Friday 4 March 2022

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (04 Mar 2022) 5 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 04, 2022
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle000
Northern Harrier022
Sharp-shinned Hawk111
Cooper's Hawk000
Northern Goshawk022
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk01818
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk000
Golden Eagle477
American Kestrel011
Merlin011
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon011
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo033
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:53636


Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Dale Campau , Dave Hill, Sammy Korengut



Visitors:
We had a great group of observers on the ridge today including David Hill, Sammy Korengut, Dale Campau, and Doug Anderson in the morning. Total visitors today was 29, with about half of those people inquiring about the hawkwatch. The local RT were showing off for visitors, flying directly overhead at a few points in the day. It was great to be able to show them some birds.

Weather:
The day started off with full cloud cover and a moderate wind of 10 km/h and a temp of 14 C. Rain could be seen to the west, but no precipitation ever reached us. Early afternoon the clouds almost totally cleared up and revealed the strong Colorado sun. The day ended like it started, with thick cloud cover coming in and temperatures rapidly dropping. We could again see precipitation just to the west of us, but 1700 came before it reached us. Winter weather is expected to continue rolling in tonight through Monday.

Raptor Observations:
The local birds today stole the show, giving us incredible looks at some courtship behavior between local RT. The same "leg drop" bird that has been seen the last few days was incredibly active, keeping us entertained. We also found another pair of local GE, bringing our count up to four. All four birds could be seen today. GE was also the star migrant of the day, with four GE taking a similar WNW migratory path at incredible altitude. We also counted our first SS today.

Non-raptor Observations:
Lots of corvid activity today as well as some nice Mountain Bluebird movement along the ridge. Two Black-billed Magpies were seen chasing off the migrating SS. Other visitors include the regulars- Townsend's Solitaire, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, and Bushtits. One American Robin was perched on the nearby snag at the end of the day.

Predictions:
A winter storm is rolling in this weekend, with Sunday being the worst. We are hopeful we'll get a full day's count tomorrow and we are looking forward to seeing how the birds behave through this storm.


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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