Sunday, 4 March 2018

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (03 Mar 2018) 6 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 03, 2018
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle000
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk000
Cooper's Hawk011
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk61111
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk000
Golden Eagle000
American Kestrel000
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon000
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:61212


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 4 hours
Official CounterMitchell Blystone
Observers: Jane Haddock



Visitors:
Busy, busy, busy day on the trail. The morning started with some very loud fly overs from 4 military jets. Lots of mountain bikers who, at one point, got into a prolonged verbal argument on the platform. The gun range and motorcycle course were in full gear as well. I believe out of the 30 or so visitors only one curious hiker asked what we were doing up there.

Weather:
Beautiful, clear sunny day on the hill. There was very little wind throughout the morning and into the afternoon. A bad day to forget sunscreen!

Raptor Observations:
We observed a pair of Red Tails throughout the day from every possible angle. They seem to be deeply in love, flying in tight circles and dropping their legs multiple times. At one point we did see a third RTH that was trying to make it into the circle but was chased off in a fun to watch air battle. The third did not head north so maybe there's a lonely guy in the area. The migrators were observed on both the east and west sides of the platform and most did not leave any guesses to where they were headed.

Non-raptor Observations:
Magpies, Townsend solitaires, doves, and a handful of Ravens were seen. Jane Haddock witnessed a couple flocks of robins fly by as well.

Predictions:
Hopefully you'll get to see some variety. The first 3 RTHs were seen along Mt. Morrison over to Two Pines so that maybe a favorite path this year......it's probably quieter!


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/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]




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.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/6db4fa767c3627ed6bf150a53a4a6c11%40www.hawkcount.org.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

No comments:

Post a Comment