Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: May 05, 2022
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 52 66 462
Osprey 5 11 56
Bald Eagle 1 2 60
Northern Harrier 2 8 38
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 16 89
Cooper's Hawk 12 24 206
Northern Goshawk 0 0 9
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 6 7 52
Red-tailed Hawk 12 24 761
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 3
Swainson's Hawk 7 16 50
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 63
Golden Eagle 0 1 39
American Kestrel 4 11 337
Merlin 0 0 17
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 19
Prairie Falcon 1 1 11
Mississippi Kite 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 3 3 16
Unknown Buteo 0 0 15
Unknown Falcon 0 0 5
Unknown Eagle 0 0 3
Unknown Raptor 0 0 8
Total: 108 192 2319
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Observation start time: 08:15:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Carol Cwiklinski, Dave Erickson, Debbie James ,
Janet Peters, Karl Brummert , Mariane Erickson, Nick Komar,
Shelley Conger
Visitors:
Huge thanks to everyone that came out to the ridge today, including Nick
Komar with Colorado Field Ornithologists, and Karl Brummert with Denver
Audubon! These two organizations are supporters of the Hawk Watch and it
was great to meet the folks in charge. We had a total of 63 visitors to the
ridge today.
Weather:
Cloud cover was sparse but present enough to aid in spotting birds. Winds
were under 15 km/h all day, coming from the E in the morning and switching
to the W in the afternoon. The sun was out all day and a light haze
developed in the late afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
We had a fantastic late season day today! Over 100 migrants on the day with
over half being TV. The highlight of the day was a small kettle of three
birds just behind us on the ridge- SW, OS, and a dark-morph BW. Another
very notable highlight is another record beating day! We have surpassed the
SW count for any season at Dinosaur Ridge on HMANA record! Our record
setting bird was an immature SW, followed by a few more SW to really
solidify it. Local raptor activity was relatively low today, besides
picking up in the last hour.
Non-raptor Observations:
American White Pelican and Double-crested Cormorant were fun spots
throughout the day. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Rock
Wren, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, White-throated Swift, Violet-green Swallow,
Barn Swallow, and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay were also seen.
Predictions:
Moderate winds starting from the E again and switching to the W later in
the day. Cloud cover will be present again, with warmer temperatures than
today. The trail should be dried out from yesterday's rain.
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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)
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