Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (14 Apr 2026) 39 Raptors
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Apr 14, 2026, 11:48:36 PM (14 hours ago) Apr 14
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Visitors:
11 visitors. Some of the Tuesday Birders group joined us at the ridge this morning after their outing at Matthew/Winters Park. It was great to see everyone, and we all enjoyed watching the local pair of Golden Eagles. Thank you to Janet Peters and Chip Dawes for all their help on this windy and rainy day!
Weather:
It was cool and drizzly, with temperatures in the mid 40s to mid 50s F. Skies were overcast for most of the day, with the sun at times making a brief appearance. In the late morning precipitation was visible to the north, west, and south, causing a slight drop in visibility, but drizzle didn't reach the ridge until early afternoon. Winds were generally light and variable in the morning, but moderate from the west in the afternoon, with some calm periods between rain. The heaviest rain was right before the final hour of the count and reduced visibility to 4 km, lasting about 20 minutes. After this cleared, the sun was shining, winds were calm, and a bright rainbow was visible over Green Mountain.
Raptor Observations:
Today we saw the eagerly anticipated arrival of our first Broad-winged Hawk! It was first spotted over Mt. Morrison in the mid-morning, its striking black-and-white banded tail visible against the overcast sky. We hope to see many more in the coming days. Despite the precipitation and winds from the west, we had a good number of birds today, including Northern Harriers, Swainson's Hawks, Osprey, and Red-tailed Hawks. Most birds were low overhead or low on the west or east ridges. Few accipitrines were counted, with one Cooper's Hawk and one Sharp-shinned Hawk. Most Turkey Vultures were local, but a kettle of five formed during a period in between rain, and they streamed north together. A few migrants were seen flying through the winds and light rain, including a Merlin and two female American Kestrels. During the brief period of heavier rain, a close Osprey glided past near eye level, seemingly undeterred. Once the sun returned, we had a good flight of low AKs and one low SW to finish out the day.
Non-raptor Observations:
Wild Turkey 1, White-throated Swift 56, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 3, Mourning Dove 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, American Crow 1, Common Raven 3, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Violet-green Swallow 1, American Robin 1, House Finch 1, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1, Red-winged Blackbird 1
Predictions:
Tomorrow, we expect sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50s to 60s F with moderate NW winds. Despite today's rain, the trails should remain dry.
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (dinor...@gmail.com)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org - [Project Details]
Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk watchers may
see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent site to see rare
dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk, Swainson's hawk, Ferruginous
hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. Other raptors we see include Golden
and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons,
Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey
Vultures. American Goshawk is uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor
species include Rock Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane,
White-throated Swift, and American White Pelican. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk Counter(s)
and volunteers from March through early 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 hawk watch signs from the
southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch 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, and walk to
the flat area at the crest of the ridge. (Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain:
259 feet)
Golden, Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 14, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 5 | 102 | 129 |
| Osprey | 2 | 18 | 24 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 3 | 16 | 28 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 56 | 77 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 98 | 150 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 9 | 133 | 381 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| American Kestrel | 13 | 208 | 347 |
| Merlin | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Total: | 39 | 661 | 1214 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Emma Riley, Soren Zappia, Emma Riley, Soren Zappia , Soren Zappia |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
11 visitors. Some of the Tuesday Birders group joined us at the ridge this morning after their outing at Matthew/Winters Park. It was great to see everyone, and we all enjoyed watching the local pair of Golden Eagles. Thank you to Janet Peters and Chip Dawes for all their help on this windy and rainy day!
Weather:
It was cool and drizzly, with temperatures in the mid 40s to mid 50s F. Skies were overcast for most of the day, with the sun at times making a brief appearance. In the late morning precipitation was visible to the north, west, and south, causing a slight drop in visibility, but drizzle didn't reach the ridge until early afternoon. Winds were generally light and variable in the morning, but moderate from the west in the afternoon, with some calm periods between rain. The heaviest rain was right before the final hour of the count and reduced visibility to 4 km, lasting about 20 minutes. After this cleared, the sun was shining, winds were calm, and a bright rainbow was visible over Green Mountain.
Raptor Observations:
Today we saw the eagerly anticipated arrival of our first Broad-winged Hawk! It was first spotted over Mt. Morrison in the mid-morning, its striking black-and-white banded tail visible against the overcast sky. We hope to see many more in the coming days. Despite the precipitation and winds from the west, we had a good number of birds today, including Northern Harriers, Swainson's Hawks, Osprey, and Red-tailed Hawks. Most birds were low overhead or low on the west or east ridges. Few accipitrines were counted, with one Cooper's Hawk and one Sharp-shinned Hawk. Most Turkey Vultures were local, but a kettle of five formed during a period in between rain, and they streamed north together. A few migrants were seen flying through the winds and light rain, including a Merlin and two female American Kestrels. During the brief period of heavier rain, a close Osprey glided past near eye level, seemingly undeterred. Once the sun returned, we had a good flight of low AKs and one low SW to finish out the day.
Non-raptor Observations:
Wild Turkey 1, White-throated Swift 56, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 3, Mourning Dove 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, American Crow 1, Common Raven 3, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Violet-green Swallow 1, American Robin 1, House Finch 1, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1, Red-winged Blackbird 1
Predictions:
Tomorrow, we expect sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50s to 60s F with moderate NW winds. Despite today's rain, the trails should remain dry.
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (dinor...@gmail.com)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org - [Project Details]
Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk watchers may
see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent site to see rare
dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk, Swainson's hawk, Ferruginous
hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. Other raptors we see include Golden
and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons,
Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey
Vultures. American Goshawk is uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor
species include Rock Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane,
White-throated Swift, and American White Pelican. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk Counter(s)
and volunteers from March through early 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 hawk watch signs from the
southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch 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, and walk to
the flat area at the crest of the ridge. (Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain:
259 feet)
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