Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 21, 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 1 1 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 3 22 22 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 1 1 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 3 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 74 74 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 7 7 Golden Eagle 1 1 1 American Kestrel 3 4 4 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Prairie Falcon 0 10 10 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 3 3 Unknown Buteo 0 5 5 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 7 134 134 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 0.2 hours Official Counter: Kathanne Lynch, Roger Rouch Observers: Claude Vallieres, George Mayfield Visitors: Rob Reilly, Jeffco Open Space Trail Volunteer, stopped by and indicated he had not seen the bird activity this quiet in all his time traveling the area. He was the only visitor. Weather: Overcast for most of day with a sunny break at noon. Wind was from NNW and W for most of day except for a short period from the S at 10:30 which is when the eagles came through. Temp in 30s and low 40s. Rain and verga in distance with lightning in mid afternoon. Raptor Observations: Not much activity except for one kestrel in early am. Mid morn brought a sub adult golden eagle who at I-70 was joined by a following adult bald eagle and an immature bald eagle. The eagles had a Southerly tail wind that fueled them along. About 2 minutes later another immature bald eagle followed. All headed due North. The three kestrels all struggled with the winds heading North. All were on East side of Dino ridge. Non-raptor Observations: Other bird activity was minimal and mostly heard more than seen and included: scrub jay, mountain bluebirds, flicker, magpie, Townsend's solitaire, white-throated swift, raven, crow, rock dove and the local red-tail hawks and prairie falcon along with kestrels. Predictions: Rain to snow later in the afternoon with colder temperatures. ======================================================================== 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 unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
