[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (02 Sep 2022) Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 02, 2022
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	0	0
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	0	0	0
Northern Harrier	0	0	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	0	0
Cooper's Hawk	0	0	2
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	0	0	8
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	3
Ferruginous Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	0	2
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Prairie Falcon	0	0	2
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Total:	0	0	17

Observation start time:	08:00:00
Observation end time:	11:00:00
Total observation time:	3 hours
Official Counter	Ajit Antony
Observers:	Liza Antony

Weather:
Today we observed mainly clouds and wind as there were no migrants. Cool initially with filtered sunlight becoming hot when the clouds blew off or dissipated. As I was coming up the trail there was a breeze coming in from the NW and I wondered whether this was a ridge lift I was experiencing or whether this was the wind which was predicted for the first hour to be from the NW, thereafter from the NNE until 7 PM. At the watch the wind was light from the NW but I could feel a mild breeze caused by a ridge lift from the East. Within an hour the wind turned stronger from the NE, but interestingly, observing the clouds, they seem to be being blown from the NW indicating the direction of the winds aloft compared to what we were experiencing at the watch which seems to be a local phenomenon (soon after we got on on I-70 on the way home there was a sign to watch for wind!) We observed individual puffy clouds (capping thermals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal ) moving toward the SE. A large number of thermal streets on top of each other were seen far to the north at 9:30 AM EST, presumably around Boulder â€" the presence of bare rocks of the flatirons is more conducive to the production of thermals. By 10:30 AM the beginnings of the clouds had reached the north end of Green Mountain and by 11:00 AM they had passed the watch.

Raptor Observations:
At 8:50 AM a CH flew North directly over the watch only 12 feet up and kept going â€" a non-migrant. This one had a dorsal longitudinal white area at perhaps the next to outermost primary feather on its left wing â€" a way to identify if it returns. Western CH are known to be smaller than Eastern CH and this one seemed to us initially only to be the size of an Eastern SS but we could see the curved tip of the tail with a broad white terminal band. Apart from this the only other hawk we saw was an RT kiting over Bare Peak to the NW 15 minutes before we ended the watch. We did not see a single TV which we use when aloft in the Eastern hawk watches I have volunteered at to indicate thermal formation â€" though I guess in Denver with the elevation and the very hot sun, thermals are given. No TVs were seen over Mount Morrison or perched on the towers there. We were frequently observing the sky with binoculars all over using Jerry Liguori’s technique of going up, across, down, across, and then up again â€" continuing so, especially overhead.

Non-raptor Observations:
Rock Wren 2, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay 2, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Common Raven 2

---

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 hawk watch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk watchers may
see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent site to see rare
dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk, Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous
hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. Other raptors we see include Golden
and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons,
Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey
Vultures. Northern Goshawk is uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor
species include Rock Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane,
White-throated Swift, American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any
skill level are always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by a
Hawk Counter and volunteers from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM from March 1st to May 14th,
weather permitting.

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)

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en
* All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/0101018300850357-22b43ff5-2304-4202-a778-20cebcb82a8e-000000%40us-west-2.amazonses.com.