Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (09 Mar 2026) 3 Raptors
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Mar 9, 2026, 10:39:31 PM (9 hours ago) Mar 9
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Visitors:
It was a slow day at the site with 6 visitors stopping by. Thank you to Clay Gibson, Ric Olson, Mike Serruto, and Bill Young for their help on the ridge today.
Weather:
Today was hot with scattered clouds and a nice breeze to cool us off. Winds were from the SE in the morning before switching to the W/NW and picking up a bit in the afternoon. Cloud cover never got very heavy, but still aided in spotting a few birds.
Raptor Observations:
We had another classic early March day with slow migratory activity and high local activity. Migrants were seen in the morning coming nice and low overhead and west of us. The highlight of the day was a low overhead adult Ferruginous Hawk! This bird came so close we could see the adult red feathered tarsi naked eye. We also had a good look at a dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk (calarus) that was moving with a mission along the W ridge. A few local Red-tailed Hawk pairs could be seen scattered across the sky, with the most obvious being the pair that took up the nest just W of the site. One of the two birds was seen with three different prey items today, including a snake! We watched this bird bring the prey to the nest that was used last year. Very exciting to have them back this year. We also saw the local Golden Eagle performing incredible aerial displays, and a nice dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk coming along the ridge before heading SW. Passerine activity was a bit low today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose 12, Northern Flicker 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 5, American Bushtit 4, Mountain Bluebird 4, Townsend's Solitaire 3, American Robin 1, Spotted Towhee 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow's conditions are predicted to be similar to today. High temperatures (high 60s F), scattered clouds, and light winds. Winds are once again expected to shift W in the afternoon, potentially causing migration to slow/halt in the afternoon.
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]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org - [Project Details]
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, and American White Pelican. 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: Mar 09, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 14 | 14 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 3 | 27 | 27 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Emma Riley |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
It was a slow day at the site with 6 visitors stopping by. Thank you to Clay Gibson, Ric Olson, Mike Serruto, and Bill Young for their help on the ridge today.
Weather:
Today was hot with scattered clouds and a nice breeze to cool us off. Winds were from the SE in the morning before switching to the W/NW and picking up a bit in the afternoon. Cloud cover never got very heavy, but still aided in spotting a few birds.
Raptor Observations:
We had another classic early March day with slow migratory activity and high local activity. Migrants were seen in the morning coming nice and low overhead and west of us. The highlight of the day was a low overhead adult Ferruginous Hawk! This bird came so close we could see the adult red feathered tarsi naked eye. We also had a good look at a dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk (calarus) that was moving with a mission along the W ridge. A few local Red-tailed Hawk pairs could be seen scattered across the sky, with the most obvious being the pair that took up the nest just W of the site. One of the two birds was seen with three different prey items today, including a snake! We watched this bird bring the prey to the nest that was used last year. Very exciting to have them back this year. We also saw the local Golden Eagle performing incredible aerial displays, and a nice dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk coming along the ridge before heading SW. Passerine activity was a bit low today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose 12, Northern Flicker 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 5, American Bushtit 4, Mountain Bluebird 4, Townsend's Solitaire 3, American Robin 1, Spotted Towhee 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow's conditions are predicted to be similar to today. High temperatures (high 60s F), scattered clouds, and light winds. Winds are once again expected to shift W in the afternoon, potentially causing migration to slow/halt in the afternoon.
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]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org - [Project Details]
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, and American White Pelican. 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)
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