Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 28, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 104 105 Osprey 0 24 24 Bald Eagle 0 6 18 Northern Harrier 0 7 8 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 46 55 Cooper's Hawk 0 85 91 Northern Goshawk 0 3 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 12 12 Red-tailed Hawk 1 221 314 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 9 9 Ferruginous Hawk 0 6 10 Golden Eagle 0 8 11 American Kestrel 0 48 53 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4 Prairie Falcon 0 4 4 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 11 14 Unknown Buteo 0 4 9 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 1 3 Unknown Raptor 0 9 12 Total: 1 613 760 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 12:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Mike Fernandez Observers: Andrew Norman, Steve Rash Visitors: Steve Rash arrived 6:00 and stayed through 10:30 MST. Andrew Norman and son Oliver arrived at 11:00 MST. Thanks for the help! Other visitors asked about our watch, but the number on the ridge today was pretty low for this time of year. Weather: Wind was the weather story of the day. Probably the strongest sustained wind and gusts I’ve experienced on the platform in five years. Sand plumes from the quarries to the north and south scoured the I-70/Table Mtn corridor and filled the Soda Lakes/Chatfield area with clouds of dust. At times it was difficult to keep binoculars steady. Even our juniper was not much help today. The winds were directly from the west. The eastern slope of the ridge was mostly motionless. Abandoned the watch due to high winds and incoming thunderstorm at 12:00 pm MST. (PWS: Miller Lane, Idledale) Raptor Observations: Migrating Raptors: One brave migrating Red-tailed Hawk made the trek north while facing directly west the whole time. Non-Migrating Raptors: Local Red-tailed hawks (4) took advantage of lulls to hunt the western valley. One Golden Eagle elevatored straight up and then dove down towards Mathews-Winters park (which was almost empty today). Local Turkey Vultures (6) kettled above the ridge several times today, during lulls. Non-raptor Observations: Also seen or heard: Western Meadowlark (1), Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay (2), Violet-green Swallow (2), White-throated Swift (12), Blue Jay (1), Spotted Towhee (1), Common Raven (2), Broad-tailed Hummingbird (6), Yellow-rumped Warbler (2). Predictions: It's spring in Colorado. ======================================================================== 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/69f13675c4a83b618503545c67059d00%40hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
