Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (18 Mar 2020) 15 Raptors
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Mar 18, 2020, 9:47:00 PM3/18/20
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Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA
Visitors:
Many, many people were on the Dinosaur Ridge, Matthews-Winters, and Green Mountain Trails. It was a near unending stream of visitors stopping by for the view, but there were rarely more than five people together on the platform at any time. A dad and his young son got to see a juvenile Bald Eagle migrant. A mom and her two kids were treated to a fairly close look at an adult Turkey Vulture; they were interested to learn what a raptor was and what some different raptors eat. Later in the afternoon, an older gentleman was pleased to learn about the HawkWatch and shared that he likes Kestrels.
Weather:
The day started off with blue skies and very little cloud-cover, with winds from the southeast and east at bft 2-3. Near 11:00am MST, cloud-cover relatively quickly increased to 60-percent, eventually reaching 90-percent by the end of the watch, with a mix of chunky cumulus and thinner cloud sheets. Winds became extremely variable in direction and force after noon MST, slacking off then gusting strongly to bft 3-4, with the stronger winds coming from the southwest and west. Temperatures were fairly steady, ranging from 15 to 16C. Feeling warm or chilly depended mostly on the changing winds and shifting clouds. Visibility was good.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the migrants passed by close to the 10-11am hour (MST). A highlight was a juvenile Bald Eagle that cruised, easily visible, over the HawkWatch platform. Soon after that, the nice cloud-filled skies did not reveal any migrants for about two hours. In the last hour of the watch, when the variable winds occasionally held steady for more than a few moments, one Red-tailed Hawk migrant coming up the Ridge was seen to turn to face into the strong southwest winds, which it then used to lift itself very high; drifting to the northeast somewhat, this Red-tail circled up even higher and then shot north. This migration technique was new to this hawkwatcher. An adult Turkey Vulture came north a few times near the platform, as if to say hello. (First TUVU of the season for me and Carol.) Finally, it landed on one of the power-poles just north of the platform. Perched there, it preened for about 20 minutes. Lovely! A local Red-tailed Hawk pair were seen fairly regularly, sometimes hunting in Rooney Valley; the male of the pair was seen chasing a migrant Red-tail in the morning. A local Golden Eagle also came south to circle high over the north end of Rooney Valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
A few Mountain Bluebirds migrated north along the Ridge; one was seen flying partially sideways against the wind in the afternoon. A Common Raven accomplished an impressive, complete backflip maneuver over Rooney Valley. Also seen or heard today were Townsend's Solitaire, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Bushtit, and Mountain Chickadee. About fifteen Elk were spotted near Bare Slope.
Predictions:
A winter storm is predicted to move into the area tomorrow morning with high winds and several inches of snow.
Report submitted by Matthew Smith (matt....@birdconservancy.org)
Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.org/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may
be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged
Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see
resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to
migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and
Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern
Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes
Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White
Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome.
The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from Bird Conservancy of the
Rockies from about 9 AM to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th.
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 small signs from the south
side of lot to hawkwatch 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, head through the gate, and walk to
the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge.
Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 18, 2020 | |||
| 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 | 10 | 10 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 10 | 54 | 54 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 15 | 80 | 80 |
| Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Carol Cwiklinski, Joyce Commercon |
| Observers: | Carol Cwiklinski, Joyce Commercon |
Visitors:
Many, many people were on the Dinosaur Ridge, Matthews-Winters, and Green Mountain Trails. It was a near unending stream of visitors stopping by for the view, but there were rarely more than five people together on the platform at any time. A dad and his young son got to see a juvenile Bald Eagle migrant. A mom and her two kids were treated to a fairly close look at an adult Turkey Vulture; they were interested to learn what a raptor was and what some different raptors eat. Later in the afternoon, an older gentleman was pleased to learn about the HawkWatch and shared that he likes Kestrels.
Weather:
The day started off with blue skies and very little cloud-cover, with winds from the southeast and east at bft 2-3. Near 11:00am MST, cloud-cover relatively quickly increased to 60-percent, eventually reaching 90-percent by the end of the watch, with a mix of chunky cumulus and thinner cloud sheets. Winds became extremely variable in direction and force after noon MST, slacking off then gusting strongly to bft 3-4, with the stronger winds coming from the southwest and west. Temperatures were fairly steady, ranging from 15 to 16C. Feeling warm or chilly depended mostly on the changing winds and shifting clouds. Visibility was good.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the migrants passed by close to the 10-11am hour (MST). A highlight was a juvenile Bald Eagle that cruised, easily visible, over the HawkWatch platform. Soon after that, the nice cloud-filled skies did not reveal any migrants for about two hours. In the last hour of the watch, when the variable winds occasionally held steady for more than a few moments, one Red-tailed Hawk migrant coming up the Ridge was seen to turn to face into the strong southwest winds, which it then used to lift itself very high; drifting to the northeast somewhat, this Red-tail circled up even higher and then shot north. This migration technique was new to this hawkwatcher. An adult Turkey Vulture came north a few times near the platform, as if to say hello. (First TUVU of the season for me and Carol.) Finally, it landed on one of the power-poles just north of the platform. Perched there, it preened for about 20 minutes. Lovely! A local Red-tailed Hawk pair were seen fairly regularly, sometimes hunting in Rooney Valley; the male of the pair was seen chasing a migrant Red-tail in the morning. A local Golden Eagle also came south to circle high over the north end of Rooney Valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
A few Mountain Bluebirds migrated north along the Ridge; one was seen flying partially sideways against the wind in the afternoon. A Common Raven accomplished an impressive, complete backflip maneuver over Rooney Valley. Also seen or heard today were Townsend's Solitaire, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Bushtit, and Mountain Chickadee. About fifteen Elk were spotted near Bare Slope.
Predictions:
A winter storm is predicted to move into the area tomorrow morning with high winds and several inches of snow.
Report submitted by Matthew Smith (matt....@birdconservancy.org)
Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies information may be found at: http://www.birdconservancy.org/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may
be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged
Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see
resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to
migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and
Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern
Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes
Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White
Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome.
The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from Bird Conservancy of the
Rockies from about 9 AM to around 3 PM from March 1st to May 7th.
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 small signs from the south
side of lot to hawkwatch 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, head through the gate, and walk to
the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge.
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