Sunday, 19 March 2023

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (19 Mar 2023) 9 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2023
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture022
Osprey000
Bald Eagle11717
Northern Harrier011
Sharp-shinned Hawk044
Cooper's Hawk033
Northern Goshawk055
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk8116116
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk02526
Golden Eagle02424
American Kestrel088
Merlin033
Peregrine Falcon011
Prairie Falcon044
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter011
Unknown Buteo011
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor022
Total:9217218


Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Aarohi Barman, Susan Blansett



Visitors:
Thank you to Aarohi Barman, our weekend official observer, and DFO president Susan Blansett for your help with the count today. As always I couldn’t do it without your help! We had a nice and busy day at the ridge with 38 visitors today, many interested in what we were doing, where to find data, and what birds to expect. One group of visitors was from the east coast, and another visitor was from Dallas.

Weather:
Today started off cold with moderate cloud cover, but by late morning the clouds had cleared and the sun warmed up the ridge bringing some nice thermals. Winds were mostly from the general east all day until a switch to the west in the late afternoon. Wind speeds stayed mild all day.

Raptor Observations:
Today was another relatively slow migration day in comparison to the numbers we were seeing before the snow rolled through on Thursday. We had a nice little push of RT in the morning with a direct overhead line. Our typical afternoon lull lasted until we had a low BE come through the western valley and catch a thermal near Cabrini and continue on high. Overall we saw 9 RT and 1 BE migrating. Local raptor activity was pronounced today with 3 RT, 2 GE, and 1 BE seen many times throughout the day both east and west of us. The eagles in particular were very active today.

Non-raptor Observations:
Another day with BOWA seen along the ridge, this time in the afternoon briefly in a nearby pine south of the count platform. BUSH (20) were seen on the hike up, and BCCH (3), MOCH (1), TOSO (4), AMRO (3), HOFI (6), BBMA (3), CORA (17), and AMCR (4) also seen throughout the day. The elk continue to be seen NW of the count site.

Predictions:
Tomorrows weather prediction is similar to today with mild temperatures and partly cloudy conditions. Winds are predicted to be variable but generally E/NE and low speeds.


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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