Thursday 25 April 2019

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (25 Apr 2019) 9 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 25, 2019
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture199100
Osprey02121
Bald Eagle0618
Northern Harrier067
Sharp-shinned Hawk04150
Cooper's Hawk27682
Northern Goshawk022
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk188
Red-tailed Hawk2210303
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk099
Ferruginous Hawk0610
Golden Eagle069
American Kestrel04752
Merlin011
Peregrine Falcon044
Prairie Falcon044
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter21114
Unknown Buteo049
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle013
Unknown Raptor1912
Total:9571718


Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 12:30:00
Total observation time: 4.5 hours
Official CounterRoger Rouch
Observers:



Visitors:
Seasoned raptor observers Jim Banks and Brigette Forsmark helped spot and identify for about an hour in the morning and were great help.

Weather:
Mostly cloudy to start, but becoming sunny by late morning with a featureless blue sky except a few clouds along the west horizons. Temperatures mostly in the low 60's with a mild breeze around 2 Bft. from the east and south east.

Raptor Observations:
A Broad-winged was sighted in the morning below eye level and rose to migrate north over Hwy. 93. And a Turkey Vulture bee lining north high overhead. The remainder of the count was over the west ridge, sometimes at the very limit of binoculars. Six, eight, or more Turkey Vultures took lazy low circles around Cabrini for about an hour in the late morning, some going north and then some south, but none seemed like they were on a dedicated north path and all were considered local. Also local Red-tailed Hawks along the west ridge and a few local vultures cruising the ridge.

Non-raptor Observations:
An Excel crew worked on top of the power poles behind the platform to repair the broken colored warning balls attached to the power line. A couple dozen song birds came by going north in two's and three's. Those that could be identified were Yellow-rumped Warblers. White-throated Swift could be seen most of the warm part of the day in small groups. Also seen or heard, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Blue Jay, Common Raven, Woodhouse's Scrub-jay, Western Meadowlark, Black-billed Magpie, American Robin, Spotted Towhee.


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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