[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (31 Mar 2020) 26 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2020
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	2	2	2
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	1	14	14
Northern Harrier	0	1	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	5	5
Cooper's Hawk	1	6	6
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	13	83	83
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	1	1
Ferruginous Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	2	2
American Kestrel	4	5	5
Merlin	0	1	1
Peregrine Falcon	1	2	2
Prairie Falcon	0	2	2
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	2	2
Unknown Buteo	1	4	4
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	4	4
Total:	26	134	134

Observation start time:	08:30:00
Observation end time:	13:00:00
Total observation time:	4.5 hours
Official Counter	Carol Cwiklinski
Observers:	David Gulbenkian

Visitors:
The trail was relatively quiet today, with fewer people and bicycles than is usual for a nice weather day. I conducted today’s count from the power line just north of observation, to make social distancing easier.

Weather:
Winds today were variable with speeds from calm to 7-10 mph gusts. Starting S/SW and switching to west with gusts from variable directions west, north, east and south. Luckily some cloud cover persisted through the day, helping me locate birds.

Raptor Observations:
Raptors were slow to start today but finally in the afternoon a migration flow was evident. The winds created a situation where the birds were scattered across the sky, ranging from the western ridges to green mountain in the east. Mostly they were very high. My afternoon observations were conducted facing mostly north, concentrating on the clouds above and north of the ridge.

Non-raptor Observations:
Migration of non raptors was not significant.

Predictions:
I expect numbers of raptors migrating along the ridge to continue to increase in numbers and diversity.

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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]

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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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