Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 5 42 57 Osprey 0 1 2 Bald Eagle 0 3 12 Northern Harrier 0 0 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 9 18 Cooper's Hawk 0 17 24 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 44 226 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 2 Golden Eagle 0 1 2 American Kestrel 0 12 25 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 5 Prairie Falcon 1 5 10 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 15 Unknown Buteo 0 2 15 Unknown Falcon 0 0 5 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 5 7 Total: 9 149 429 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Mike Fernandez Observers: Karen Fernandez, Rob Reilly Visitors: Humans: We observed Black-Clad Bikers, Spandex Runners and Gear-Laden Hikers in great numbers in the morning, but their numbers dropped dramatically after the storms appearing on the horizon (as with the migrating raptors). A family visited The Hill for lunch and pulled out binoculars and lots of questions. Rob Reilly, Jeffco Parks ranger, spent an hour contributing much appreciated observations. Weather: The morning was clear and slightly breezy; the afternoon gave way to incoming storms with winds shifting from NE to gusting from the W. A curtain of storm clouds and virga closed in from the west and south, but never made it to The Hill. The weather shift corresponded with a drop in migrator sightings. Visibility was much greater north than south all afternoon. Raptor Observations: Once the storm moved in, raptor activity of the local variety dominated the afternoon. Local Red-Taileds (4, thinking we should name them by now), American Kestrels (2), Turkey Vultures (seasonal local, 1), and Prairie Falcons (2) were frequently airborne and interacted with each other and the local Ravens. A frequent pattern for the Red-Taileds was to soar up the column at ridge end and then appear to migrate north, only to turn west over I-70 and disappear... then reappear south. Non-raptor Observations: American Robin (2), Common Raven (4), Black-billed Magpie (3), Northern Flicker (2), American Crow (2), House Finch (1), Western Meadowlark (1), Mountain Chickadee (1), Dark-Eyed Junco (1), and White-Throated Swifts (12). Elk (3) appeared again on the west slope of the ridge near the trail in the afternoon and were there at the end of our observation. Predictions: Storms look to roll in later on Sunday and that may bode well for migrator observations. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (jeff.bi...@birdconservancy.org) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.org/ Site Description: Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome. The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies from about 9 AM to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th. 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 small signs from the south side of lot to hawkwatch 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, head through the gate, and walk to the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge. -- 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 cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/184ec1282f6cd8197c75292b8345fc09%40hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
