[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (28 Apr 2023) 61 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 28, 2023
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	17	295	310
Osprey	2	37	39
Bald Eagle	0	19	50
Northern Harrier	1	13	24
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2	59	67
Cooper's Hawk	9	187	205
Northern Goshawk	0	2	9
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	5	76	76
Red-tailed Hawk	15	130	417
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	17	17
Ferruginous Hawk	1	8	48
Golden Eagle	0	9	35
American Kestrel	8	257	317
Merlin	0	9	19
Peregrine Falcon	0	11	16
Prairie Falcon	0	0	5
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	1	6	9
Unknown Buteo	0	1	2
Unknown Falcon	0	1	1
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	2
Total:	61	1137	1668

Observation start time:	08:30:00
Observation end time:	16:30:00
Total observation time:	8 hours
Official Counter	Emma Riley
Observers:	Chris Gearhart, Dave Hill, Shannon Campbell

Visitors:
Thank you to Dave Hill, Chris Gearhart, and Shannon Campbell for all of your help spotting birds today! It’s always great to see all three of you. We saw 19 visitors at the count site today including a number of couples with many questions about the count.

Weather:
We had a cold morning with heavy cloud cover that let up eventually leading to blue skies. Winds were from the NE all day at mild speeds. A haze settled in across the sky by mid afternoon.

Raptor Observations:
Migration started off low and close to the ridge with accipiters and a few buteos. Birds moved higher in their flight as the day went on. We saw a good RT flight today which we haven’t seen in a bit of time. We also saw a dark FH and continue to see BW moving. Non-migrant raptors today include the highlight of three OS all flying south together, something we don’t ever see. We also saw TV (4), RT (3), BE (1), and GE (1).

Non-raptor Observations:
We started the morning by observing 3 ROPI being chased by a CORA right near the site. ROPI seem to be increasing in presence at our site. We also saw 7 AMWP flying south. Our regular passerines continue to be seen including SPTO, BCCH, ROWR, and SCJA.

Predictions:
Tomorrow should be sunny and warm with winds from the N at mild speeds.

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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]

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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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