Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: May 02, 2017 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 1 70 Osprey 1 2 11 Bald Eagle 0 1 15 Northern Harrier 0 0 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 12 60 Cooper's Hawk 1 2 65 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 19 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 263 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 14 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 8 Golden Eagle 0 0 4 American Kestrel 2 3 45 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 11 Prairie Falcon 0 0 6 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 4 4 15 Unknown Buteo 1 1 28 Unknown Falcon 0 0 8 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 24 Total: 16 27 668 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter: Gary Rossmiller Observers: Weather: Cool, chilly at times, overcast day with the sun breaking through at times. Wind was variable; up to 5 bft in the morning, calming to a 2 bft in the afternoon. Barometer dropped slightly 30.03" to 29.97". A few rain drops in the afternoon. Horizons visible but hazy. Very little snow left on northern slopes. Raptor Observations: Just a few local raptors, RT and TV, not a lot of activity. Otherwise, it was Accipter day! Several got by me before being sighted. Poor light at times and/or distance have them registered as UA. I confirmed one Cooper's. I believe all the others were SS. At 9:50 a very grayish bird went by at/below eye level. I believe a dark Swainson's. Long narrow hands, not a NH, did not have the disc or the lanky wings. It will be a UB. Non-raptor Observations: Jeffco trail crew working on water diversion today. Trail is dry, just a few moist/wet spots. Just a few people on the platform briefly. Very light trail use. Local birds active this morning then becoming mostly absent; Spotted Towhee, Woodhouse Scrubjay, Western Meadowlark, American Robin, Black billed Magpie, White Throated Swifts (lots!) Canyon Wren. Predictions: I hope it's just as entertaining tomorrow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies ([email protected]) Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 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/73d1ef6e3b575c8144cf06993aa5cab4%40www.hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
