Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 13, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 2 16 16 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 3 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 12 118 118 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 2 10 10 Golden Eagle 0 4 4 American Kestrel 0 2 2 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Prairie Falcon 0 2 2 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: 16 156 156 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 4 hours Official Counter: Dustin Kohler Observers: Bill Young, Charlie Wall Visitors: We had 7 visitors to the ridge today including two different runners trying to get as much of a run in as they could before the storm hit. We had a dad and his possible twin 2-year-old sons come up. They got to see their (most likely) first Red-tailed Hawk migrate close above them. Today I had Charlie Wall and Bill Young assist me in the observations today. Weather: A surprisingly nice morning. There was a light sleet around 10:30 MST, but other than that, the morning was fairly warm with calm winds. The distance was a little hazy which affected visibility more than usual. Raptor Observations: All migrants were lower, than than the average day. A majority of migrants were straight above us. We saw a local Golden Eagle early in the morning, and two local red-tailed hawks divebomb an adult Bald Eagle. The Hawks attacked so hard that the eagle either went to the ground or turned around to go back South/Southwest where we lost sight of it. This Eagle might have still migrated, but the red-tails at the very least pushed it on a different path where we couldn't witness it migrate. Non-raptor Observations: We saw 5 Snow Geese go north, presumably to avoid the weather. This was the smallest flock of Snow Geese I have ever seen. We also saw a flock of about 40 Mountain Bluebirds push north, and 3 elk hanging out where we saw the heard a few days ago. Predictions: Denver area is expected to get 8 to 16 inches of snow all day tomorrow, so the ridge will probably get close to a foot more than the city. The Count is CANCELED for tomorrow! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Janet Peters (j.f.peter...@gmail.com) 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. American 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 10th, 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 * 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/membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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