Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 09, 2017 -------------------------------------------------------------------
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 0 0 0 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 4 32 32 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Prairie Falcon 0 0 0 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 1 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 5 44 44 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 4 hours Official Counter: Mitchell Blystone Observers: Visitors: Little traffic on the trails though Pat Connor, JeffCo Open Space and former Hawk Watch volunteer stopped by to check in and watch the skies for a bit. Weather: The morning began with a slight breeze from the west and near calm sunny conditions. Eventually the wind came from the east and during the noon hour it became very strong and swirling at the site. The sun remained out and temps reached 66F. Raptor Observations: The local Red tails were very active all day and even shared an intimate moment on the power lines to the east. I did observe an unidentified falcon early in the morning flying near some of the local Red tails but it's path went straight east until it disappeared on the south side of Green Mountain. The migrating birds observed came from the Mtn Morrison/Two Pines area and for the most part were very high up. Non-raptor Observations: Blue birds!! Several groups flew right past or right through the platform. The Scrub Jays were very vocal and busy and some were carrying sticks when they flew over. Townsend's Solitaires, Magpies, and Chickadees (Black-capped?) were hanging out as well. Predictions: No thoughts on predictions for tomorrow but I would say that between today and my last day up it seems that when you see one moving through there will be a couple accompanying bringing up the rear. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies ([email protected]) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.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 Bird Conservancy of the Rockies from about 9 AM to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th. 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/afff92d24ab81d0188bf044347b2e6f5%40www.hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
