[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (03 Sep 2022) Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 03, 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:

Weather:
After seeing no migrants yesterday I wasn't planning to come up this morning, but the heavy rain and lightning storm last night reminded me that in New York after such weather we usually get NW winds and migrant hawks (more likely in the middle of September) and though I was sure that the mechanism of thunderstorms in Denver was different from New York and today's forecast called for East winds, I had the urge to come up and check it out myself. Relatively cool in the shade, clear visibility only to 12 km, i.e. North Table Mountain was clear and beyond that was hazy; minimal cloud cover and light winds from the East. Started with a cloudless sky and the first puffy thermal clouds were seen at 8:26 AM EST far to the west which gradually increased in number until by 9:15 AM numerous popping up beyond the mountains between West and NW, which became much higher and towering cumulus clouds getting a little closer to the watch by the time I left.

Raptor Observations:
At least there were local hawks to see today! 2 local RT just north of the watch at 8:11 AM with a total of 5 mostly far away, TV 4 including 2 which perched on the 3 electrical poles north of the watch, 1 of which was displaced by a Raven which croaked at the remaining TV for half an hour and then flew away, 10 minutes after which the usurped TV came back. Strangely both TVs initially were perched but later sat on their bellies on the poles with their bodies horizontal! I've never seen this before.

Non-raptor Observations:
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1, Common Raven 5, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, swallow species 7. 6 paragliders to the north, 4 of them in the valley just beyond the 3 towers seemingly having difficulty getting lift, soaring somewhat westward eventually getting lift up to the height of the higher 2 which were not as high as I've seen on other days.

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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 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)

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