Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 26, 2023 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 12 275 290 Osprey 2 35 37 Bald Eagle 0 19 50 Northern Harrier 1 12 23 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 55 63 Cooper's Hawk 9 170 188 Northern Goshawk 0 1 8 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 3 71 71 Red-tailed Hawk 2 114 401 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 4 16 16 Ferruginous Hawk 0 7 47 Golden Eagle 2 9 35 American Kestrel 7 242 302 Merlin 0 9 19 Peregrine Falcon 1 10 15 Prairie Falcon 0 0 5 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 1 5 8 Unknown Buteo 0 1 2 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 48 1052 1583 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter: Emma Riley Observers: Visitors: Thank you to Mike & Karen Fernandez for waiting out the morning with me! I saw 3 visitors at the count site today, not surprising with the condition of the trail. Weather: Rain and heavy cloud cover delayed the count this morning but by 1100 MST it was lifting and I was able to start counting. Rain clouds continued to linger in the area for a few hours but eventually clear skies were revealed. Winds were primarily from the NE today and were very mild. The trail was horrifically muddy. Raptor Observations: Birds began to fly almost immediately as the clouds cleared coming directly along the ridge. Quickly the flight shifted to the western ridge with the exception of a few. Highlights include a gorgeous SW that came right overhead as I started the count, multiple close BW, and a low PG that I caught with enough time to get a great look. Non-migrants seen today include TV (4), 4 RT including one dark-morph, GE (1), BE (1), and CH (1). Non-raptor Observations: 8 AMWP came by the ridge today as well as one DCCO. Many of the other regulars were seen/heard today include WTSW, VGSW, SPTO, ROWR, WEME, BBMA, SCJA, and more. Predictions: More rain may come through the area tomorrow night with strong winds accompanying but we will hopefully get a full day in before that happens. The trail will likely be muddy! ======================================================================== 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) -- -- 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/01010187c0822b38-ffe90706-d0c1-48b6-9568-577a282a0604-000000%40us-west-2.amazonses.com.
