Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Feb 10, 2023 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 0 0 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 0 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Prairie Falcon 0 0 0 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 0 0 0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:15:00 Observation end time: 13:15:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Ajit Antony Observers: Weather: The initial path going north was ice-free but the shaded portions after the bend were icy, with no problem going up but coming down was slick from the snow having melted especially in the steeper areas just before the bend where I saw hiker slip but not fall, I avoided his way but slipped on invisible black ice in the shade of acedar and the next thing I knew I was on my back. Raptor Observations: South-based winds were predicted today so we continued our exploration of whether we could see early migrant raptors in February.My guess is we may see a few in the last week of February. In the 1st hour an RT rose in the valley to the east then flew little above the watch going south (Western subspecies with a dark throat, and was missing a left 6th primary) and a few minutes later it was joined by another one which dove on it and then soared with it. In the last hour 2 RT flew in from the south but they were different pair as neither of them were in molt (one was an Eastern subspecies with a white throat and the other was a Western subspecies). An SS flew south quite low. I had to look at it for long time to confirm my initial impression that it was an SS as Western CH are smaller than Eastern, thus more similar to SS in flight. Non-raptor Observations: White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Common Raven 2, Townsend’s Solitaire 3, Black-capped Chickadee 2. There was the band of smog at the NE horizon. ======================================================================== 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) -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/010101863e609131-4a938aac-180f-4971-9aed-0a4b19a83bb2-000000%40us-west-2.amazonses.com.
