ridge on the east side (look for all the white wash...must be a favorite perch) and one additional male. Other birds seen today were Mourning Dove (headed north), 1; White-throated Swifts, 8; Black-billed Magpie, 5; Common Raven, 4; Mountain Chickadee, 2; Rock Wren,1(heard at bottom of the ridge on the east side); American Robin, 1; Spotted Towhee, 2; Western Meadowlark, 2. There were 2 mule deer grazing on the east side of the ridge. Predictions: Depending on when our bad weather arrives, maybe there will be some early migrating hawks trying to beat the storm tomorrow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.bi...@rmbo.org) 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 cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
