Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (13 Mar 2026) 4 Raptors
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Mar 13, 2026, 11:48:39 PM (2 days ago) Mar 13
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Visitors:
6 visitors. A few mountain bikers, runners, and hikers used the ridge as a spot to rest and admire the view. Thank you to Tom Booth for his help at the watch today!
Weather:
The ridge was moderately windy with sustained WNW winds at 4 bft for most of the day, with gusts of 5-6 bft. Skies were near overcast with some broken clouds low on the west. Temperatures were moderate throughout the day. In the mid-afternoon, the wind calmed to near 1 bft for a period of around an hour, before returning to its original strength. The skies became brighter in the afternoon as the sun entered thinner cloud cover.
Raptor Observations:
Overall, the WNW winds appeared to keep migrant activity slow, although the local RTs were out hunting and often kiting into the wind, and a pair of GEs was displaying over mount Morrison. The ratio of activity on the east vs west side was generally higher on the east compared to prior days. Both migrant RTs were seen following Green Mountain before gaining height and gliding north, one in the late morning and the other in the afternoon. In an otherwise quiet hour, a Prairie Falcon barreled past on the west just above eye level, navigating the wind gusts with ease. A few hours later, a Cooper's Hawk took a similar path, but struggled with the wind more than the PR. We also saw two White-throated Swifts, which was an early surprise, and two weeks earlier than our first sighting last year!
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 2, Feral Pigeon 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Crow 11, Common Raven 4, American Bushtit 2, Mountain Bluebird 26, Western Bluebird 13, Townsend's Solitaire 1, American Robin 9, House Finch 2, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1, Spotted Towhee 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow, strong winds are predicted from the W and SW, starting around 10-15 MPH but increasing to 25-35 MPH in afternoon with possible gusts over 40 MPH. Expect partly cloudy skies with cooler temperatures (50s F) in the morning and warm temperatures in the afternoon. We anticipate a shortened count day due to high wind in the afternoon. Bring layers, stay hydrated, and avoid the ridge if wind speeds become hazardous. Trails should remain dry.
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 13, 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 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 29 | 29 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 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: | 4 | 50 | 50 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Soren Zappia |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
6 visitors. A few mountain bikers, runners, and hikers used the ridge as a spot to rest and admire the view. Thank you to Tom Booth for his help at the watch today!
Weather:
The ridge was moderately windy with sustained WNW winds at 4 bft for most of the day, with gusts of 5-6 bft. Skies were near overcast with some broken clouds low on the west. Temperatures were moderate throughout the day. In the mid-afternoon, the wind calmed to near 1 bft for a period of around an hour, before returning to its original strength. The skies became brighter in the afternoon as the sun entered thinner cloud cover.
Raptor Observations:
Overall, the WNW winds appeared to keep migrant activity slow, although the local RTs were out hunting and often kiting into the wind, and a pair of GEs was displaying over mount Morrison. The ratio of activity on the east vs west side was generally higher on the east compared to prior days. Both migrant RTs were seen following Green Mountain before gaining height and gliding north, one in the late morning and the other in the afternoon. In an otherwise quiet hour, a Prairie Falcon barreled past on the west just above eye level, navigating the wind gusts with ease. A few hours later, a Cooper's Hawk took a similar path, but struggled with the wind more than the PR. We also saw two White-throated Swifts, which was an early surprise, and two weeks earlier than our first sighting last year!
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 2, Feral Pigeon 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Crow 11, Common Raven 4, American Bushtit 2, Mountain Bluebird 26, Western Bluebird 13, Townsend's Solitaire 1, American Robin 9, House Finch 2, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1, Spotted Towhee 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow, strong winds are predicted from the W and SW, starting around 10-15 MPH but increasing to 25-35 MPH in afternoon with possible gusts over 40 MPH. Expect partly cloudy skies with cooler temperatures (50s F) in the morning and warm temperatures in the afternoon. We anticipate a shortened count day due to high wind in the afternoon. Bring layers, stay hydrated, and avoid the ridge if wind speeds become hazardous. Trails should remain dry.
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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