Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 11, 2022 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 1 6 6 Northern Harrier 0 3 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 1 1 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0 Northern Goshawk 0 2 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 25 25 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 3 12 12 American Kestrel 0 1 1 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Prairie Falcon 1 2 2 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 7 56 56 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Emma Riley Observers: Chris Gearhart, Dale Campau , Dave Hill, Edie Israel Visitors: Visitor count today was 6, with 5 of them interacting with us. One couple stopped and talked with us for a minute, and we got on the subject of Ferruginous Hawks. Within three minutes we saw the first Ferruginous Hawk of the season. Weather: The temperatures hovered around freezing for most of the day, but the sun was out in full force this morning which made a drastic difference. Winds started out in the west, shifting to a northwest wind and picking up to 23 km/h at points in the afternoon. Raptor Observations: The morning started off with a bang with a migrating Prairie Falcon zipping by and a local Golden Eagle perched about 100 feet down the ridge from us. 5 local Red-tailed Hawks were seen throughout the day, with the pair we saw copulating yesterday sticking close together today. One local Sharp-shinned Hawk was also briefly seen. Golden Eagles were on the move, with three migrants and a handful of locals seen today, most of them relatively close. The highlight of the day was an adult Ferruginous Hawk that was seen gaining elevation just east of the ridge but flew directly south after a minute. This sighting is making us hopeful we will get to count a migrating Ferruginous here soon! Non-raptor Observations: Predictions: Tomorrow is expected to be warm and windy, with winds out of the west mostly. The trail up to the ridge will most likely be disastrous. ======================================================================== 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/0101017f7c1fab85-9a8082c7-fc2c-45e5-a31d-9c152222c086-000000%40us-west-2.amazonses.com.
