Dinosaur Ridge (04 May 2015) 17 Raptors
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rep...@hawkcount.org
May 5, 2015, 9:14:47 AM5/5/15
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Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA
Visitors:
There were a handful of hikers and runners on the muddy trail today. Only one young woman visited the HawkWatch site, in the morning; she commented without irony that it was a beautiful day, which it was--in its calm gray-white solitude.
Weather:
There was no precipitation after a light drizzle finished its run at the start of the watch. Although small breaks in the clouds occurred twice, briefly allowing a glimpse of sun and blue sky, it was a day of 100 percent cloud cover with a very low cloud ceiling. The ridge line south of Mount Morrison was obscured during the entire watch. Mount Morrison, WestRidge and Green Mountain tops were hidden or very hazy at all times. Clouds and haze appeared darker and heavier to the north and west in the morning, but in the afternoon this heaviness shifted to the southwest. Visibility was reduced to 5-6 kilometers in the valleys. The HawkWatch site itself became enveloped from the northeast for nearly a half hour in the morning, reducing visibility during that time to about 1 km. The temperature did not vary much, ranging from 11 to 13 C (52 to 55 F). The winds were primarily from the north and northeast, increasing slightly from calm bft level 1 to breezy bft level 2 as the watch progressed.
Raptor Observations:
After a discouraging beginning, with only local raptors making a few appearances in the surrounding white mist, a veritable northward torrent began; all seventeen migrants passed within the two hours between 11:30 and 13:30 MST. All were initially spotted with the naked-eye, with most at nearly eye-level (above or below) and fairly close to the Ridge. A Broad-winged Hawk was observed heading south low and slow in Rooney Valley in the morning, but within about 20 minutes another light-morph Broad-winged Hawk, perhaps the same, proceeded north. Two more Broad-winged Hawks went north, 10 minutes apart, about an hour later. A number of Peregrine Falcons passed close to the Ridge, one with a full crop. Four appeared to continue steady north; none were seen heading back south. Two interesting juvenile Red-tailed Hawks went north over Rooney Valley; the first had warm brown upper-parts with heavy white back-pack straps as well as very whitish but black-tipped hands; the second, looking a bit tattered, had darker brown upper-parts with reddish straps. The usual local Red-tailed Hawks were not observed at all today. A local male American Kestrel was seen to head north on the west side of the Ridge but was seen returning south on the east side not long afterwards. In the morning, eight apparently local Turkey Vultures came north, in twos and threes, near the Ridge. They congregated to the west, circling together over I70 briefly in the gloom before heading south again.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Common Raven, one of a pair being harassed by Black-billed Magpies near the HawkWatch site, was seen heading north carrying a small, dead rodent in its beak. Also seen or heard were Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's), Spotted Towhee, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Western Meadowlark, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brewer's Blackbird, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Western Scrub-Jay, Rock Pigeon, Say's Phoebe.
Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff....@rmbo.org)
Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/
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 the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the
first week of 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 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: May 04, 2015 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 3 | 5 | 88 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 9 | 48 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 8 | 68 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 3 | 4 | 15 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 5 | 139 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 103 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 26 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Total: | 17 | 39 | 560 |
| Observation start time: | 09:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Joyce Commercon |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
There were a handful of hikers and runners on the muddy trail today. Only one young woman visited the HawkWatch site, in the morning; she commented without irony that it was a beautiful day, which it was--in its calm gray-white solitude.
Weather:
There was no precipitation after a light drizzle finished its run at the start of the watch. Although small breaks in the clouds occurred twice, briefly allowing a glimpse of sun and blue sky, it was a day of 100 percent cloud cover with a very low cloud ceiling. The ridge line south of Mount Morrison was obscured during the entire watch. Mount Morrison, WestRidge and Green Mountain tops were hidden or very hazy at all times. Clouds and haze appeared darker and heavier to the north and west in the morning, but in the afternoon this heaviness shifted to the southwest. Visibility was reduced to 5-6 kilometers in the valleys. The HawkWatch site itself became enveloped from the northeast for nearly a half hour in the morning, reducing visibility during that time to about 1 km. The temperature did not vary much, ranging from 11 to 13 C (52 to 55 F). The winds were primarily from the north and northeast, increasing slightly from calm bft level 1 to breezy bft level 2 as the watch progressed.
Raptor Observations:
After a discouraging beginning, with only local raptors making a few appearances in the surrounding white mist, a veritable northward torrent began; all seventeen migrants passed within the two hours between 11:30 and 13:30 MST. All were initially spotted with the naked-eye, with most at nearly eye-level (above or below) and fairly close to the Ridge. A Broad-winged Hawk was observed heading south low and slow in Rooney Valley in the morning, but within about 20 minutes another light-morph Broad-winged Hawk, perhaps the same, proceeded north. Two more Broad-winged Hawks went north, 10 minutes apart, about an hour later. A number of Peregrine Falcons passed close to the Ridge, one with a full crop. Four appeared to continue steady north; none were seen heading back south. Two interesting juvenile Red-tailed Hawks went north over Rooney Valley; the first had warm brown upper-parts with heavy white back-pack straps as well as very whitish but black-tipped hands; the second, looking a bit tattered, had darker brown upper-parts with reddish straps. The usual local Red-tailed Hawks were not observed at all today. A local male American Kestrel was seen to head north on the west side of the Ridge but was seen returning south on the east side not long afterwards. In the morning, eight apparently local Turkey Vultures came north, in twos and threes, near the Ridge. They congregated to the west, circling together over I70 briefly in the gloom before heading south again.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Common Raven, one of a pair being harassed by Black-billed Magpies near the HawkWatch site, was seen heading north carrying a small, dead rodent in its beak. Also seen or heard were Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's), Spotted Towhee, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Western Meadowlark, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brewer's Blackbird, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Western Scrub-Jay, Rock Pigeon, Say's Phoebe.
Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff....@rmbo.org)
Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/
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 the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the
first week of 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 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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