Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 14, 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 16 | 16 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 3 | 25 | 25 |
| Observation start time: | 07:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Roger Rouch |
| Observers: | Alex Kelly, Chris Gray |
Visitors:
Bill Witten and Dave Prentice both visited for an hour or more to hear about the migration and get in some bird spotting practice. The pleasant weather brought out heavy trail use and several hikers stopped to hear a brief explanation of what was going on.
Weather:
A cloudless and warm day with temperatures rising from the mid-40's to the mid-60's F. Early morning winds from the NW but shifting to winds from the SE and generally around 1 Bft. most of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Low migration counts highlighted by a Ferruginous Hawk spotted below Mt. Morrison to take several north drifting spirals past I-70 and then further north. A local Kestrel pair played around the observation site several times during the day, though one Kestrel bee-lined up the Rooney Valley from the south and out of sight to the north and was counted as migrating. Also a local Cooper's Hawk and Prairie Falcon. Frequent local Red-tailed Hawks, including one intermediate morph.
Non-raptor Observations:
Also seen or heard were Western Scrub Jay (numerous), Black-billed Magpie, Mountain Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Flicker, and Common Raven. Note that all observation times are converted to MST.
Predictions:
Possibly similar with another warm and blue sky day in store.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment