Tuesday 2 April 2013

[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (02 Apr 2013) Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 02, 2013
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture0413
Osprey012
Bald Eagle0128
Northern Harrier012
Sharp-shinned Hawk0210
Cooper's Hawk0516
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk017151
Rough-legged Hawk006
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk019
Golden Eagle014
American Kestrel0931
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon001
Prairie Falcon0014
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter026
Unknown Buteo0110
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor003
Total:045306


Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official CounterPaul Slingsby
Observers: Joel Chapa



Visitors:
Jefferson County Parks Ranger, Simon Young visited briefly. Very few other hikers or cyclists passed.

Weather:
Foggy, cold (0.5 to 3 deg. C), and a little breezy. We estimated visibility at 3 Km to 0.1 Km. The cloud ceiling began at about 100 ft. below the peak of Mt. Morrison and ended very low, maybe at the base of Dinosaur Ridge.

Raptor Observations:
A single local Prairie Falcon landed a few yards from our viewing place and immediately flew about 100 yd. N and perched. No other raptors passed.

Non-raptor Observations:


Predictions:
High raptor traffic.


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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