Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (25 Apr 2025) 2 Raptors
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Apr 26, 2025, 11:08:41 AM4/26/25
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Visitors:
Thank you to all of our volunteers for your flexibility with the count cancellations.We look forward to see you all again under better raptor spotting conditions. There was 1 gentleman and his dog I chatted to about the Hawkwatch on the way up. Can't make it out to the ridge and still want to follow along? Check out our Trektellen page and follow along with live updates at https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/4515/20250301 .
Weather:
The ridge was completely socked in with fog throughout the day, so the count was canceled. A constant drizzle was also present in the morning. Foggy conditions worsened in the afternoon, completely engulfing the valley by Mathew’s Winters.
Raptor Observations:
The count was called for the day due to extreme low visibility. Around 12:30 MST I came up to see if there was a gap in the fog at the top of the ridge, there was not. Viability only reached the dead trees just south of the platform along the trail. The 2 migrating kestrels were seen on the hike up just before the fog intensified. Most birds were seen on the hike up, others heard or seen moving through the fog from the Hawkwatch platform. Interestingly, the fog spurred somewhat of a shorebird movement. A LONG-BILLED CURLEW made an appearance, moving just slightly below the fog at the start of the W slope, just above Mathew’s Winters. Such a distinctive bird, so insanely cool and unexpected to have from the Hawkwatch!! The other shorebird of note was a Killdeer calling away through the fog moving N bound, also out to the W of the platform. Overall the lack of visibility was too intense and there was no hope for spotting raptors, the conditions worsened once I began my decent.
Non-raptor Observations:
Killdeer 1, Long-billed Curlew 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Robin 3, House Finch 7, Chipping Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1, Song Sparrow 1, Spotted Towhee 3
Predictions:
Tomorrow conditions are expected to improve drastically from today. Expect muddy trails and fog in the morning, but the fog is predicted to clear out by late morning. Mixed cloud cover and sunshine for the rest of the day with temps reaching 20C. Winds up to 10mph out of the east.
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]
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, American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. 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 25, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 291 | 332 |
| Osprey | 0 | 66 | 70 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 14 | 41 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 46 | 54 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 240 | 268 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 212 | 261 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 187 | 187 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 181 | 446 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 14 | 29 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 5 | 24 |
| American Kestrel | 2 | 790 | 892 |
| Merlin | 0 | 11 | 16 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 11 | 14 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Total: | 2 | 2111 | 2684 |
| Observation start time: | 12:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 1.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Audrey Anderson |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Thank you to all of our volunteers for your flexibility with the count cancellations.We look forward to see you all again under better raptor spotting conditions. There was 1 gentleman and his dog I chatted to about the Hawkwatch on the way up. Can't make it out to the ridge and still want to follow along? Check out our Trektellen page and follow along with live updates at https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/4515/20250301 .
Weather:
The ridge was completely socked in with fog throughout the day, so the count was canceled. A constant drizzle was also present in the morning. Foggy conditions worsened in the afternoon, completely engulfing the valley by Mathew’s Winters.
Raptor Observations:
The count was called for the day due to extreme low visibility. Around 12:30 MST I came up to see if there was a gap in the fog at the top of the ridge, there was not. Viability only reached the dead trees just south of the platform along the trail. The 2 migrating kestrels were seen on the hike up just before the fog intensified. Most birds were seen on the hike up, others heard or seen moving through the fog from the Hawkwatch platform. Interestingly, the fog spurred somewhat of a shorebird movement. A LONG-BILLED CURLEW made an appearance, moving just slightly below the fog at the start of the W slope, just above Mathew’s Winters. Such a distinctive bird, so insanely cool and unexpected to have from the Hawkwatch!! The other shorebird of note was a Killdeer calling away through the fog moving N bound, also out to the W of the platform. Overall the lack of visibility was too intense and there was no hope for spotting raptors, the conditions worsened once I began my decent.
Non-raptor Observations:
Killdeer 1, Long-billed Curlew 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Robin 3, House Finch 7, Chipping Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1, Song Sparrow 1, Spotted Towhee 3
Predictions:
Tomorrow conditions are expected to improve drastically from today. Expect muddy trails and fog in the morning, but the fog is predicted to clear out by late morning. Mixed cloud cover and sunshine for the rest of the day with temps reaching 20C. Winds up to 10mph out of the east.
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]
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, American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. 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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