Wednesday 13 March 2024

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (13 Mar 2024) 16 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 13, 2024
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle21616
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk000
Cooper's Hawk033
American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk12118118
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk21010
Golden Eagle044
American Kestrel022
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon011
Prairie Falcon022
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:16156156


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 4 hours
Official CounterDustin Kohler
Observers: Bill Young, Charlie Wall



Visitors:
We had 7 visitors to the ridge today including two different runners trying to get as much of a run in as they could before the storm hit. We had a dad and his possible twin 2-year-old sons come up. They got to see their (most likely) first Red-tailed Hawk migrate close above them. Today I had Charlie Wall and Bill Young assist me in the observations today.

Weather:
A surprisingly nice morning. There was a light sleet around 10:30 MST, but other than that, the morning was fairly warm with calm winds. The distance was a little hazy which affected visibility more than usual.

Raptor Observations:
All migrants were lower, than than the average day. A majority of migrants were straight above us. We saw a local Golden Eagle early in the morning, and two local red-tailed hawks divebomb an adult Bald Eagle. The Hawks attacked so hard that the eagle either went to the ground or turned around to go back South/Southwest where we lost sight of it. This Eagle might have still migrated, but the red-tails at the very least pushed it on a different path where we couldn't witness it migrate.

Non-raptor Observations:
We saw 5 Snow Geese go north, presumably to avoid the weather. This was the smallest flock of Snow Geese I have ever seen. We also saw a flock of about 40 Mountain Bluebirds push north, and 3 elk hanging out where we saw the heard a few days ago.

Predictions:
Denver area is expected to get 8 to 16 inches of snow all day tomorrow, so the ridge will probably get close to a foot more than the city. The Count is CANCELED for tomorrow!


Report submitted by Janet Peters (j.f.peters58@gmail.com)
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. American 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 10th,
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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