Friday, 22 March 2024

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (22 Mar 2024) 14 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2024
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle22525
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk033
Cooper's Hawk155
American Goshawk011
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk10178178
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk11212
Golden Eagle077
American Kestrel055
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon011
Prairie Falcon033
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon011
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:14241241


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official CounterDustin Kohler
Observers: Amy Walsh, Chris Gearhart, Sammy Korengut , Shannon Campbell



Visitors:
We had 7 visitors to the ridge today. There was 2 visitors that said they got to the ridge around 7:30 MST and left around 8:15 MST before we got there. They saw nothing, and later came back up around 11 MST to talk to us.

Weather:
Today was a sunny day with wind out of the Southeast. There was a Haze in the morning and it seemed to get thinner as the day went on.

Raptor Observations:
Most of our migrants were straight above us, but a few were to the west. Again most were escorted out by local Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles, and Common Ravens. Even a few of our local Bald Eagles were harassed by Common Ravens. 1 local Red-tailed chased off 3 migrating red-tails at the same time. There was also a local kestrel flying south along our ridge and a Harlan's Red-tailed flying south along Green Mountain.

Non-raptor Observations:
During the last 2 hours the Eastern Fox Squirrel showed up again within a few feet of one of our bags. As soon as the squirrel saw me it immediately ran back the way it came from. I guess that the squirrel either remembered me or at least my blue jacket. We also had Mountain Cottontail (rabbits) hanging around near the ridge top, most of the day.

Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be another sunny day turning partly cloudy. The wind looks to be southern based but varying to the west and east of south. Good tail-wind for migrants. In the morning the muddy trail should be half frozen, and should almost completely dry throughout the day.


Report submitted by Official Counter (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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