Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 2017 | |||
| 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 | 9 | 9 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 10 | 180 | 180 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 2 | 15 | 15 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Total: | 13 | 256 | 256 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Joyce Commercon |
| Observers: | Lee Farrell, Linda Farrell |
Visitors:
Lee and Linda Farrell were indispensable in helping spot and follow the high-flying migrants today. We were joined by Janice Sweet, a HawkWatcher from Illinois; the extra eyes on the sky were very welcome. There were a fair number of bikers and hikers, with and without dogs, on the trail today. Many came to the platform, mostly for the view.
Weather:
The day was warm and mostly cloudy, with thick cover to the north and west and overhead in the first and last hours of the watch. Otherwise, cloud-cover was a shifting mix of thick cumulus with thin veils of cirrus that hovered mostly near 70% coverage. Today's mild winds (mostly bft 1-2) were variable but came mostly from the east or southeast. Temperatures rose from 12 C to 22 C. Visibility was very good.
Raptor Observations:
The highlight of the day was an adult Ferruginous Hawk that migrated north along the Ridge, easily visible. The other migrants were either Red-tailed Hawks or suspected Red-tailed Hawks (listed as unidentified buteos). Most of these passed high and just to the west of the Ridge. Some circled up extremely high over I70 and Cabrini before heading north. A large burst of migrant activity occurred in the 15 minutes before noon MST with 9 possible migrants being spotted during that time, five of which circled up high in a kettle over Cabrini. Seven of these were confirmed to move northward. Two from the kettle were lost and not seen to move north. All migrants, except the Ferruginous Hawk, were at the limit of unaided vision or beyond. A local male American Kestrel made a few appearances throughout the day. A local Prairie Falcon was spotted overtop the Ridge south of the platform before it headed back south.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Canyon Wren was heard again several times today during the first hour of the watch. Eleven Western Bluebirds slipped by in Rooney Valley, heading north. A pair of Common Ravens, taking a rest from flying in tandem, landed on the power poles nearby. Also seen or heard were Townsend's Solitaire, Spotted Towhee, Black-billed Magpie, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Northern Flicker, and White-throated Swift. 25 elk were spotted south of Lookout Mountain in the early morning.
Report submitted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (jeff.birek@birdconservancy.org)
Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 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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