Monday 8 April 2019

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (08 Apr 2019) 26 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 08, 2019
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture14142
Osprey166
Bald Eagle1113
Northern Harrier034
Sharp-shinned Hawk21827
Cooper's Hawk42430
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk7162255
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk011
Ferruginous Hawk048
Golden Eagle147
American Kestrel52227
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon033
Prairie Falcon133
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter169
Unknown Buteo038
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle013
Unknown Raptor225
Total:26304451


Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official CounterJoyce Commercon
Observers: Jim Low



Visitors:
Jim Lowe arrived early and was a great help catching a few migrants that tried to slip undetected past the platform. Reston Witten arrived later in the afternoon, binoculars in hand, ready to spot raptors. Several hikers, runners, and bikers were on the trail; some came up for the view or to ask questions regarding the layout of the trail itself.

Weather:
Partly cloudy day with 70- to 90-percent, shifting, mostly thin, translucent cloud-cover. Wind speeds from 2-4 bft with a few gusts at bft 5. Winds in the first hour of the watch came from the east but shifted westerly until the 11:00am MST hour, during which the winds shifted back and forth from east to west. After Noon MST, the winds came from the east. Temperatures were warm, 17 C - 22 C. Visibility was good.

Raptor Observations:
There was a steady flow of migrants up until the 11:00am MST hour, after which the number of migrants dropped greatly. In general (but not as a rule), the larger migrants such as the Osprey, Red-tails and Eagles seemed to have higher heights-of-flight, soaring up then gliding north, whereas the smaller migrants such as the Kestrels and Accipiters passed lower and often closer to the Ridge, giving us some really nice but quick views. During the 10:00am MST hour, for whatever reason, the majority of the migrants passed north along and very close to Dinosaur Ridge, but otherwise there was no particular flight pattern for the day.

Non-raptor Observations:
Also seen or heard were American Robin, Townsend's Solitaire, Western Meadowlark, Common Raven, Spotted Towhee, a group of ten-plus Dark-eyed Juncos (one of which was a Pink-sided), Downy Woodpecker, White-throated Swift, Violet-green Swallow, Black-billed Magpie, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Flicker, and White-breasted Nuthatch.


Report submitted by Matthew Smith (matt.smith@birdconservancy.org)
Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.org/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]




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 Bird Conservancy of the
Rockies from about 9 AM to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th.

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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