Wednesday 1 March 2023

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (01 Mar 2023) 6 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 01, 2023
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle000
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk000
Cooper's Hawk000
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk555
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk112
Golden Eagle000
American Kestrel000
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon000
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:667


Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 4.5 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Carol Cwiklinski, Janet Peters, Mike Fernandez



Visitors:
Janet Peters, Mike Fernandez, and Carol Cwiklinski observed and helped count today. We had five brave visitors in todays weather.

Weather:
It was a chilly first day of our 2023 Spring Migration season, with temperatures ranging between -2 and 2 degrees celsius. The wind ebbed and flowed today with a max of 17.6 km/h in the afternoon. We had some flurries in the 1300 hour, which limited visibility. The snow lifted and we were able to continue out our day.

Raptor Observations:
Might I say we had a great first day! Our total count for the day was 6 raptors, with 5 RTHA and 1 FEHA. We also counted a dark-morph FEHA on our orientation day, 2/25, bringing our season FEHA count up to 2. Last season we counted our first FEHA on 3/13, so this is quite the treat for us. We also had 2 local RTHA and a local BAEA visit throughout the day.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species included TOSO (8), CORA (7), AMCR (7), BBMA (2), WOSJ (2), and potentially a first for the site, a lone Red-winged Blackbird.

Predictions:
A little warmer tomorrow with sunny conditions and variable but predominantly Eastern winds. Hopefully these conditions bring another good early season day!


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]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - [Project Details]




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)

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