Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 25, 2014 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 3 | 88 | 91 |
| Osprey | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 2 | 27 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 32 | 37 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 7 | 55 | 70 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 110 | 240 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Golden Eagle | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| American Kestrel | 4 | 63 | 77 |
| Merlin | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 20 | 22 |
| Unknown Buteo | 4 | 19 | 24 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Total: | 24 | 426 | 658 |
| Observation start time: | 09:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Dave Hill |
| Observers: | Cynthia Madsen, Debbie James, Janet Shin |
Visitors:
Several visitors stopped by our site today. A family of 3 and several individuals.
Weather:
A beautiful day on the ridge. Temps ranged from 60 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit; Winds were from the southeast to northeast from 5 to 20 mph; Cloud cover ranged from 50-85%, a high thin overcast in the morning to more developed cumulus configurations in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the activity was along the west ridge from Mt. Morrison north with the highest activity in the morning. American Kestrel and Sharp-shinned Hawk were observed at eye level or below along the east side of the ridge. Turkey Vulture 15 3 northbound migrants, 12 local birds (a kettle of 10 were observed at the base of rocky ridge) Osprey 1 Northbound migrant Golden Eagle 1 Northbound migrant Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Cooper's Hawk 9 2 local birds, 7 northbound migrants Red-tailed Hawk 9 5 local birds (1 juvenile, 4 adults), 4 adult migrants Buteo sp. 4 4 Buteo migrants were unable to be identified American Kestrel 5 1 local bird (sex not observed), 4 migrants (3 males, 1 sex not observed)
Non-raptor Observations:
Sandhill Crane 2 White-throated Swift 71 An abundance seen throughout the day mostly over the west ridge Broad-tailed Hummingbird 3 All three birds were heard flying over the ridge. Western Scrub-Jay 2 Both local birds that maintained a presence nearby Black-billed Magpie 3 One bird flew over the ridge, the other two were head throughout the day. American Crow 7 Common Raven 5 Tree Swallow 1 Rock Wren 2 heard singing Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 Both were heard in the shrubs east of the ridge Mountain Bluebird 1 American Robin 1 Spotted Towhee 2 One east of the ridge; the other on the west side of the ridge Western Meadowlark 2 Both birds were heard singing in the grassland below the ridge. House Finch 5 Observed in the parking lot near the cellular tower.
Predictions:
A storm is predicted for Saturday night and early Sunday giving most areas some precipitation, likely rain, through Sunday with perhaps some snow later in the day Sunday or Sunday evening.
Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.birek@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.
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