Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field OrnithologistsColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2022 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 14 | 305 | 331 |
Osprey | 0 | 35 | 37 |
Bald Eagle | 3 | 21 | 54 |
Northern Harrier | 0 | 19 | 25 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 55 | 64 |
Cooper's Hawk | 4 | 141 | 152 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 5 | 7 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 9 | 29 | 29 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 19 | 302 | 717 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Swainson's Hawk | 4 | 18 | 18 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 9 | 63 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 8 | 36 |
American Kestrel | 12 | 277 | 309 |
Merlin | 0 | 10 | 14 |
Peregrine Falcon | 2 | 7 | 14 |
Prairie Falcon | 1 | 2 | 9 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 12 | 12 |
Unknown Buteo | 1 | 8 | 14 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 6 |
Total: | 73 | 1269 | 1921 |
Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
Total observation time: | 8.5 hours |
Official Counter | Emma Riley, Steve Small |
Observers: | Crystal Reser , Dave Erickson, Mariane Erickson, Steve Small |
Visitors:Steve Small, Crystal Reser, Mariane Erickson, and Dave Erickson helped spot
birds and interact with visitors today. We saw a total of 17 visitors today
with many of them staying for a couple minutes to learn about the
migration.
Weather:The sun was strong with a UV index reaching 9 today and little cloud cover.
Winds were from the SE for much of the day, shifting to the NE at the end
of the day. Winds were calm and breezy to moderate.
Raptor Observations:We had another strong push of early migrants in the first hour today. Many
migrants flew just along the ridge, including BW, SW, RT, CH, SS, PG, and
AK. Movement was slow but steady in the morning but dropped off in the
afternoon. The day ended with a nice little push of AK.
Non-raptor Observations:American White Pelicans (18) were seen again today with one lone Sandhill
Crane flying with them. Say's Phoebe, Spotted Towhee, White-throated Swift,
Rock Wren, and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay were also seen today. Two hummingbirds
were seen- not identified to sp.
Predictions:We are hoping to get a nice push of birds tomorrow with S winds, but gusts
may get up to 65 km/h, all but halting bird activity.
Report submitted by DAVID HILL (
)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
http://www.dfobirds.orgMore information at
hawkcount.org: [
Site Profile] [
Day Summary] [
Month Summary]
Site DescriptionDinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may
be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged
Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see
resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to
migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and
Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern
Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes
Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White
Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are always welcome.
HawkWatch at Dinosaur Ridge is generally staffed by volunteers from about 9 AM
to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th.
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 small signs from the
southwest end of lot to the hawkwatch 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, head through the
gate, and walk to the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)