Sunday, 23 March 2025

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (23 Mar 2025) 51 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 23, 2025
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle52020
Northern Harrier355
Sharp-shinned Hawk244
Cooper's Hawk81414
American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk25154154
Rough-legged Hawk022
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk31313
Golden Eagle11313
American Kestrel355
Merlin133
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon022
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipitrine000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:51235235


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official CounterEmma Riley
Observers: Archer Silverman, Cayce Gulbransen , Chris Gulbransen , Diana Hornick, Laura Farnsworth, Ric Olson



Visitors:
Thank you to everyone who came out today to help spot birds and enjoy a day of migration! We had a total of 24 visitors to the ridge today. We could see trails full of people at Matthew/Winters and on Green Mtn, but Dakota Ridge was a bit slow today for a weekend.

Weather:
Today was our first warm/low wind day in a few days and felt like a treat. Winds stayed out of the SE/E for most of the day, staying at low speeds. Clouds were present all day to varying degrees, often giving us great backdrops to spot migrants.

Raptor Observations:
Today was our second best day of the season so far with a great spread of migrants! The highlights of the day include a few NH coming through one after the other, with 2 up in different areas at once. We also counted a few FH today, one of which we spotted as we began the hike out. Falcons seem to be beginning their migration, with all 4 falcon species seen today, but only the small ones migrating. Migrants came through consistently for most of the day keeping us busy. PG were reported today at Red Rocks, followed by a non-migrant PG in the afternoon spotted first in that area, leading us to believe the local scrape has been claimed by the Peregrine's once again. Along with the PG, we saw PR, GE, BE, RT, and AK locals today.

Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 1, Mountain Bluebird 43, House Finch 3

Predictions:
Tomorrow's temperatures will be higher than today's but so will the winds, making it feel cooler. Winds are expected out of the NW, potentially bringing a slower flight than today. We have many species that still have not been seen migrating through this year that will be seen any day!


Report submitted by Official Counter (j.f.peters58@gmail.com)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.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
Hawk Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.

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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