Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 51 66 Osprey 2 4 5 Bald Eagle 0 3 12 Northern Harrier 0 0 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 20 29 Cooper's Hawk 9 31 38 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 5 58 240 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 3 3 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 2 Golden Eagle 0 1 2 American Kestrel 1 14 27 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 1 4 7 Prairie Falcon 0 6 11 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 4 11 21 Unknown Buteo 0 3 16 Unknown Falcon 0 0 5 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 5 7 Total: 27 214 494 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 14:45:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Bill Wuerthele Observers: Roger Rouch Visitors: There were very few hikers on the trail today, and no one stopped by the observation platform. Weather: Happily, the morning's rain/sleet/snow ended just as the observation period began. Dinosaur Ridge and the surrounding valleys and ridges were completely covered in snow. Cloud cover in the morning ranged from 80% - 90%, with low clouds obscuring the tops of Mt.Morrison, West Ridge and Green Mountain. By midday, the cloud-cover cleared somewhat, with large patches of blue sky directly overhead through most of the afternoon. The day was basically calm throughout the observation period, with an occasional light breeze from the southeast. The temperature ranged from 37 - 50 F. Raptor Observations: Migrating Raptors: There were 27 migrating raptors counted today - 2 Osprey, 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 9 Cooper's Hawks, 5 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 American Kestrel, 1 Peregrine Falcon, and 4 unidentified Accipiters. The Peregrine Falcon passed directly over the observation platform and was watched until it disappeared from sight, still going strongly north. It was counted as a migrant. In the morning, a number of migrants were moving on a path just east of and close to the Ridge. As the day warmed, the path changed, with migrants picking up thermals to the south and gliding by high, directly over the platform. Non-migrating Raptors: Turkey Vultures were locally active throughout the day, with one group of seven soaring for a time just south of Mt. Morrison. None, however, moved north. Local Red-tailed Hawk activity was limited, with just a few sightings. A local male American Kestrel and a local Cooper's Hawk made brief appearances. Non-raptor Observations: The following species were seen or heard: American Robin (large flock), Black-billed Magpie, Western Meadowlark, Common Raven, Spotted Towhee, Western Scrub-Jay, White-throated Swift (lots), Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon), Townsend's Solitaire, Broad-tailed Hummingbird and Black-capped Chickadee. Two elk were seen on the east slope of the Ridge. A coyote casually loped across Rooney Valley and crossed the road, looking both ways, headed for Green Mountain. Predictions: The trail will be very muddy. ======================================================================== 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/7ac3c81fe70081451281c2b9a3398dea%40www.hawkcount.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
