Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 30, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 5 100 103 Osprey 3 15 15 Bald Eagle 0 2 27 Northern Harrier 0 3 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 33 38 Cooper's Hawk 0 56 71 Northern Goshawk 0 2 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 115 245 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 9 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 1 9 Golden Eagle 0 4 11 American Kestrel 0 64 78 Merlin 0 4 4 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 4 Prairie Falcon 0 2 7 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 20 22 Unknown Buteo 0 19 24 Unknown Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 4 8 Total: 9 452 684 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:15:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 4.75 hours Official Counter: Roger Rouch Observers: Don Taves Visitors: A large group of German high school students on a learning exchange with Wheat Ridge High visited the site but seemed more interested in the views than the birds. Weather: A morning blue sky quickly gave way to a mostly cloudy day. A gentle morning breeze, but winds averaging 4 bft. from the NE with gusts to 30 mph from mid-morning on. Temperatures in the 40's all day. Raptor Observations: While local Turkey Vultures seem to wander over a wide range this time of year, five were observed to follow a fairly distinct migration pattern. In spite of fairly strong winds from the NE, migrants and a few local Red-tails seemed to glide effortlessly to the north. The last hour of observation was the most active. Non-raptor Observations: The observation was terminated slightly early (14:00) due to scheduling complications. Seen or heard, Black-billed Magpie, Western Scrub Jay, Bushtit, Common Raven, Western Meadowlark, chickadee, and numerous White-throated Swift. Predictions: Optimistically, lighter winds will be more conducive to migration and more pleasant for the observers. ======================================================================== 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]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/20140430224554.32475.qmail%40taiga.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
