Friday, 3 April 2015

[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (03 Apr 2015) 30 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 03, 2015
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture121313
Osprey000
Bald Eagle001
Northern Harrier001
Sharp-shinned Hawk128
Cooper's Hawk447
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk8982
Rough-legged Hawk001
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk002
Golden Eagle003
American Kestrel4625
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon003
Prairie Falcon002
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter037
Unknown Buteo114
Unknown Falcon001
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor001
Total:3038161


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official CounterDave Hill
Observers: Debbie James, Janet Shin, Kathanne Lynch



Visitors:
Observers included Janet Shin, Debbie James, Kathanne Lynch, and Dave Hill

Weather:
A slight haze sustained throughout the day as the previous day's 2-3" snow melted. Cloud cover: 15-20%, Temperatures: 35-45 degrees Fahrenheit, Winds: SE all day 1-7 mph, and lots of sunshine.

Raptor Observations:
Turkey Vulture: 13 (1 local bird and 12 migrants), Golden Eagle: 4 (Local, non-migrant birds), Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1 (Migrant), Cooper's Hawk: 6 (2 local birds and 4 migrants), Red-tailed Hawk: 14 (6 local birds and 8 migrants), Buteo sp.: 1 (migrant), American Kestrel: 4 (All migrants), Peregrine Falcon: 2 (Both local birds flew together), Prairie Falcon 1 (local bird, perched on power pole at the HawkWatch site!).

Non-raptor Observations:
Northern Flicker: 1, Western Scrub-Jay: 3, Black-billed Magpie: 5, American Crow: 8, Common Raven: 11, Black-capped Chickadee: 1, Mountain Chickadee: 1, chickadee sp.: 1, Bushtit: 8, Western Bluebird: 13, American Robin: 3, European Starling: 2, Spotted Towhee: 2, Western Meadowlark: 2, Elk: 42 in a herd below the Apex homes.

Predictions:
Beautiful warm weather


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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