Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 27, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2 84 86 Osprey 0 6 6 Bald Eagle 0 2 5 Northern Harrier 1 3 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 17 21 Cooper's Hawk 0 30 38 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 1 5 5 Red-tailed Hawk 1 63 231 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 4 4 Ferruginous Hawk 0 2 4 Golden Eagle 0 3 11 American Kestrel 0 17 31 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 4 Prairie Falcon 0 2 4 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 10 14 Unknown Buteo 0 16 21 Unknown Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Eagle 0 2 2 Unknown Raptor 0 7 8 Total: 5 280 504 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Debbie James Observers: Visitors: Two women came up to the station, one volunteers for Jeffco Open Space, who mentioned seeing a grouse (sp.) at White Ranch. Both women knew about Hawk Watch and were interested in knowing which hawks I'd seen migrate. Weather: A gorgeous day up on the Ridge. Cloudless, low winds--it was already 16 degrees(C) when I got there. Perfect humidity, along with breezes kept it from ever feeling hot. Raptor Observations: Migrators were sparse today, and were flying on both sides of the Ridge as well as above. Some flew very low on the east side. The Broad-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier sailed directly overhead for a great view. Locals: 3 Red-tail Hawks; 2 TV's; and one Kestrel arrived late in the afternoon, hovered, then landed on power line. Non-raptor Observations: A deer or elk met its demise on 1-70, right after the curve, by the sign that warns to watch for them. A Cottontail rabbit hopped thru the station twice today, numerous butterflies and grasshoppers. 4 American Crow; 4 Western Meadowlark; 3 Woodhouse's Scrub Jay; 5 House Finch; 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler; 13 White-throated Swifts; 4 Black-billed Magpie; 2 Chickadee (sp.); 4 Common Raven; 1 Spotted Towhee; 1 Broad-tailed Hummingbird; 1 Rock Wren. Predictions: Looks like another beautiful day tomorrow with a chance of p.m. rain. The migration might be slowing as it's getting close to the end of the season. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Matthew Smith ([email protected]) Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=123 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/45be50ddf03a6674d041c355497cf9e3%40www.hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
