Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field OrnithologistsColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2023 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bald Eagle | 1 | 24 | 24 |
Northern Harrier | 1 | 7 | 7 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 7 | 7 |
Cooper's Hawk | 2 | 6 | 6 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 15 | 178 | 178 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 2 | 32 | 33 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 24 | 24 |
American Kestrel | 1 | 14 | 14 |
Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Prairie Falcon | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Total: | 23 | 314 | 315 |
Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
Total observation time: | 8 hours |
Official Counter | Emma Riley |
Observers: | Amy Walsh, Chris Gearhart, Debbie James |
Visitors:Thank you to Amy Walsh, Chris Gearhart, and Debbie James for your help
counting the migration today and bearing the cold with me. We saw 22
visitors at the ridge and many of them had raptor knowledge so came with
some good questions. One visitor was visiting from Pennsylvania, and two
were from California.
Weather:The morning started with clear skies and winds from the west. By late
morning winds had already began shifting north and clouds rolled in. The
rest of the day saw heavy cloud cover and scattered precipitation across
the whole front range. Pressure was incredibly low today as we see the low
pressure system moving over us tonight and into tomorrow.
Raptor Observations:We had a great push of birds during the first half of the day and it
tapered out as the precipitation approached. Birds could be seen very high
taking a NW line. 4 RT were seen moving together at one point. What the
afternoon didn’t see in numbers we saw in some great diversity. A low
adult female NH came overhead and caught an updraft just NE of the count
site. We also saw two FH and a very close male AK. Local raptors were seen
in the morning and again late in the afternoon. 2 very high GE were seen as
well as the local RT pair in the morning, and we saw a massive adult RT
moving south in the afternoon as well as one of the GE.
Non-raptor Observations:The Bohemian Waxwings, about 40 of them, were seen very briefly in the
morning. We haven’t seen them for a few days so it was nice to know there
still may be opportunities. We also saw a nice group (11) of Bushtits.
Other non-raptors seen include BCCH (2), HOFI (5), PISI (2), AMRO (15),
TOSO (4), BBMA (4), CORA (13), and AMCR (6).
Predictions:Tomorrow will be cold as this system continues to move through the Rockies.
Winds are predicted to be strong but we are hoping the prediction is being
a bit dramatic. It may be a slow day migration wise but we are always
surprised at the ridge!
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 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. Northern 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 14th,
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)