Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (04 Mar 2024) 8 Raptors

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Mar 4, 2024, 10:14:56 PMMar 4
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 04, 2024
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle255
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk000
Cooper's Hawk000
American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk61818
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk000
Golden Eagle000
American Kestrel000
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon000
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:82323


Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official CounterDustin Kohler
Observers: Bill Young, Clay Gibson, Mike Seruto



Visitors:
We had only 9 visitors to the site today, but this is not too surprising for a Monday. I had Bill Young, Clay Gibson, and Mike Seruto join me in making observations on the ridge today.

Weather:
A cold wind most of the day, but the full sunshine allowed it to be a nice day on the ridge.

Raptor Observations:
One of the migratory Bald Eagles flew from West Ridge towards Green Mountain, before landing on a tree on Green Mountain. We then were able to see the eagle make a slip towards the ground after some prey species. Roughly 10 minutes later the same bird went into a soar and went North out of sight. We saw two red-tailed hawks copulating again today, I assume the same pair as yesterday even though it was on the opposite side of the ridge.

Non-raptor Observations:
A couple of Mountain Bluebirds were seen early in the morning, and a Woodhouse Scrub Jay stayed with us most of the afternoon.

Predictions:
I will not be on the ridge tomorrow, but fear not, Ajit will be there, happy to talk about and find our awesome raptors. As for weather, the forecast appears to be similar to today except a little more overcast. Moderate temperatures with a windchill, so I'd recommend bundling up and seeing Ajit on the ridge.


Report submitted by Janet Peters (j.f.pe...@gmail.com)
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. American 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 10th,
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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