Friday, 21 April 2023

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (21 Apr 2023) 76 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2023
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture26206221
Osprey22325
Bald Eagle01748
Northern Harrier1819
Sharp-shinned Hawk13745
Cooper's Hawk4126144
Northern Goshawk018
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk188
Red-tailed Hawk5101388
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk044
Ferruginous Hawk0747
Golden Eagle0632
American Kestrel33187247
Merlin1616
Peregrine Falcon138
Prairie Falcon005
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter125
Unknown Buteo012
Unknown Falcon011
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor002
Total:767441275


Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Amy Walsh, Sammy Korengut, Trista Hertz



Visitors:
Thank you to Amy Walsh, Sammy Korengut, and Trista Hertz for volunteering to help spot and ID migrating raptors today! Dave Hill brought up a group of DFO birders this morning and they spent the full morning with us. It was great to share this site with local birders and we hope to see some of them in the future. We had a total of 33 visitors at the ridge today including the DFO group.

Weather:
We had a chilly day on the ridge today with temperatures below 10 degrees celsius and heavy cloud cover. Winds varied between E and W throughout the day, and only reached moderate speeds in some gusts in the late afternoon. We did see very light snow at the end of the day and could see precipitation almost 360 degrees around us.

Raptor Observations:
Migration started out slow today with 6 birds counted before 1100 MST, but the 1400 hour kicked off a great push of mainly TV and AK in the afternoon. We extended the count by 30 minutes to catch more AK moving late in the day. Highlights today include an OS that stopped to eat a fish it was flying with, a low and close ML that we were actually able to ID based on plumage, and the overall nice push at the end of the day. Non-migrant activity was very high today with PG, RT (3), TV (4), GE (2), and three BE that all came incredibly close to the ridge giving us really outstanding looks at these birds.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor highlights today include MOBL (2) and 2 BBMA that came right along the ridge. We continue to see many of the regulars including WTSW and SPTO. Full lists for the day can be seen on eBird.

Predictions:
Winds are predicted to be from the E tomorrow with some nice cloud cover. Snow may be on the ridge tomorrow but will most likely melt through the 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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