Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field OrnithologistsColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 27, 2023 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 3 | 278 | 293 |
Osprey | 0 | 35 | 37 |
Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 50 |
Northern Harrier | 0 | 12 | 23 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 57 | 65 |
Cooper's Hawk | 8 | 178 | 196 |
Northern Goshawk | 1 | 2 | 9 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 71 | 71 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 115 | 402 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swainson's Hawk | 1 | 17 | 17 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 7 | 47 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 9 | 35 |
American Kestrel | 7 | 249 | 309 |
Merlin | 0 | 9 | 19 |
Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 11 | 16 |
Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 5 | 8 |
Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Total: | 24 | 1076 | 1607 |
Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
Total observation time: | 8 hours |
Official Counter | Emma Riley |
Observers: | Dave Erickson, Gary Rossmiller, Janet Peters, Marianne Erickson, Sammy Korengut, Sammy Korengut |
Visitors:Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped count today and stuck out the
winds with me. We saw 9 visitors at the ridge today include Mitch and his
dog Keevan, who visit weekly.
Weather:Winds started out strong this morning from the W but died down for a chunk
of the early afternoon. Skies gained more cloud cover as the day went on
and by the afternoon we could see rain clouds NE of us and S of us. The
count was ended at 1600 MST due to high winds picking back up to unsafe
speeds.
Raptor Observations:Migration was slightly slow today but birds made up for it by coming close
to the count site. Highlights of the day include a migrant PG being chased
off by a local PG and a low immature NG at the end of the day. Juvenile
accipiters are beginning to outnumber their adult counterparts. Non-migrant
raptors seen today include TV (4), RT (3), GE (1), and one CH moving south.
Non-raptor Observations:A rabbit was seen at the site today which was a first for me! WTSW were out
in abundance today and we got our first YRWA (Audubon’s) at the site
today. The regulars including ROWR, SPTO, SCJA, BBMA and more continue to
be seen periodically.
Predictions:Rain and possible snow are moving through the area tonight so expect mud on
the trail. We will hopefully see some sun tomorrow.
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)