[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (07 Apr 2014) 7 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 07, 2014
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	33	36
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	0	0	25
Northern Harrier	0	1	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	8	13
Cooper's Hawk	0	10	25
Northern Goshawk	0	1	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	5	35	165
Rough-legged Hawk	0	2	9
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	0
Ferruginous Hawk	0	0	8
Golden Eagle	0	1	8
American Kestrel	2	10	24
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	2
Prairie Falcon	0	1	6
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	5	7
Unknown Buteo	0	3	8
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	4
Total:	7	110	342

Observation start time:	09:15:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	6.75 hours
Official Counter	Bill Flowers
Observers:	Nelson Ford

Visitors:
A few hikers and some mountain bike riders were seen in the afternoon. Two women stayed for about 5 minutes and one of the women spotted a migrating Red-tailed Hawk. I tried to recruit them as observers, but they decided to finish their hike instead.

Weather:
The day had sunshine and snow. In the morning, about 10:00 AM, it started snowing and became heavy for the entire 10:00-11:00 survey hour. The snow became spotty from 11:00 AM through 1:00 PM. There were no raptors or very few other birds observed during these periods. A welcomed observer, Nelson Ford, showed up at 11:00 to help but the weather did not cooperate. Of course when he left, a few Red-tailed Hawks migrated through from 1:30 through 2:30 PM.

Raptor Observations:
A few raptors were observed migrating during the times when it was not snowing. These included 5 Red-tailed Hawks and 2 American Kestrels. These raptors flew low over Dinosaur Ridge or just to the East of the Ridge. Resident Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures were observed in the afternoon.

Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen or heard included Townsend’s Solitaire, Western Meadowlark, Spotted Towhee, Black-billed Magpie, Western Scrub-jay, American Crow, Common Raven, American Robin, and Mountain Bluebird. Several mule deer were seen on both sides of Dinosaur Ridge. On the East side, two bucks and a doe stayed below the Hawk Watch site for most of the day.

Predictions:
As the weather warms, migration should increase significantly. Tomorrow should be much better than today.

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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.