[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (17 Feb 2023) Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Feb 17, 2023
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	0
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	0	0	0
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	0
Ferruginous Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	0	0
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Prairie Falcon	0	0	0
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	0

Observation start time:	10:00:00
Observation end time:	13:00:00
Total observation time:	3 hours
Official Counter	Ajit Antony
Observers:

Weather:
The forecast was for light SW>S>SE winds with a high of 57°F. I wore my crampons because of the recent snowfall.

Raptor Observations:
A few minutes after I got the watch a buteo flew quite low from the South with very white underwings with no prominent bellyband and my initial thought was FH, but as it came close I could see very dark prominent patagial marks making it an Eastern subspecies of RT, though it had a dark throat suggesting a Western subspecies though which Easterns can have. The reason it was so white under was the reflection on the underwings from the snow which Jerry Liguori has photographs of in his books "Hawks from Every Angle" and "Hawks at a Distance." It turned north of the watch and flew down to the valley to the West. 2 more RT â€" 1 on a utility pole to the West â€" Western subspecies with a very wide bellyband which stayed perched over an hour, the other next to C-470 on a transmission tower.

Non-raptor Observations:
At 11:13 AM a large flock of medium-sized birds seen to the south of the ridge â€" I was sure they had to be Bohemian Waxwing since its an irruption year. There were 175 birds. My eBird checklist with 2 images: https://ebird.org/checklist/S128557444 Red-breasted Nuthatch heard, Townsend's Solitaire 3, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay 1, American Robin 6, Northern Flicker (red-shafted), House Finch 1.

---

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 hawk watch signs from the
southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch 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, and walk to
the 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/0101018661f5acf4-08aa537c-a4f1-458e-987b-eef7e77fc46d-000000%40us-west-2.amazonses.com.