Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field OrnithologistsColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2023 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 26 | 206 | 221 |
Osprey | 2 | 23 | 25 |
Bald Eagle | 0 | 17 | 48 |
Northern Harrier | 1 | 8 | 19 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 37 | 45 |
Cooper's Hawk | 4 | 126 | 144 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 8 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | 8 | 8 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 5 | 101 | 388 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 7 | 47 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 6 | 32 |
American Kestrel | 33 | 187 | 247 |
Merlin | 1 | 6 | 16 |
Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 3 | 8 |
Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Total: | 76 | 744 | 1275 |
Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
Total observation time: | 8.5 hours |
Official Counter | Emma Riley |
Observers: | Amy Walsh, Sammy Korengut, Trista Hertz |
Visitors:Thank you to Amy Walsh, Sammy Korengut, and Trista Hertz for volunteering
to help spot and ID migrating raptors today! Dave Hill brought up a group
of DFO birders this morning and they spent the full morning with us. It was
great to share this site with local birders and we hope to see some of them
in the future. We had a total of 33 visitors at the ridge today including
the DFO group.
Weather:We had a chilly day on the ridge today with temperatures below 10 degrees
celsius and heavy cloud cover. Winds varied between E and W throughout the
day, and only reached moderate speeds in some gusts in the late afternoon.
We did see very light snow at the end of the day and could see
precipitation almost 360 degrees around us.
Raptor Observations:Migration started out slow today with 6 birds counted before 1100 MST, but
the 1400 hour kicked off a great push of mainly TV and AK in the afternoon.
We extended the count by 30 minutes to catch more AK moving late in the
day. Highlights today include an OS that stopped to eat a fish it was
flying with, a low and close ML that we were actually able to ID based on
plumage, and the overall nice push at the end of the day. Non-migrant
activity was very high today with PG, RT (3), TV (4), GE (2), and three BE
that all came incredibly close to the ridge giving us really outstanding
looks at these birds.
Non-raptor Observations:Non-raptor highlights today include MOBL (2) and 2 BBMA that came right
along the ridge. We continue to see many of the regulars including WTSW and
SPTO. Full lists for the day can be seen on eBird.
Predictions:Winds are predicted to be from the E tomorrow with some nice cloud cover.
Snow may be on the ridge tomorrow but will most likely melt through the
day.
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]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - [
Project Details]
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)