Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2023
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 13 96 111
Osprey 2 12 14
Bald Eagle 2 8 39
Northern Harrier 0 2 13
Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 18 26
Cooper's Hawk 11 75 93
Northern Goshawk 0 1 8
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 9 56 343
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 1 1 1
Ferruginous Hawk 1 3 43
Golden Eagle 0 1 27
American Kestrel 18 94 154
Merlin 1 3 13
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 5
Prairie Falcon 0 0 5
Mississippi Kite 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3
Unknown Buteo 0 0 1
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 2
Total: 65 371 902
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Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Aarohi Barman, Carol Cwiklinski, Courtney Rella,
Steve Ryder , Steve Small
Visitors:
We had another busy day on the count site with up to 6 observers at the
site at any given time, so thank you to all that helped spot high birds
today! We saw 49 visitors at the ridge today. A hotspot was seen by a hiker
just south of our count site and was put out very quickly by Jefferson
County efforts.
Weather:
Today was a sunny and warm day with high temperatures and mild winds. Winds
shifted throughout the day but we did see a nice E wind for the first part
of the day. Cloud cover decreased as the day went on, leaving us with
almost empty skies as we ended the day.
Raptor Observations:
We saw another strong migration for the first few hours of the day with the
afternoon slowing down a little bit with the wind shifts. Birds started out
taking a western line and then began coming high overhead, making spotting
them challenging. Highlights include our first SW of the season and a
dark-morph FH that both came lower than most of the other migrants. We
continue to see strong AK and accipiter flights. Non-migrant activity was
high today with multiple RT (3), GE (2), and TV (up to 4 at a time) seen
many times throughout the day. We also watched a SS dive below the ridge.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor highlights include two AWPE, the season’s first WEME, and
continuing MOBL (12). Other non-raptors include WTSW (50+), NOFL (1), TOSO
(3), AMRO (2), SPTO (1), BCCH (2), HOFI (4), CORA (7), and AMCR (3).
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be another good day for migration with sun all day and
winds from the E. Birds may be high but they will hopefully be moving.
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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
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - Project info at:
https://dunkadoo.org/explore/denver-field-ornithologists/dinosaur-ridge-spring-2023
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. Northern Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by a Hawk
Counter and volunteers from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM from March 1st to May 14th,
weather permitting.
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 hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch 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, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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