Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: May 04, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 3 7 110 Osprey 0 2 17 Bald Eagle 0 0 27 Northern Harrier 0 0 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 3 41 Cooper's Hawk 1 6 77 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 1 2 3 Red-tailed Hawk 0 7 252 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 9 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 9 Golden Eagle 0 0 11 American Kestrel 0 2 80 Merlin 0 0 4 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 5 Prairie Falcon 0 0 7 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 1 1 23 Unknown Buteo 0 2 26 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 8 Total: 7 33 717 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Bill Wuerthele Observers: Karen Fernandez, Mike Fernandez, Roger Rouch Visitors: A warm Sunday brought many hikers/bikers/joggers/families to the Ridge. A few stopped by to talk and ask questions. Weather: It was a very warm day with a high temperature of 82 F. A constant breeze, out of the west and northwest, varied from a low of 2 bft (4 - 7 mph) to a high of 5 bft (18 - 24 mph), with gusts in the afternoon to 6 bft (25 - 30 mph). High, thin clouds moved in and out during the day, with cloud cover varying from 20% to 80%. Raptor Observations: Migrating Raptors: It was another slow day on the Ridge for migrating raptors, with a total of seven counted - three Turkey Vultures, a Cooper's Hawk, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Broad-winged Hawk and an unidentified Accipiter. Non-migrating Raptors: There were numerous sightings of local Red-tailed Hawks and local Turkey Vultures. One adult Red-tailed Hawk, carrying a small rodent, landed on a power pole behind the site. Other local raptors seen included a Cooper's Hawk, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and an American Kestrel. Non-raptor Observations: Non-Raptor Observations included the following species: Common Raven, Black-billed Magpie, Western Scrub-Jay, Western Meadowlark, American Robin, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, White-throated Swift, Violet-green Swallow, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and a Great Blue Heron, soaring over the Ridge. Predictions: Another warm day, with predicted southwest winds, hopefully will bring some late season movement. ======================================================================== 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/20140505155803.17986.qmail%40taiga.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
