Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (13 Apr 2026) 9 Raptors
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Apr 13, 2026, 11:31:49 PM (12 hours ago) Apr 13
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Visitors:
We had two visitors stop by the ridge including Linda from the Birds of Prey Foundation. Thank you to Clay Gibson, Mike Serruto, and Amy Walsh for your help looking for migrants today!
Weather:
It was a sunny and warm morning with partial cloud cover that seemed to be avoiding the ridge. Winds were out of the W across the metro area and the state except for our little pocket of land that had E winds almost all day. Heavier cloud cover came in the afternoon bringing cooler temperatures. Wind speeds got up to a bft of 4.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was extremely stunted today with the W winds across the state and S of us. The few migrants we had came along the ridge and W of us relatively low. We got great looks at the American Kestrels that came by late in the day. Local Red-tailed Hawks seemed aggravated with everything today. Up to four at a time could be seen mobbing Ravens, Golden Eagles, and each other. They were mostly active in the morning and late afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 41, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, large gull sp. 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, American White Pelican 2, Say's Phoebe 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, Common Raven 3, Black-capped Chickadee 1, American Bushtit 3, House Finch 3, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions:
We are hoping to get a push of migrants in the morning as rain is possible in the afternoon. Bring a raincoat!
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 13, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 97 | 124 |
| Osprey | 0 | 16 | 22 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 13 | 25 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 55 | 76 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 3 | 97 | 149 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 124 | 372 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| American Kestrel | 3 | 195 | 334 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 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: | 9 | 622 | 1175 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Emma Riley |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
We had two visitors stop by the ridge including Linda from the Birds of Prey Foundation. Thank you to Clay Gibson, Mike Serruto, and Amy Walsh for your help looking for migrants today!
Weather:
It was a sunny and warm morning with partial cloud cover that seemed to be avoiding the ridge. Winds were out of the W across the metro area and the state except for our little pocket of land that had E winds almost all day. Heavier cloud cover came in the afternoon bringing cooler temperatures. Wind speeds got up to a bft of 4.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was extremely stunted today with the W winds across the state and S of us. The few migrants we had came along the ridge and W of us relatively low. We got great looks at the American Kestrels that came by late in the day. Local Red-tailed Hawks seemed aggravated with everything today. Up to four at a time could be seen mobbing Ravens, Golden Eagles, and each other. They were mostly active in the morning and late afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 41, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, large gull sp. 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, American White Pelican 2, Say's Phoebe 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, Common Raven 3, Black-capped Chickadee 1, American Bushtit 3, House Finch 3, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions:
We are hoping to get a push of migrants in the morning as rain is possible in the afternoon. Bring a raincoat!
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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