Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 26, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 16 117 124 Osprey 2 26 27 Bald Eagle 0 5 38 Northern Harrier 0 9 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 38 50 Cooper's Hawk 6 74 87 Northern Goshawk 0 2 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 3 24 24 Red-tailed Hawk 4 130 290 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 5 5 Ferruginous Hawk 0 1 11 Golden Eagle 0 2 14 American Kestrel 8 160 192 Merlin 0 5 6 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3 Prairie Falcon 2 11 20 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 2 24 24 Unknown Buteo 0 11 25 Unknown Falcon 0 19 21 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 10 13 Total: 50 677 992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Paul Slingsby Observers: Brock Moran Visitors: Brock Moran arrived before I did. The first 3 birds were identified by him and he was a lot of help until he needed to leave at 11:00 MST. Another skilled birder, Justin Dee of Vail, visited for a short time near 12;00 MST. Weather: At 08:00 a code 2 (4 to 6 mph)breeze came from the west. At about 10:00 the wind shifted to ENE and remained pretty steady in the 10 to 20 mph range. Clouds ranged from 90% to 100% but visibility was more than 10 Km. Temperature was 8 to 10 deg C. Raptor Observations: Once the wind shifted to ENE nearly all migrating raptors passed close to the east side of the ridge and usually near eye level or less than 30 meters higher than the ridge. Most birds passed in company with others, separated by no more than 5 minutes. It made for an exciting day with 50 migrators total. Non-raptor Observations: A flock of more than 50 Franklin's Gulls migrated north along the east side of Dinosaur Ridge and about 50 meters below the ridge top. There was also a flock of 7 bluebirds, one of which was identified to be a Western Bluebird. The passing White-throated Swifts numbered 30. A single White-breasted Nuthatch visited. Others were Scrub Jays, Black-billed Magpies, American Robins and Common Ravens. Predictions: Wednesday should again have a lot of migrating raptors. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.bi...@rmbo.org) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.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 the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the first week of May. 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 post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
