Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (16 Apr 2023) 60 Raptors
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Apr 16, 2023, 11:17:34 PM4/16/23
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Visitors:
We owe a big thank you to everyone who came out today and helped spot birds in the haze including Carol Cwiklinski, Steve Small, Ric Olson, Ginni Dickinson, Janet Peters, Ajit Antony, Stephen Hadley, and more. We saw a total of 73 visitors at the ridge today including Reece, Katherine, and Linda who spent the morning with us. We owe another thank you to Susan Blansett and any other DFO members who were out birding the surrounding area for the event.
Weather:
We had a very hazy day today with blue skies and little to no cloud cover. The haze got thicker as the day went on causing us to blink birds away at times. Winds were from the general E direction all day and only reached some moderate speeds for a short amount of time.
Raptor Observations:
Today was our Raptorthon! We observed a total of 11 species of migrating raptors and an additional 3 non-migrant species, putting us equal to last years total species count of 14. This site continues to show out with diversity! Highlights include a migrating OS carrying a fish that came overhead, a 4th year BE that was almost in full adult plumage minus a dark band on the tail, and an adult PG being escorted out by the local PG. Migrants were mainly seen taking an incredibly distant line over the western ridge today. Our numbers seem to be much lower this last week compared to this time last year, but we continue to hope for bigger days. Non-migrant activity continues to be high with the local TV (4) and RT (3) seen continuously today. Other non-migrants seen include a NH, NG, PG, and GE.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor highlights of the day include 31 AMWP, 6 DCCO, and 2 BTHU. We continue to see the regulars including WTSW (25), ROWR (1), SPTO (3), and more. Full non-raptor lists can be found on eBird.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be another warm day with some cloud cover. Winds are predicted to be out of the east again so we will hopefully see a good push.
Report submitted by DAVID HILL ()
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. 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)
Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 16, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 16 | 150 | 165 |
| Osprey | 4 | 18 | 20 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 12 | 43 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 31 | 39 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 8 | 106 | 124 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 7 | 79 | 366 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 1 | 4 | 44 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 4 | 30 |
| American Kestrel | 13 | 138 | 198 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total: | 60 | 562 | 1093 |
| Observation start time: | 06:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Carol Cwiklinski, Emma Riley |
| Observers: | Aarohi Barman, Carol Cwiklinski, Janet Peters, Stephen Hadley, Steve Small |
Visitors:
We owe a big thank you to everyone who came out today and helped spot birds in the haze including Carol Cwiklinski, Steve Small, Ric Olson, Ginni Dickinson, Janet Peters, Ajit Antony, Stephen Hadley, and more. We saw a total of 73 visitors at the ridge today including Reece, Katherine, and Linda who spent the morning with us. We owe another thank you to Susan Blansett and any other DFO members who were out birding the surrounding area for the event.
Weather:
We had a very hazy day today with blue skies and little to no cloud cover. The haze got thicker as the day went on causing us to blink birds away at times. Winds were from the general E direction all day and only reached some moderate speeds for a short amount of time.
Raptor Observations:
Today was our Raptorthon! We observed a total of 11 species of migrating raptors and an additional 3 non-migrant species, putting us equal to last years total species count of 14. This site continues to show out with diversity! Highlights include a migrating OS carrying a fish that came overhead, a 4th year BE that was almost in full adult plumage minus a dark band on the tail, and an adult PG being escorted out by the local PG. Migrants were mainly seen taking an incredibly distant line over the western ridge today. Our numbers seem to be much lower this last week compared to this time last year, but we continue to hope for bigger days. Non-migrant activity continues to be high with the local TV (4) and RT (3) seen continuously today. Other non-migrants seen include a NH, NG, PG, and GE.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor highlights of the day include 31 AMWP, 6 DCCO, and 2 BTHU. We continue to see the regulars including WTSW (25), ROWR (1), SPTO (3), and more. Full non-raptor lists can be found on eBird.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be another warm day with some cloud cover. Winds are predicted to be out of the east again so we will hopefully see a good push.
Report submitted by DAVID HILL ()
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. 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)
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