Dinosaur Ridge - Bird Conservancy of the RockiesColorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: May 08, 2020 |
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 33 | 81 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 7 | 49 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 1 | 58 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 96 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 9 | 121 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 1 | 9 | 17 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 57 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total: | 6 | 66 | 556 |
| Observation start time: | 07:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 11:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Carol Cwiklinski |
| Observers: | |
Visitors:Today’s count was conducted from the power line to increase social
distancing. There were small groups, bikes and individuals on the trail. I
had no visitors.
Weather:The day started overcast and cool. Winds were light SE for the count
period. As the day progressed, the sun broke through and the day ended with
20% cloud cover.
Raptor Observations:I was unable to locate a steady stream of raptors today. Birds I did see
were easy to spot against the cloud cover. I ended the count after cloud
cover dissipated.
Non-raptor Observations:
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 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.