Thursday 10 March 2022

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (10 Mar 2022) 2 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 10, 2022
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle055
Northern Harrier033
Sharp-shinned Hawk011
Cooper's Hawk000
Northern Goshawk022
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk12323
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk000
Golden Eagle199
American Kestrel011
Merlin011
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon011
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo033
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:24949


Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 14:45:00
Total observation time: 5.25 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers:



Visitors:
One brief visitor wished me well in the morning. Dave and Mariane Erickson came up for their volunteer afternoon shift at 1300, so it was great to have help and company for the afternoon.

Weather:
Today was cold and cloudy for the most part, with the sun peeking out for about 45 minutes at 1200. Winds were light all day, starting from the north and shifting east as the day went on. Flurries were present briefly at 1040 and picked up again at 1415. Heavy clouds and snow were seen over Mt Morrison at 1430, so we stopped counting at 1445 and headed down the ridge.

Raptor Observations:
Local activity picked back up today after the storm yesterday, with three resident RT, one BE, and three GE seen. The regular RT pair was seen mostly below the ridge on the east, actively hunting the grass patches south of the dirt bike tracks. This pair was seen copulating for the first (recorded) time today. The highlight of the day was a migrating adult Harlans RT that was escorted out of the area by the local RT pair. An adult GE was also seen migrating today.

Non-raptor Observations:
Mostly corvids were seen out today, with 6 Common Ravens and 5 American Crows seen. One of the normal Townsend's Solitaires spent some time on the ridge with me in the morning, along with two Black-billed Magpies and one Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay.

Predictions:
Sunny and still cold, but we have finally reached an upward trend in temperatures after this cold bout. Winds expected to be from the west and northwest.


Report submitted by DAVID HILL ()
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: http://www.dfobirds.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 of any skill level are always welcome.
HawkWatch at Dinosaur Ridge is generally staffed by volunteers 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
southwest end of lot to the 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.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)

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