Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field OrnithologistsColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 28, 2022 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 8 | 354 | 380 |
Osprey | 1 | 43 | 45 |
Bald Eagle | 1 | 25 | 58 |
Northern Harrier | 0 | 24 | 30 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 60 | 69 |
Cooper's Hawk | 4 | 167 | 178 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 7 | 9 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 2 | 43 | 43 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 5 | 317 | 732 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Swainson's Hawk | 4 | 34 | 34 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 9 | 63 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 9 | 37 |
American Kestrel | 3 | 293 | 325 |
Merlin | 1 | 13 | 17 |
Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 9 | 16 |
Prairie Falcon | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 12 | 12 |
Unknown Buteo | 1 | 9 | 15 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 3 | 8 |
Total: | 31 | 1440 | 2092 |
Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
Observation end time: | 15:30:00 |
Total observation time: | 6.5 hours |
Official Counter | Emma Riley |
Observers: | Mariane Erickson, Marvin Gearhart, Steve Ryder |
Visitors:Big thanks to all of our volunteer observers today! Especially big thanks
to Mariane for getting through the snake incident with me. We had a total
of 14 people visit the Hawk Watch today.
Weather:Winds were from the E for most of the day at calm to moderate speeds. Cloud
cover was sparse in the morning with heavy clouds rolling in in the
afternoon with light precipitation.
***Count was ended early today due to Rattlesnake directly next to us on
platform. Snake was spotted under the juniper on the W side, it
disappeared, and reappeared directly next to my volunteers chair and was
rattling at us. This snake ended up going under the rock directly at the
top of the steps up to the platform. USE CAUTION ON THE ROCKS.
Raptor Observations:Migrants were sparse today, with a slight push in the 1400 MST hour. One SS
was seen today, we are hoping for more in the next few days.
Non-raptor Observations:Corvid activity was high today with a group of 17 seen over the towers on
Mt Morrison. All of the usual suspects were seen today including
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Townsend’s Solitaire, Rock Wren, and the newest
addition the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Predictions:Winds are supposed to pick up to high speeds from the W tomorrow with lower
temps than today.
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)