Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (05 Sep 2025) 5 Raptors
24 views
Skip to first unread message
rep...@hawkcount.org
Sep 5, 2025, 7:51:35 PMSep 5
to cob...@googlegroups.com
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Weather:
There was a fine drizzle most of the way driving to the watch. Cooler after a cold front went through with a high only of 69 F, winds from the E>NE, predicted cloud cover was 80% dropping to 60% but at the watch it was completely overcast, clear visibility only to 4 km (Mount Morrison) and eventually dropping to only 1 km, caused by wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia being pushed over Denver by the cold front. When I saw the prediction of heavy cloud cover with predominantly SW winds aloft, I thought that if I find even a small number of migrants today with such poor migration conditions, that would strongly suggest that for the past 3 days with a high pressure zone over Denver And predominantly north-based winds, that they were flying much too high to be detected, having detected only 1, 1 and 4 migrants for the past three days respectively. https://tinyurl.com/evhe94zx
Raptor Observations:
Exploratory fall hawk count 2025. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk The first raptor was a migrant Swainson's Hawk a 10:00 AM MDT over the two pines being harassed by a migrant SS. Because of the pines north of the watch and the cedars in the middle of the watch area, it has always necessitated a counter to walk across from the west where most of the raptors migrate to the east to be able to see well, so I was pleased with myself for having found a spot to the east, just south of where counters usually sit in spring, where I could see both the West as well as the east missing only the western part of North and South Table Mountains to the east, and the 3 antenna over Lookout Mountain to the west. After a while of not finding anything to the east, I went back to see if I were missing anything over Lookout Mountain, and I immediately saw an SW just north of that mountain and below it, followed by an AK which swerved to the east and then south, followed by another SW! Guess where I sat facing for the rest of the watch?! All migrants flew far to the West. For the last three hours there were no migrants. I stayed to see when the cloud cover decreased whether raptors would migrate, which they did not. I wondered whether it was because of the predicted thunderstorm this afternoon, and if migrant raptors could detect an oncoming storm, I looked it up, and found that they have baroreceptors in their inner ear called the paratympanic organ, in addition they are able to detect infrasound which is extremely low frequently sound waves which can travel for hundreds of miles from a storm. Non-migrant raptors: RT 6.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Rock Wren came within 10 feet of me. Common Raven 1. 1 Monarch butterfly 1. 3 paragliders who were having trouble getting much lift, staying low in the valley next to Lookout Mountain for a very long time, eventually only one of them flew moderately high.
Predictions:
A little warmer than today only a little cloud cover which is predicted to increase, with winds starting from the SE>E>NE.
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (dinor...@gmail.com)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.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
Hawk Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
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)
Golden, Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 05, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 3 | 6 | 56 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Short-eared Owl | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 5 | 19 | 107 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Weather:
There was a fine drizzle most of the way driving to the watch. Cooler after a cold front went through with a high only of 69 F, winds from the E>NE, predicted cloud cover was 80% dropping to 60% but at the watch it was completely overcast, clear visibility only to 4 km (Mount Morrison) and eventually dropping to only 1 km, caused by wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia being pushed over Denver by the cold front. When I saw the prediction of heavy cloud cover with predominantly SW winds aloft, I thought that if I find even a small number of migrants today with such poor migration conditions, that would strongly suggest that for the past 3 days with a high pressure zone over Denver And predominantly north-based winds, that they were flying much too high to be detected, having detected only 1, 1 and 4 migrants for the past three days respectively. https://tinyurl.com/evhe94zx
Raptor Observations:
Exploratory fall hawk count 2025. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk The first raptor was a migrant Swainson's Hawk a 10:00 AM MDT over the two pines being harassed by a migrant SS. Because of the pines north of the watch and the cedars in the middle of the watch area, it has always necessitated a counter to walk across from the west where most of the raptors migrate to the east to be able to see well, so I was pleased with myself for having found a spot to the east, just south of where counters usually sit in spring, where I could see both the West as well as the east missing only the western part of North and South Table Mountains to the east, and the 3 antenna over Lookout Mountain to the west. After a while of not finding anything to the east, I went back to see if I were missing anything over Lookout Mountain, and I immediately saw an SW just north of that mountain and below it, followed by an AK which swerved to the east and then south, followed by another SW! Guess where I sat facing for the rest of the watch?! All migrants flew far to the West. For the last three hours there were no migrants. I stayed to see when the cloud cover decreased whether raptors would migrate, which they did not. I wondered whether it was because of the predicted thunderstorm this afternoon, and if migrant raptors could detect an oncoming storm, I looked it up, and found that they have baroreceptors in their inner ear called the paratympanic organ, in addition they are able to detect infrasound which is extremely low frequently sound waves which can travel for hundreds of miles from a storm. Non-migrant raptors: RT 6.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Rock Wren came within 10 feet of me. Common Raven 1. 1 Monarch butterfly 1. 3 paragliders who were having trouble getting much lift, staying low in the valley next to Lookout Mountain for a very long time, eventually only one of them flew moderately high.
Predictions:
A little warmer than today only a little cloud cover which is predicted to increase, with winds starting from the SE>E>NE.
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (dinor...@gmail.com)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.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
Hawk Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
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)
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages