Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 05, 2013 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 4 | 8 | 17 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 28 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 9 | 15 | 26 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 7 | 31 | 165 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| American Kestrel | 3 | 15 | 37 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 16 | 25 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Total: | 27 | 106 | 367 |
| Observation start time: | 08:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Cynthia Madsen |
| Observers: | Dave Hill, Fran Haas, Janet Shin, Jim Schmoker |
Visitors:
Observers today were Cynthia Madsen, Dave Hill, Fran Haas, Janet Shin, Will Burt, Mary Geder, Jim Schmoker,and Heather Jackson. There were many hikers and bikers today with the good weather, eight of whom stopped by to ask about HawkWatch. Two of these hikers, Gerard and Lisa assisted us for most of the day...many thanks!
Weather:
Overall, a very pleasant day...not too hot, not too cold. Winds were light mainly from the east. Cloud cover was never less than 60% which enabled us to spot migrating raptors easier against the backdrop of clouds.
Raptor Observations:
This was a busy day for accipiters with 9 migrating Cooper's Hawks, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, and one unidentified accipiter. We had 7 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 American Kestrels, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Prairie Falcon, and 4 Turkey Vultures. The majority of the hawks were fairly close to the ridge on both the east and west sides. In the afternoon, they seemed to shift over to the west ridge. Our local raptors included one American Kestrel that escorted our one migrating Prairie Falcon out of its territory, 2 Cooper's Hawks, and at least 4 Red-tailed Hawks. One of these we affectionately named "Scissor-tail" because it is missing its central tail feathers. We also had one local Prairie Falcon and one unidentified falcon that seemed to be on a mission to head north over the west ridge, but it turned and flew west.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen or heard included: Canada Goose (1), Great Blue Heron (1), White-throated Swift (8), Northern Flicker (2), Western Scrub-Jay (4); Black-billed Magpie (4), American Crow (5), Common Raven (4), Mountain Chickadee (3), Bushtit (1), Canyon Wren (1), Mountain Bluebird (2), Townsend's Solitaire (1), American Robin (18), Spotted Towhee (1), Dark-eyed Junco (5), Western Meadowlark (1), and House Finch (2) Twenty-six elk were spotted near Cabrini.
Predictions:
Hopefully, tomorrow will be another good migration day. Be prepared for the recent hatch of a very small flying beetle...they were everywhere including all over us. Can the insect eaters be far behind???
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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