Monday 22 April 2024

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (22 Apr 2024) 66 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 22, 2024
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture12233263
Osprey12834
Bald Eagle11343
Northern Harrier0611
Sharp-shinned Hawk84460
Cooper's Hawk11114135
American Goshawk056
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk153131
Red-tailed Hawk3114375
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk11818
Ferruginous Hawk0315
Golden Eagle0617
American Kestrel12273295
Merlin01216
Peregrine Falcon079
Prairie Falcon025
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter2910
Unknown Buteo022
Unknown Falcon045
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor022
Total:669261352


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Bill Young, Mike Serruto, Ryan Gannon, Shay Lyons



Visitors:
We had a great crowd up at the ridge this morning with folks in search of BW and they were not disappointed! While looks at the birds could have been better, everyone that came out to see them got to see them. As always I want to thank our volunteers for their help spotting distant birds today. We had a total of 44 visitors on the ridge today with many of them getting to see migrants.

Weather:
We had excellent viewing conditions today with cloud cover all day and partial sun. Winds were from the E in the morning and began to vary in the late morning. Right around the 1300 hour winds picked up to speeds of 26 mph in gusts, continuing for the rest of the day. Rain could be seen west of us in the late afternoon but missed us all day.

Raptor Observations:
Today was our biggest Broad-winged Hawk day to date with all but one of them in the morning. There was an abrupt halt to their migration when the winds picked up which was interesting to see but disappointing for our afternoon volunteers. The smaller birds came en masse in the high winds with AK, SS, and CH coming so close we felt like we could touch them. Almost all of our birds today were over the west ridge, with the only overhead/east birds coming in the afternoon high winds. Local raptors seen today include RT, TV, GE, CH, OS, and AK. 7 TV at once were seen around Mt Morrison in the afternoon not migrating.

Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity was low today, especially in the late afternoon, minus the WTSW out in unbelievable numbers. We saw SPTO, SAPH, BARS, CORA, and others today. 2 CORA were seen mobbing the late BE today, and looking minuscule next to the eagle.

Predictions:
Temperatures are supposed to be lower tomorrow than they were yesterday but our nice spotting conditions look like they will be sticking around for at least part of the day. Migration has picked up and we are hopeful for some more BW and SW tomorrow.


Report submitted by Official Counter (j.f.peters58@gmail.com)
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. American 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 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM from March 1st to May 10th,
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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