Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (10 Mar 2026) 5 Raptors
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Mar 10, 2026, 10:52:04 PM (2 days ago) Mar 10
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Golden, Colorado, USA
Visitors:
We had a few more visitors today than yesterday with a handful of them stopping to ask questions and talk migration for 10+ minutes. We were able to use our brand new education materials (yahoo!) to help them understand raptor migration a bit better. Thanks to Barbara Retzlaff and Chip Dawes for their help and company on the ridge today.
Weather:
The pleasant spring days continue with partly cloudy conditions and warm temperatures all day. Winds were light in the morning from the E and shifted W/NW in the afternoon getting up to moderate speeds by the end of the day. A noticeable haze settled into the area by the end of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Today was a very nice day with local and migrant birds coming right overhead. The morning started out a bit slow but birds picked up a bit eventually. We had our first Sharp-shinned Hawk of the year shoot directly across the ridge at eye level, as well as an eye level Cooper's hawk just E of the ridge. Red-tailed Hawks continue to slowly move through the site. The local Red-tailed Hawk pair could be seen for most of the day, especially in the high winds when they could be seen kiting along the ridge. Local Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and Cooper's Hawks were also seen. One adult Golden Eagle came directly overhead in the afternoon. The Cooper's Hawks could be seen performing their aerial flights in which they look owl-like. We had another nice group of Sandhill Cranes come high but overhead in the late afternoon, their preferred time at this site. A surprise Steller's Jay was heard calling in the afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose 25, Sandhill Crane 7, Northern Flicker 1, Steller's Jay 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Crow 5, Common Raven 5, Black-capped Chickadee 1, American Bushtit 4, Mountain Bluebird 3, Townsend's Solitaire 1, American Robin 1, House Finch 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Spotted Towhee 2
Predictions:
Temperatures drop a bit tomorrow and so does cloud cover. Winds should be light and from the E/SE, hopefully bringing a few more migrants.
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: Mar 10, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 17 | 17 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 5 | 32 | 32 |
| 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 a few more visitors today than yesterday with a handful of them stopping to ask questions and talk migration for 10+ minutes. We were able to use our brand new education materials (yahoo!) to help them understand raptor migration a bit better. Thanks to Barbara Retzlaff and Chip Dawes for their help and company on the ridge today.
Weather:
The pleasant spring days continue with partly cloudy conditions and warm temperatures all day. Winds were light in the morning from the E and shifted W/NW in the afternoon getting up to moderate speeds by the end of the day. A noticeable haze settled into the area by the end of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Today was a very nice day with local and migrant birds coming right overhead. The morning started out a bit slow but birds picked up a bit eventually. We had our first Sharp-shinned Hawk of the year shoot directly across the ridge at eye level, as well as an eye level Cooper's hawk just E of the ridge. Red-tailed Hawks continue to slowly move through the site. The local Red-tailed Hawk pair could be seen for most of the day, especially in the high winds when they could be seen kiting along the ridge. Local Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and Cooper's Hawks were also seen. One adult Golden Eagle came directly overhead in the afternoon. The Cooper's Hawks could be seen performing their aerial flights in which they look owl-like. We had another nice group of Sandhill Cranes come high but overhead in the late afternoon, their preferred time at this site. A surprise Steller's Jay was heard calling in the afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose 25, Sandhill Crane 7, Northern Flicker 1, Steller's Jay 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Crow 5, Common Raven 5, Black-capped Chickadee 1, American Bushtit 4, Mountain Bluebird 3, Townsend's Solitaire 1, American Robin 1, House Finch 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Spotted Towhee 2
Predictions:
Temperatures drop a bit tomorrow and so does cloud cover. Winds should be light and from the E/SE, hopefully bringing a few more migrants.
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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