Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 27, 2023
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 3 278 293
Osprey 0 35 37
Bald Eagle 0 19 50
Northern Harrier 0 12 23
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 57 65
Cooper's Hawk 8 178 196
Northern Goshawk 1 2 9
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 71 71
Red-tailed Hawk 1 115 402
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 1 17 17
Ferruginous Hawk 0 7 47
Golden Eagle 0 9 35
American Kestrel 7 249 309
Merlin 0 9 19
Peregrine Falcon 1 11 16
Prairie Falcon 0 0 5
Mississippi Kite 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 5 8
Unknown Buteo 0 1 2
Unknown Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 2
Total: 24 1076 1607
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Dave Erickson, Gary Rossmiller, Janet Peters,
Marianne Erickson, Sammy Korengut, Sammy Korengut
Visitors:
Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped count today and stuck out the
winds with me. We saw 9 visitors at the ridge today include Mitch and his
dog Keevan, who visit weekly.
Weather:
Winds started out strong this morning from the W but died down for a chunk
of the early afternoon. Skies gained more cloud cover as the day went on
and by the afternoon we could see rain clouds NE of us and S of us. The
count was ended at 1600 MST due to high winds picking back up to unsafe
speeds.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was slightly slow today but birds made up for it by coming close
to the count site. Highlights of the day include a migrant PG being chased
off by a local PG and a low immature NG at the end of the day. Juvenile
accipiters are beginning to outnumber their adult counterparts. Non-migrant
raptors seen today include TV (4), RT (3), GE (1), and one CH moving south.
Non-raptor Observations:
A rabbit was seen at the site today which was a first for me! WTSW were out
in abundance today and we got our first YRWA (Audubon’s) at the site
today. The regulars including ROWR, SPTO, SCJA, BBMA and more continue to
be seen periodically.
Predictions:
Rain and possible snow are moving through the area tonight so expect mud on
the trail. We will hopefully see some sun tomorrow.
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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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