Sunday 31 March 2024

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (31 Mar 2024) 48 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2024
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture173030
Osprey166
Bald Eagle13030
Northern Harrier055
Sharp-shinned Hawk31616
Cooper's Hawk72121
American Goshawk011
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk15261261
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk01212
Golden Eagle21111
American Kestrel22222
Merlin044
Peregrine Falcon022
Prairie Falcon033
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter011
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon011
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:48426426


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official CounterDustin Kohler
Observers: Audrey Anderson, Jane Haddock, Janet Peters, Joe Elliott, Sammy Korengut , Stacy Mcvi



Visitors:
We had 74 Visitors to the ridge today. Three of them were small children who were able to look through our binoculars to see mule deer close up.

Weather:
Today was a partly cloudy day full of fairly strong winds and the haze again today.

Raptor Observations:
Today we got a new highest count for the year. There were a lot of accipiters and for the most part migrants were low today. We had a kettle of 5 turkey vultures, a first year red-tailed that had both juvenile and adult plumage, and a probable male sharp-shinned hawk fighting the wind more than some of the others we saw. We had a local Red-tailed hawk chase a common raven away from its nest, and probably a different red-tailed hawk catch a mouse and eat it on a telephone pole. We also had a local Turkey vulture and a sharp-shinned hawk with full crop.

Non-raptor Observations:
We had a large group of Woodhouse's Scrub-jays, a few Black-capped Chickadees, a couple Mountain Bluebirds. There were a couple groups of mule deer found to the west, the east, and on our ridge on the western side.

Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be full of rain and possibly storms. I'll look again tomorrow but a shortened count tomorrow is likely.


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 10:00 AM to 6:00 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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