Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (04 Apr 2018) 21 Raptors
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Apr 5, 2018, 12:36:24 AM4/5/18
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Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado, USA
Visitors:
There were a number of hikers and many bikers on the trail. One young woman hiker, who came for the view twice (on her trip out and back), asked if I was watching for something, so I was able to talk to her briefly about raptor migration. The only other visitors were a group of rather young teens that came up to sit and enjoy the view for a while.
Weather:
It was another pleasant, partly-sunny day on the ridge. Cloud-cover increased from 50 to 70 percent, with mostly translucent, sheet-like clouds thickening as the afternoon progressed. Winds were initially mild (bft 2) and from the east but shifted for a couple of hours to a blustery bft 3-4 wind from the northwest. Winds then returned to come from the east at bft 3-4, calming to mild by mid-afternoon. Temperatures rose slightly from 12 C to 14 C. Visibility was good, with the usual haze at far distance in the valleys.
Raptor Observations:
A few quick scans high in the sky, at the start of the watch, revealed where the activity was going to be today. Nearly all the migrants were spotted at height-of-flight 4 (beyond the unaided eye, but visible with 10X binoculars) by methodically scanning the sky with binocs. (The first few and the last few migrants were high as well but were still visible to the unaided eye.) Luckily, the variable cloud-cover made scanning at a controlled speed possible, so many raptors were able to be detected, although it is likely that some migrants were missed. The hours before noon MST saw the most migrants with a fairly steady stream of raptors (about 6 per hour). Many passed overtop the Ridge, or not far to the east or west of the Ridge. Notable among the migrants was an Osprey, unique in shape and flight even when distant. There were also a fair number of accipiters, some of which remained unidentified, but there were some good views of Cooper’s Hawks. In the afternoon, a Prairie Falcon moved north, high, over the western valley and continued well past I70; suspected at first to be a local, it was not seen to deviate from its northward path nor was it seen to return. An immature Bald Eagle (likely a third-year) was also seen moving northward over the western valley. As usual, there were local Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks out and about today as well, but they didn’t seem to go as high as the migrants. The local Rooney Valley Red-tailed Hawks hung out and hunted together, and eventually perched side by side on the phone pole in the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
Also seen or heard were Townsend's Solitaire, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay.
Predictions:
There could be a push a migrants ahead of Friday's not-so-great weather...
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: Apr 04, 2018 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 7 | 9 | 177 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total: | 21 | 31 | 255 |
| Observation start time: | 09:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Joyce Commercon |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
There were a number of hikers and many bikers on the trail. One young woman hiker, who came for the view twice (on her trip out and back), asked if I was watching for something, so I was able to talk to her briefly about raptor migration. The only other visitors were a group of rather young teens that came up to sit and enjoy the view for a while.
Weather:
It was another pleasant, partly-sunny day on the ridge. Cloud-cover increased from 50 to 70 percent, with mostly translucent, sheet-like clouds thickening as the afternoon progressed. Winds were initially mild (bft 2) and from the east but shifted for a couple of hours to a blustery bft 3-4 wind from the northwest. Winds then returned to come from the east at bft 3-4, calming to mild by mid-afternoon. Temperatures rose slightly from 12 C to 14 C. Visibility was good, with the usual haze at far distance in the valleys.
Raptor Observations:
A few quick scans high in the sky, at the start of the watch, revealed where the activity was going to be today. Nearly all the migrants were spotted at height-of-flight 4 (beyond the unaided eye, but visible with 10X binoculars) by methodically scanning the sky with binocs. (The first few and the last few migrants were high as well but were still visible to the unaided eye.) Luckily, the variable cloud-cover made scanning at a controlled speed possible, so many raptors were able to be detected, although it is likely that some migrants were missed. The hours before noon MST saw the most migrants with a fairly steady stream of raptors (about 6 per hour). Many passed overtop the Ridge, or not far to the east or west of the Ridge. Notable among the migrants was an Osprey, unique in shape and flight even when distant. There were also a fair number of accipiters, some of which remained unidentified, but there were some good views of Cooper’s Hawks. In the afternoon, a Prairie Falcon moved north, high, over the western valley and continued well past I70; suspected at first to be a local, it was not seen to deviate from its northward path nor was it seen to return. An immature Bald Eagle (likely a third-year) was also seen moving northward over the western valley. As usual, there were local Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks out and about today as well, but they didn’t seem to go as high as the migrants. The local Rooney Valley Red-tailed Hawks hung out and hunted together, and eventually perched side by side on the phone pole in the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
Also seen or heard were Townsend's Solitaire, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay.
Predictions:
There could be a push a migrants ahead of Friday's not-so-great weather...
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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