Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: May 04, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 3 14 119 Osprey 0 2 27 Bald Eagle 0 0 18 Northern Harrier 0 0 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 4 59 Cooper's Hawk 1 3 97 Northern Goshawk 0 0 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 12 Red-tailed Hawk 1 7 323 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 1 1 10 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 10 Golden Eagle 0 1 12 American Kestrel 0 3 59 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 4 Prairie Falcon 0 0 4 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 14 Unknown Buteo 0 0 9 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 3 Unknown Raptor 0 0 12 Total: 6 35 805 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 12:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Mitchell Blystone Observers: Visitors: Few visitors to the high top but the trail was very busy. One family stopped to take a snack break and enjoy the view and were the only ones to say hello. Weather: Nice, calm morning with ample sun. Very little clouds and wind early on which slowly change through the morning to increased cover and moderate gusts. Raptor Observations: Early raptor activity from the locals and some of the migrants. Local Red Tailed Hawk were seen throughout the morning and a male Kestrel was seen along the east ridge multiple times. A lone Cooper's Hawk and a Turkey Vulture were observed heading south very close to the Dinosaur Ridge. Non-raptor Observations: Roughly 20 Pelicans were seen in perfect formation flying to the south of the platform and they slowly disappeaered behind Green Mountain. Rock Wren(s) and Spotted Towhee were working hard along the slopes near the top. The two big surprises of day were the Western Tanager and Ruby Crowned Kinglet which both stopped by the dead pine to the south. Magpies, Crows, Ravens, Meadowlarks, and what looked to be a Brown Creeper where also seen. Predictions: If it's a repeat of today's behavior then early is better. Enjoy the weather! ======================================================================== 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/62a9d2a30448a6682bc5dbfd68a2d23c%40hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
