Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 17, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 16 | 16 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 105 | 105 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 1 | 23 | 24 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 11 | 199 | 200 |
| Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Emma Riley |
| Observers: | Dave Hill, Jim Lowe, Sally Berger, Shannon Campbell |
Visitors:
Huge thank you to Sally Berger, Dave Hill, Jim Lowe, and Shannon Campbell for your help spotting and IDing raptors today. I am so glad I got to share the BOWA with some of you! We had a slow day visitor wise, probably due to the snowy ground and low temperatures, and saw 10 people at the count site. A few of these visitors got a chance to see the BOWA, as well as the local RT.
Weather:
Today started out with bright blue skies and very minimal cloud cover. Winds began to roll in and we had some cloud cover for the rest of the day. Temperatures were low but the sun was strong when it was out. Winds were all over the place today but were generally mild.
Raptor Observations:
We counted 11 migrants over the full day, but our low numbers were made up by fantastic species diversity. 7 species of migrants were counted today, including our first TV of the season. This TV marks our 200th migrant of the season! Other highlights include a beautifully lit adult CH, 3 dark-morph RT, and a dark-morph FH. Most birds came directly overhead with the NG being the exception, which took a very distant line over the western ridge. So despite the slow day we had some great birds! Local raptor activity was kicked off first thing in the morning with our first sighting of copulation between our RT mating pair. Non-migrating RT, BE, GE, and even a NH were seen today. The NH was seen directly overhead but moving S. Our local BE activity at this point in the season seems to be greater this year than last.
Non-raptor Observations:
We had an exciting day with local and migrant raptors, but the passerines really stole the show today. The Denver area has seen a massive irruption of Bohemian Waxwings this winter, and we were graced by a flock of 150+ BOWA at our count site today. They were seen in the snag and nearby trees directly south of our platform from about 1200 MST until the day ended. Even hiking out they could be seen bouncing between trees. We also had BBMA (8), CORA (14), AMCR (5), TOSO (5), AMRO (6), PISI (2), MOCH (2), and SCJA (2).
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be a better day for migration with the sun continuing to shine hopefully bringing some thermals to the area. Winds are predicted to be from the E/NE at mild speeds. Skies will be blue and the sun will be strong! For anyone planning to visit, prepare for a muddy trail up.
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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