Thursday, 23 March 2023

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (23 Mar 2023) 17 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 23, 2023
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture244
Osprey000
Bald Eagle22323
Northern Harrier066
Sharp-shinned Hawk066
Cooper's Hawk044
Northern Goshawk055
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk10163163
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk13031
Golden Eagle02424
American Kestrel21313
Merlin033
Peregrine Falcon022
Prairie Falcon044
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter011
Unknown Buteo011
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor022
Total:17291292


Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Gary Rossmiller, Janet Peters, Kathie Moses, Mark Meiklejohn



Visitors:
Thank you to Janet Peters, Gary Rossmiller, Mark Meiklejohn, and Kathie Moses for your help spotting and IDing our migrants today! We saw 20 visitors at the ridge today, with many visitors checking our new count board. We see a man and his dog coming to eat lunch at the site about once a week and he stopped by today, curious as to how the season is going.

Weather:
We finally had a somewhat accurate weather prediction with today seeing varying cloud cover and mild temperatures. Winds started out from the east and shifted westward by the early afternoon. Precipitation could be seen west and north of us towards the end of the day, and we got very brief flurries on the ridge.

Raptor Observations:
Todays migration started off with a bang with both birds and the line they took. Most migrants before 12 MST were seen below eye level passing us and finding an updraft or thermal just south of the count platform. Birds were seen on both sides of the ridge, but a majority were seen along the eastern side of the Dakota Hogback. Highlights include two TV taking the low line, our second Harlan’s of the season, a low adult light-morph FH, and two male AK in the afternoon. Non-migrant activity was moderate today, but when storms were seen north of us all bird activity ceased. We saw a local GE and the local RT pair multiple times today, and a very close PR right as we got to the ridge this morning.

Non-raptor Observations:
We continue to see SACR migrating north high along the foothills. Surprisingly, we did not hear any of the 7 that we saw today. We saw our first WEBL (9) today moving north eye-level along the eastern side of the Hogback. Other non-raptors seen today were HOFI (7), PISI (1), BCCH (1). DEJU (3), TOSO (4), AMRO (14), BBMA (5), SCJA (1), CORA (11), and AMCR (6).

Predictions:
Temperatures are expected to stay mild tomorrow with a sunny morning and cloud cover in the afternoon. Winds are expected to stay mild but vary in direction throughout the day. If the wind does in fact so this it could be a slow day for migration, but often we end up with east winds despite the forecast. We are hoping for the latter, and to continue to see more migrants after the recent systems that have moved along the front range.


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)

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