Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (05 May 2022) 108 Raptors
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May 6, 2022, 12:08:34 AM5/6/22
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Visitors:
Huge thanks to everyone that came out to the ridge today, including Nick Komar with Colorado Field Ornithologists, and Karl Brummert with Denver Audubon! These two organizations are supporters of the Hawk Watch and it was great to meet the folks in charge. We had a total of 63 visitors to the ridge today.
Weather:
Cloud cover was sparse but present enough to aid in spotting birds. Winds were under 15 km/h all day, coming from the E in the morning and switching to the W in the afternoon. The sun was out all day and a light haze developed in the late afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
We had a fantastic late season day today! Over 100 migrants on the day with over half being TV. The highlight of the day was a small kettle of three birds just behind us on the ridge- SW, OS, and a dark-morph BW. Another very notable highlight is another record beating day! We have surpassed the SW count for any season at Dinosaur Ridge on HMANA record! Our record setting bird was an immature SW, followed by a few more SW to really solidify it. Local raptor activity was relatively low today, besides picking up in the last hour.
Non-raptor Observations:
American White Pelican and Double-crested Cormorant were fun spots throughout the day. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Rock Wren, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, White-throated Swift, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay were also seen.
Predictions:
Moderate winds starting from the E again and switching to the W later in the day. Cloud cover will be present again, with warmer temperatures than today. The trail should be dried out from yesterday's rain.
Report submitted by DAVID HILL ()
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: http://www.dfobirds.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 of any skill level are always welcome.
HawkWatch at Dinosaur Ridge is generally staffed by volunteers 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
southwest end of lot to the 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.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: May 05, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 52 | 66 | 462 |
| Osprey | 5 | 11 | 56 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 2 | 60 |
| Northern Harrier | 2 | 8 | 38 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 16 | 89 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 12 | 24 | 206 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 6 | 7 | 52 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 12 | 24 | 761 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 7 | 16 | 50 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 63 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 39 |
| American Kestrel | 4 | 11 | 337 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 19 |
| Prairie Falcon | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Total: | 108 | 192 | 2319 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Emma Riley |
| Observers: | Carol Cwiklinski, Dave Erickson, Debbie James , Janet Peters, Karl Brummert , Mariane Erickson, Nick Komar, Shelley Conger |
Visitors:
Huge thanks to everyone that came out to the ridge today, including Nick Komar with Colorado Field Ornithologists, and Karl Brummert with Denver Audubon! These two organizations are supporters of the Hawk Watch and it was great to meet the folks in charge. We had a total of 63 visitors to the ridge today.
Weather:
Cloud cover was sparse but present enough to aid in spotting birds. Winds were under 15 km/h all day, coming from the E in the morning and switching to the W in the afternoon. The sun was out all day and a light haze developed in the late afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
We had a fantastic late season day today! Over 100 migrants on the day with over half being TV. The highlight of the day was a small kettle of three birds just behind us on the ridge- SW, OS, and a dark-morph BW. Another very notable highlight is another record beating day! We have surpassed the SW count for any season at Dinosaur Ridge on HMANA record! Our record setting bird was an immature SW, followed by a few more SW to really solidify it. Local raptor activity was relatively low today, besides picking up in the last hour.
Non-raptor Observations:
American White Pelican and Double-crested Cormorant were fun spots throughout the day. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Rock Wren, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, White-throated Swift, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay were also seen.
Predictions:
Moderate winds starting from the E again and switching to the W later in the day. Cloud cover will be present again, with warmer temperatures than today. The trail should be dried out from yesterday's rain.
Report submitted by DAVID HILL ()
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: http://www.dfobirds.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 of any skill level are always welcome.
HawkWatch at Dinosaur Ridge is generally staffed by volunteers 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
southwest end of lot to the 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.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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