Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2015 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 73 | 73 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 19 | 19 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 4 | 123 | 123 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 12:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5 hours |
| Official Counter | Claude Vallieres |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
The usual array of people were seen on the trail. Ten stopped at the site with no one expressing any interest except for Matthew a Maintenance Volunteer for Jeffco Open Space who asked about what birds were being seen. He was there to check on the status of the gate and fencing to the Hawk Watch site...a possibility that it may be replaced.
Weather:
Sunny, clear with maximum visibility throughout the day. Midday brought developing cumulus scattered clouds that increased as the day progressed. An increasing haze/brown cloud was visible over the NE metro area. Temperature ranges 50-70 F, 10-20 C. Winds were 0-3 BFT. mostly from the ESE.
Raptor Observations:
A relatively slow day for migration with 4 raptors seen. The first hour saw two migrants: a male American Kestrel and later an adult Red-tailed Hawk both on the East side of the ridge. The third hour saw an unidentified Falcon, thought to be a Prairie Falcon based on size, shape and light coloring and strong flight. It was on the far west side of the ridge being pursued by another unidentified raptor who dropped out of sight at I-70. The Falcon continued NNW and disappeared over the eastern Cabrini Shrine hill. Distance and brevity of sighting made the identification inconclusive but certainty as to it being a migrating Falcon. The fourth hour saw a high and fast gliding Sharp-shinned Hawk gliding out of sight up towards Lookout Mt.
Non-raptor Observations:
Local raptor activity consisted of numerous Red-tailed Hawk courtship flights. One pair was found calling to each other while in flight then landing and mating there on a phone pole low on the east side of the ridge on two separate occasions. Also seen was a Golden Eagle flying towards Red Rocks Park and a local male American Kestrel soaring south of the site. Other birds seen or heard were American Robins, Black-billed Magpies, Northern Flickers, Western Meadowlarks, American Crows, Oregon and Slate-colored Juncos, Spotted Towhees, Townsend's Solitaires, a Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mt. Chickadees, Common Ravens and a Western Scrub Jay.
Predictions:
Weather forecasters indicate a cooler and nice early part of the day tomorrow with rain in the afternoon leading up to Thursday's and Friday's rain/snow mix.
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.
