Friday, 1 March 2013

[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (01 Mar 2013) 4 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 01, 2013
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle333
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk000
Cooper's Hawk000
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk000
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk111
Golden Eagle000
American Kestrel000
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon000
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:444


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official CounterDave Hill
Observers: Cynthia Madsen, Janet Shin, Mary Geder, Will Burt



Visitors:
A group of 4 hikers/snowshoers and a pair of hikers with their dog.

Weather:
Today's weather was exceptional all HawkWatch long! Temperatures ranged from 29°F to 46° F, winds remained under 10 mph with no noticeable gusting, cloud cover ranged fro 20% to 50% and visibility was unlimited. Solar reflection from the snow cover added to the sun's intensity.

Raptor Observations:
Migrant raptors included 3 Bald Eagle (a subadult, an adult and a juvenile) and a Ferruginous Hawk. Local Raptors included 1 Ferruginous Hawk, 4 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Prairie Falcon, 3 Golden Eagles (1 adult, 2 juveniles), and 1 Cooper's Hawk.

Non-raptor Observations:
Other Avian species: 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Western Scrub-jay, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 10 American Crow, 7 Common Raven, 2 Townsend's Solitaire, 4 Dark-eyed Junco, 15 Red-winged Blackbirds and 1 House Finch. Non-avian species: 46 Elk to the north of the Cabrini shrine. 1 Coyote

Predictions:
More beautiful weather!


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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