Tuesday 11 October 2022

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (11 Oct 2022) 5 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 11, 2022
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey001
Bald Eagle111
Northern Harrier001
Sharp-shinned Hawk001
Cooper's Hawk2311
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk001
Red-tailed Hawk1115
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk007
Ferruginous Hawk000
Golden Eagle116
American Kestrel008
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon001
Prairie Falcon002
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo011
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor011
Total:5857


Observation start time: 07:30:00
Observation end time: 11:00:00
Total observation time: 3.5 hours
Official CounterAjit Antony
Observers: Sammy Korengut


Weather:
Weather.gov forecasted WNW winds at 13 mph with gusts up to 31 mph. This is the sort of wind in the East that would allow us to see a good numbers of migrant hawks especially Eagles, but I was sure that with the local conditions our sightings would be different. earth.nullschool.net had moderately strong winds from the West, with a strong band of winds in the same direction north of Denver which I suspect would push any Southward flying raptors far away to the East and away from Dinosaur Ridge. https://tinyurl.com/bp9az5hr the green circle roughly marks the location of Dinosaur Ridge. At the watch the winds were Level 4 with gusts to Level 6-7 from the West, temperature 16-80°C, humidity only 17%, steady barometer, minimal cloud cover 5â€"15%, clear visibility to 25 km. Interestingly while it was extremely windy on the west side of the watch, taking only 10 steps to the east side of the watch and it was barely breezy.

Raptor Observations:
The 1st 2 raptors found by Shmuel "Sammy" Korengut at 7:45 AM MST before I got to the watch were an adult GE which flew south then West, then south again; and an immature BE which flew south. Non-migrant raptors: RT 3 including 1 Westernâ€"type with a darker back and a dark throat.

Non-raptor Observations:
Mountain Chickadee 3, Barn Swallow 3, Townsend's Solitaire 3, Western Scrub-Jay 5, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 5.

Predictions:
Similar conditions as today.


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)

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