[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge (17 Mar 2016) 6 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 17, 2016
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	7	7
Northern Harrier	0	2	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	2	2
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	4	84	84
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	0
Ferruginous Hawk	0	1	1
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	1	6	6
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	1	1
Prairie Falcon	0	2	2
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	1	1
Unknown Buteo	0	6	6
Unknown Falcon	1	4	4
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	2	2
Total:	6	118	118

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	13:30:00
Total observation time:	5.5 hours
Official Counter	Roger Rouch
Observers:	Tom Ryon

Visitors:
Two gentlemen stopped briefly to ask about our activities, one from Alaska and one from England.

Weather:
Cloudy with a brisk breeze mostly from the NE at about 2 Bft. Flecks of snow all day, but never enough to say it was actually snowing. Temperatures in the low to mid-20's all day per North Table Mountain Weather Underground station. Light haze, but decent visibility to 10 km or more.

Raptor Observations:
Local raptors included a Prairie Falcon and also an accipiter, probably sharpie, that zoomed down the ridge trail going south just a feet feet above the ground. Migrant activity was slow, but possibly more than expected considering the weather.

Non-raptor Observations:
Also seen were two small groups of Canada Geese, Common Raven, and Townsend's Solitaire, and chickadee. Several small groups of American Robin flitted about the ridge, possibly stocking up on juniper berries.

Predictions:
Wet. Maybe a snow day.

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Report submitted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (jeff.birek@birdconservancy.org)
Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.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 Bird Conservancy of the
Rockies from about 9 AM to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th.

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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