Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 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 4 15 15 Northern Harrier 0 3 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 3 3 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 28 83 83 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 14 18 18 Golden Eagle 1 21 21 American Kestrel 1 4 4 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 1 1 1 Prairie Falcon 1 4 4 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 4 4 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 3 3 Total: 51 162 162 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 18:15:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter: Emma Riley Observers: Carol Cwiklinski, Steve Small Visitors: Observers all day were Carol Cwiklinski and Steve Small, with Courtney Rella joining us for the afternoon. We had a total of 41 visitors that came and talked to us at the ridge today, including a DFO member named Justin. Weather: Winds started out from the west but shifted to the south in the late morning. Wind speeds were low today but picked up a bit in the afternoon. It was mostly sunny and a very pleasant day. Raptor Observations: Today was the day of the Ferruginous Hawk. Raptor activity was very minimal in the morning, but at the end of the 1200 hour we counted 6 RTHA migrants and things kicked off. Our first FEHA of the day was a stunning dark morph, followed by many more in the next four hours. Our final count was 14 with 5 being dark morphs. This is our highest FEHA day since 2002, when we also had a day of 14! We also had our first PEFA of the season late in the day. RTHA, PRFA, AMKE, and GOEA were seen migrating as well. Local raptor activity was lower than it has been in the past, but we had local RTHA, GOEA, SSHA, and COHA. Non-raptor Observations: The usual suspects were seen today, as well as a first for the season- three White-throated Swifts. A flock of about 50 Mountain Bluebirds was also an exciting addition to the day. https://ebird.org/checklist/S105190814 Predictions: Another sunny day with south winds. We are excited and hopeful for another great day, with maybe another first for the season. ======================================================================== 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/0101017fa54b4f2f-e262d21c-c73d-4f3b-8dc9-83fb6791c867-000000%40us-west-2.amazonses.com.
