Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the RockiesColorado, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2018 |
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 | 1 | 1 |
Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 11 | 106 | 106 |
Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Golden Eagle | 0 | 6 | 6 |
American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Unknown Buteo | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total: | 12 | 125 | 125 |
Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
Observation end time: | 13:45:00 |
Total observation time: | 5.75 hours |
Official Counter | Roger Rouch |
Observers: | Heidi Hayes, Joel Chapa, Rob Riley |
Visitors:A couple of visitors stopped by briefly to ask what we had been seeing.
Weather:A pleasant early spring day with temperatures rising from the mid-50's to
the low 60's and a light wind around 2 Bft mostly from the SE. Clear
early, gradually becoming mostly cloudy. Patches of snow linger on the
neighboring ridges.
Raptor Observations:Much of the migration was in the mid and late morning along an unusual path
from south of Green Mountain and then somewhat high along Rooney Valley or
over Green Mountain. In the afternoon a few more migrating Red-tailed
Hawks were sighted over the west ridge lines. Local red-tail activity
seemed relatively light and included a pair perched and hunting from two
power line poles east of the ridge. A local Golden Eagle drifted east over
green mountain early. Also, local Kestrel(s) and a Cooper's Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:Also seen or heard were Townsend's Solitaire, Woodhouse's Scrubjay,
chickadee, Common Raven, and Black-billed Magpie. About seven American
Crow circled south of Mt. Morrison for some time. In the first few minutes
of the watch a Canyon Wren was singing on the east side of the ridge (which
is a good way to start a day). A bunch of maybe 10 fast flying song birds
went from south to north over the ridge and were quite likely Mountain
Bluebirds but not positively identified.
Predictions:With no big weather change in the works, tomorrow could be similar to other
days this week.
Report submitted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (
jeff....@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 DescriptionDinosaur 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.