Monday 26 September 2022

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (26 Sep 2022) 3 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 26, 2022
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey011
Bald Eagle000
Northern Harrier011
Sharp-shinned Hawk011
Cooper's Hawk024
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk111
Red-tailed Hawk0614
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk047
Ferruginous Hawk000
Golden Eagle055
American Kestrel246
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon011
Prairie Falcon002
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:32643


Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 11:00:00
Total observation time: 5 hours
Official CounterAjit Antony
Observers: Liza Antony, Sammy Korengut


Weather:
Earth.nullschool.net had predicted light winds from the West while weather.gov had also predicted light winds from the NW>NE by afternoon but when we got to the watch there was a very brisk Level 6 wind coming from the West with dissipated by the end of the hour, after which there was a Level 3 ? ridge lift coming from the East. A sunny cloudless day with temperature 13-21°C humidity 24 â€" 39%, steady barometric pressure around 29.93 mmHg, excellent visibility at 25 km with some haziness in that some of the birds seem to disappear while we were watching them with binoculars.

Raptor Observations:
We planned to get to the watch by 7:30 AM MDT but we were so efficient at making our lunch and coffee the night before that we got there at 7 AM - the 1st time I've ever gone to a hawk watch leaving home in the dark and reaching there just after the sun rose above the Green Mountain. The first migrant was a male AK found by Sammy along the trail at 6:30 AM MST (7:30 AM MDT) seen below the ridge. The 1 and only BW was an adult at 8:35 AM which came in from the North, a binocular bird found by scanning, which streamed to the SSE. Liza looked up BW range and found that while they nest in Western Canada they fly through the central flyway more easterly than Colorado, over Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas to Central America - no wonder they are not very common here. The only other migrant was a female AK at 9:03 AM found to the north and flew just west of the watch, a low bird. Non-migrant raptors: 2 adult GE at 9:36 AM seen immediately south of the top of Mount Morrison but flew West and not counted, RT 1, TV 1.

Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 1, Townsend's Solitaire 3 even hearing their beautiful songs, Steller's Jay 2, Blue Jay 3, American Crow 1, Common Raven 3, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay 1, House Finch 1, American Robin 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, Canada Goose 1, Mountain Chickadee 2, Black-capped Chickadee 2. 3 hot air balloons to the NE and one to the SE which didn't lift very high at all. 1 hang glider to the NNW.


Report submitted by DAVID HILL ()
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: http://www.dfobirds.org
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]




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. Northern 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 14th,
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 small signs from the
southwest end of lot to the 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.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)

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