[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (31 Mar 2022) 34 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2022
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	9	26	26
Osprey	1	2	2
Bald Eagle	0	33	33
Northern Harrier	0	6	6
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	9	9
Cooper's Hawk	2	11	11
Northern Goshawk	0	2	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	15	411	411
Rough-legged Hawk	0	3	3
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	0
Ferruginous Hawk	3	54	54
Golden Eagle	0	30	30
American Kestrel	3	32	32
Merlin	0	4	4
Peregrine Falcon	1	7	7
Prairie Falcon	0	7	7
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	6	6
Unknown Falcon	0	2	2
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	5	5
Total:	34	650	650

Observation start time:	10:00:00
Observation end time:	17:30:00
Total observation time:	7.5 hours
Official Counter	Emma Riley
Observers:	Dave Erickson, Lila Varel , Mariane Erickson

Visitors:
Lila Varel and Jason (didn't catch his last name) helped observe in the morning. Mariane and Dave Erickson observed in the afternoon. Trail traffic was low today, with only 9 visitors stopping by the Hawk Watch.

Weather:
Winds started from the N today with clear skies until late morning. By the afternoon winds had shifted to SE but were variable during the 1600 hour. Precipitation could be seen south of us for most of the afternoon.

Raptor Observations:
Birds started slow and high today, but as the winds shifted to the S birds picked up and were on all sides of the ridge today. TUVU numbers are picking up and a local has settled into the area. Local RTHA, GOEA, BAEA, and SSHA were seen today. Today's highlights all came through in the last hour and a half, with an overhead OSPR and FEHA, and three AMKE seen darting past in the last 5 minutes of the count.

Non-raptor Observations:
Corvid activity was very high today, with another "congress" of 11 seen near the towers on Mt. Morrison. Mountain Chickadee, White-throated Swift, and the usual passerines were seen on the ridge.

Predictions:
Heavy cloud cover expected tomorrow with N winds picking up speed in the afternoon.

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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]

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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 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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