Thursday, 19 April 2018

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (19 Apr 2018) 27 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2018
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture36668
Osprey133
Bald Eagle025
Northern Harrier022
Sharp-shinned Hawk01115
Cooper's Hawk22331
Northern Goshawk012
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk122
Red-tailed Hawk747215
Rough-legged Hawk001
Swainson's Hawk033
Ferruginous Hawk013
Golden Eagle019
American Kestrel51327
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon023
Prairie Falcon013
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter2711
Unknown Buteo51015
Unknown Falcon133
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor067
Total:27204428


Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official CounterRoger Rouch
Observers: Bill Wuerthele, Heidi Hayes, Joel Chapa, Rob Reilly



Visitors:
A few curious hikers stopped for a short time with questions.

Weather:
Temperatures from the mid 30's to the mid-50's with a good horizon cloud backdrop for spotting early, then mostly clear in the afternoon. Light winds generally from the east around 2 Bft all day. Light atmospheric haze.

Raptor Observations:
Interesting birds were a Broad-winged early in the day low over Rooney Valley and a below eye level Osprey on the east side of the ridge. Other migrants were mostly over the ridge and to the west and tended to be higher fliers after mid-morning and continued through the watch. Local activity was relativity light, but included a Peregrine Falcon. (Steve and Carol were stationed across the valley near two pines and alerted us a couple of times to activity there. A few of their sightings may have been spotted by us and generally could not be accurately identified due to distance, but it seemed for the most part they were beyond our detection limits for whatever reason).

Non-raptor Observations:
Black-billed Magpie, Dark-eyed Junco, Western Meadow Lark, Woodhouse's Scrubjay, Common Raven, White-throated Swift, Bushtit, Townsend's Solitaire, American Robin.

Predictions:
The incoming front and possible clouds for good spotting could make for an interesting day.


Report submitted by Matthew Smith (matt.smith@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.

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