Hi COBirders, Being inspired by the Dinosaur Ridge Hawkwatch, Wednesday, I thought I'd try my luck down here. I found access to the ridge just above the end of Garden of the Gods Road by walking in from the neighborhood behind. The high point there gives unobstructed views down the Dakota Hogback to the South, all the way to Cheyenne Mountain; across the bluffs to the East, and along the ridgeline of the "scar" and peaks to the West. You are actually above the high points on the "Kissing Camels" a mile to the South. Also, it is about a 20 minute hike from my house! I didn't see as many hawks as I would have liked, but...
Another bonus at this sight (besides having no one else around) was watching 30+ Bighorn Sheep at the base of the scar. Friday was hazy-overcast from upslope, and maybe that's why most of the birds I saw were along the line of the scar. I was at the viewpoint for about 3 hours - 9:30-12:30, with most activity in the first hour or so. No real evidence of thermals, just steady E, and SE winds and clouds. Observed: Turkey Vulture -4 (some locals, some moving N) Com Raven - 6 Am Crow - 5 Cooper's Hawk -1 Sharp-shinned Hawk -1 (local?) Prairie Falcon - 1 (local? it was heading N, but low) Golden Eagle - 1 (local?) Red-tailed Hawk - 6 (some locals) Ferruginous Hawk -1 White-throated Swift - 6 Ring-billed Gull - 2 Plus oak-foothills species nearby - Spotted Towhee, RS Flicker, Mtn Chickadee, WB Nuthatch, DE Junco, Blue Jay, W Scrub Jay, BB Magpie. If interested in directions to this spot, let me know. Happy Migration, Steve Brown Colorado Springs --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Join us at the 2009 Convention in Alamosa: http://cfo-link.org/convention/index.php 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.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
