Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 13, 2023
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 4 130 145
Osprey 0 12 14
Bald Eagle 1 11 42
Northern Harrier 0 3 14
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 27 35
Cooper's Hawk 5 96 114
Northern Goshawk 0 1 8
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3 71 358
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Ferruginous Hawk 0 3 43
Golden Eagle 0 3 29
American Kestrel 2 114 174
Merlin 0 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 1 2
Unknown Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 2
Total: 15 478 1009
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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: Dave Erickson, Debbie James, Gary Rossmiller, Janet Peters,
Marianne Erickson, Natalie Uschner-Arroyo
Visitors:
Thank you to all of the volunteers today that helped look for migrants in
between all of the local raptors. We saw 15 visitors at the ridge today,
including three biologists with Jefferson County monitoring a rare
(potentially very rare hybrid) plant species after the burn. We also saw
another Jefferson County biologist out mapping the burn area. It’s
incredible to see the work that is done after a wildfire and we are very
grateful for the work they are doing.
Weather:
Temperatures were a bit lower today than the last few days giving us some
nice relief. Cloud cover also helped with consistent clouds seen all day.
Winds were variable and reached moderate speeds (15-20 mph) at times,
coming predominantly from the W.
Raptor Observations:
We saw another slow day of migration today with 15 migrants counted,
including a beautiful immature BE that went low in front of Mt Morrison.
Non-migrant activity was high today with many TV (up to 4 at a time), three
adult RT all seen throughout the afternoon flying together around the site,
and an adult PG who we suspect is occupying the Red Rocks scrape.
Non-raptor Observations:
We were lucky enough to see the Chihuahuan Raven again this morning on the
same power poles right next to the site. Pictures can be seen on eBird. We
also saw a group over 50+ BBMA near the Mother Cabrini shrine. Other
non-raptors include WTSW (30+), ROWR (1), SPTO (2), TOSO (2), BCCH (1),
NOFL (1), AMRO (3), HOFI (3), CORA (6), and AMCR (2).
Predictions:
Snow is expected to move through the Rocky Mountains into the plains
tomorrow into Saturday morning so we are hoping to catch some migrants
moving in the morning to escape the storm.
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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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