Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 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 | 5 | 5 |
| 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 | 0 | 72 | 72 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Kestrel | 3 | 18 | 18 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 5 | 119 | 119 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6 hours |
| Official Counter | Joyce Commercon |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Several hikers and bikers were on the trail today. A number came up to enjoy the view and some stayed to rest and have snacks. Brian Johnson, who follows the HawkWatch postings, stopped by briefly at the beginning and end of his Ridge hike to visit a bit and inquire what had been seen. He mentioned he had encountered a pair of American Kestrels, as well as numerous Western Scrub-Jays. Colleen, a prospective HawkWatch volunteer, arrived with her children, Jack and Jamie, and their dog, on their last day of break, in order to check out the site and find out more about how HawkWatch works. She hopes to return in the near future to learn more.
Weather:
The day was partly cloudy and warm with temperatures moving from 17 to 23 C (63 to 73 F). The watch began with nearly 50 percent cloud cover (concentrated to the south) which dissipated to 20 percent by the afternoon. Visibility was good. Winds were generally mild, alternating throughout the day between near calm and moderate beaufort 2 levels. Wind direction was variable, mostly coming from the north and west, but blowing fairly constantly from the east for about an hour in the mid-morning.
Raptor Observations:
All but one of the migrating raptors observed today passed by the Ridge after noon (MST) and were either just above or just below eye-level. These included one female and two male American Kestrels. A juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk migrated directly above the Ridge in the morning, rather high but still easily visible. A local adult Golden Eagle circled near Mount Morrison briefly before moving south. The local Red-tailed Hawks were very active. One pair of adult Red-tails was often seen circling over WestRidge and near Mount Morrison. Another pair of adult Red-tails appeared several times to the east of the Ridge. This pair circled together with dropped legs in the morning; in the afternoon, they shared a phone pole perch in Rooney Valley for a while until one departed to hunt, flying low in the surrounding area. A local juvenile Red-tail was also spotted a few times--once as it dove at one of the local adult Red-tails during a singular moment when all four local adults were circling in the same area further south over the Ridge.
Non-raptor Observations:
The highlight of the day occurred in the morning when a Brown Creeper moved north directly through the HawkWatch site, pausing only briefly on a juniper trunk. A Common Raven pair spent the day moving north and south along the Ridge with one performing acrobatic backflip maneuvers. In the morning, the ravens were observed interacting with about ten American Crows over Rooney Valley, where one of the pair began a dogged pursuit of one crow in particular... About fifteen White-throated Swifts passed north, high and to the west. Also seen or heard were Spotted Towhee, American Robin, Black-billed Magpie, Northern Flicker, Pink-sided Dark-eyed Junco, Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco, chickadee species, a lone representative of a duck species (far down the Ridge), Bushtit, Western Scrub-Jay and Western Meadowlark.
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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