Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: May 06, 2021 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1 12 161 Osprey 0 4 30 Bald Eagle 0 0 21 Northern Harrier 0 0 4 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 8 134 Cooper's Hawk 0 6 104 Northern Goshawk 0 0 10 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 1 4 34 Red-tailed Hawk 4 9 355 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 4 14 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 9 Golden Eagle 0 1 10 American Kestrel 1 6 125 Merlin 0 0 12 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 12 Prairie Falcon 0 0 22 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 11 Unknown Buteo 0 0 18 Unknown Falcon 0 0 7 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 7 Total: 8 55 1101 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Gary Rossmiller Observers: Janet Peters Visitors: One older couple stopped and chatted this morning, several others came up just to briefly look. Weather: Clear with haze, horizons visible, breezy B3 with gusts to B5 in the morning, calming down in the afternoon. Chilly breeze, temps from 7.2C up to 18.3C, falling barometer 24.85" down to 24.76". Haze this afternoon was almost like wildfire smoke, Mt Morrison, the hills to the west and south just were not distinct. Two raptors lost in the haze to the south, never sighted overhead or to the north, maybe locals that stayed south. Raptor Observations: Very slow day, first raptor was a BW that gave us hope for a variety of birds. No raptors migrated shortly after 12pm. Everything sighted overhead, or to the east side except for the AK that was just off the platforms right side. Local TV's moved over to Cabrini mid-morning. A dark morph RT seemed to be migrating, it was a local escorting 2 juvenile RT's. Local TV's returned south the last hour. Non-raptor Observations: Bullock's Oriole in the tall tree on the north end of the platform gave us a very good display for several minutes. Woodhouse, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Spotted Towhee, Meadowlark, Ravens, Hummingbirds heard. At least 3 dozen White Breasted Swifts all day long. Army Ambulance helicopter came over and then flew VERY close to Mt. Morrison. Paraglider could not find lift and had to put down near to Red Rocks. Deer on the west side, about 2 dozen elk past I-70. Predictions: This may be the last count day of the season! Seems like the migration has tapered to some very low numbers the last 2 days. ======================================================================== Report submitted by DAVID HILL () Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: http://www.dfobirds.org More site information at hawkcount.org: https://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 of any skill level are always welcome. HawkWatch at Dinosaur Ridge is generally staffed by volunteers 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 southwest end of lot to the 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. (Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet) -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/05168f637d44d7bd2dbc4e321771af45%40hawkcount.org.
