Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field OrnithologistsColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 29, 2023 |
Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Turkey Vulture | 25 | 320 | 335 |
Osprey | 7 | 44 | 46 |
Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 50 |
Northern Harrier | 3 | 16 | 27 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 62 | 70 |
Cooper's Hawk | 9 | 196 | 214 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 9 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 18 | 94 | 94 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 14 | 144 | 431 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swainson's Hawk | 5 | 22 | 22 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 8 | 48 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 9 | 35 |
American Kestrel | 18 | 275 | 335 |
Merlin | 2 | 11 | 21 |
Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 12 | 17 |
Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 2 | 8 | 11 |
Unknown Buteo | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Total: | 108 | 1245 | 1776 |
Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
Total observation time: | 8 hours |
Official Counter | Emma Riley |
Observers: | Aarohi Barman, Angela Trinka, Carol Cwiklinski, Shelley Conger, Steve Small, Wes Donnell |
Visitors:Thank you to everyone who helped spot tricky birds today, we couldn’t
have done it without you! We saw 35 visitors at the ridge today including a
few couples who stopped by more than once with questions and one couple who
birded with us for a moment and said they plan to return.
Weather:We had a warm and sunny day on the ridge today with clouds moving in later
in the afternoon providing some nice relief from the heat. Winds were calm
to almost still at some point today from the NE. Haze was present all day.
Raptor Observations:We had another great day of migration with a nice BW, RT, OS, and overall
count. RT continue to be predominantly adults so we are hopeful we’ll
continue to see both adult and immature birds. Migrants were out over the
western ridge for much of the day, shifting more overhead in the afternoon
but still moving high. Non-migrant raptors seen today include BE, SW, GE,
RT, and TV.
Non-raptor Observations:We saw more AMWP and DCCO today scattered around us throughout the day.
BTHU, DOWO, and BUSH were seen today along with our regular spring
passerines. TOSO seem to be less present since the fire.
Predictions:Tomorrow should be slightly cooler with winds from the east and strong sun
again in the morning and some potential cloud cover in the afternoon.
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)