Monday 24 April 2023

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (24 Apr 2023) 95 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 24, 2023
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture13263278
Osprey43133
Bald Eagle01950
Northern Harrier11122
Sharp-shinned Hawk84755
Cooper's Hawk9159177
Northern Goshawk018
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk326767
Red-tailed Hawk5112399
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk21010
Ferruginous Hawk0747
Golden Eagle1733
American Kestrel17234294
Merlin0919
Peregrine Falcon3813
Prairie Falcon005
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter047
Unknown Buteo012
Unknown Falcon011
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor002
Total:959911522


Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official CounterAjit Antony
Observers: Andrew Jensen, Kathie Moses, Liza Antony, Steve Small



Visitors:
A birding couple from Winter Park looking after their grandchildren in Conifer had heard of the hawk watch and came up for a few hours. A running club of 10 members from Golden ranging from 8-14 years with their leader.

Weather:
Good cloud cover intermittently, winds mainly from the ESE, good visibility with some haziness. For specific hourly weather data go to Hawkcount.org.

Raptor Observations:
The 1st migrant was the CH at 8:38 AM MST which was the only real close bird just east of the watch. A few of the Osprey came low enough to be visible with the naked eye â€" good binocular looks. We had 32 BW today and according to Steve the highest this watch has ever had in a day is 35. Non-migrant raptors: Golden Eagle 5 all flying West, RT 1-3, TV 3, AK flying east.

Non-raptor Observations:
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1, Western Meadowlark heard, White Pelican 15, Say's Phoebe 2, Spotted Towhee 1, White-throated Swift, Barn Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Tree Swallow, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay 3, Mourning Dove 4, Northern Flicker heard, Common Raven 3, Great Blue Heron 1. Kathie Moses had never seen a BW and wanted to see one and after a while wanted to find a hawk before Steve did â€" she was able to combine both ambitions in one bird! Thanks to Andrew for helping and aging the GE with his scope, and a heartfelt thanks to Steve for finding and IDing most of the raptors, without whom we would have had a meager count indeed.

Predictions:
The forecast is for rain at 44% risk after 9 AM MDT, 72% after 12 noon and 82% chance of rain after 3 PM with a chance of thunder after 12 noon â€" with winds from the N>NNE â€" so the count could be ended early.


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 hawk watch signs from the
southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch 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, and walk to
the flat area at the crest of the ridge. (Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain:
259 feet)

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