Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 16, 2023
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 16 150 165
Osprey 4 18 20
Bald Eagle 1 12 43
Northern Harrier 0 4 15
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 31 39
Cooper's Hawk 8 106 124
Northern Goshawk 0 1 8
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 4 5 5
Red-tailed Hawk 7 79 366
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 1 3 3
Ferruginous Hawk 1 4 44
Golden Eagle 0 4 30
American Kestrel 13 138 198
Merlin 0 3 13
Peregrine Falcon 2 2 7
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: 60 562 1093
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Observation start time: 06:30:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Carol Cwiklinski, Emma Riley
Observers: Aarohi Barman, Carol Cwiklinski, Janet Peters,
Stephen Hadley, Steve Small
Visitors:
We owe a big thank you to everyone who came out today and helped spot birds
in the haze including Carol Cwiklinski, Steve Small, Ric Olson, Ginni
Dickinson, Janet Peters, Ajit Antony, Stephen Hadley, and more. We saw a
total of 73 visitors at the ridge today including Reece, Katherine, and
Linda who spent the morning with us. We owe another thank you to Susan
Blansett and any other DFO members who were out birding the surrounding
area for the event.
Weather:
We had a very hazy day today with blue skies and little to no cloud cover.
The haze got thicker as the day went on causing us to blink birds away at
times. Winds were from the general E direction all day and only reached
some moderate speeds for a short amount of time.
Raptor Observations:
Today was our Raptorthon! We observed a total of 11 species of migrating
raptors and an additional 3 non-migrant species, putting us equal to last
years total species count of 14. This site continues to show out with
diversity! Highlights include a migrating OS carrying a fish that came
overhead, a 4th year BE that was almost in full adult plumage minus a dark
band on the tail, and an adult PG being escorted out by the local PG.
Migrants were mainly seen taking an incredibly distant line over the
western ridge today. Our numbers seem to be much lower this last week
compared to this time last year, but we continue to hope for bigger days.
Non-migrant activity continues to be high with the local TV (4) and RT (3)
seen continuously today. Other non-migrants seen include a NH, NG, PG, and
GE.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor highlights of the day include 31 AMWP, 6 DCCO, and 2 BTHU. We
continue to see the regulars including WTSW (25), ROWR (1), SPTO (3), and
more. Full non-raptor lists can be found on eBird.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be another warm day with some cloud cover. Winds are
predicted to be out of the east again so we will hopefully see a good push.
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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 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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