Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (14 May 2023) 4 Raptors
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May 14, 2023, 9:44:37 PM5/14/23
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Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA
Visitors:
We saw 4 visitors at the ridge today including a Jefferson County ranger coming to collect supplies, making the end of the season really sink in. I have been saying this all season but it needs to be said again- thank you to everyone who has made this season run efficiently and brought skill, passion, and great company to the count. We could not do it without the help of our DFO volunteers. We will see you next spring, and happy birding in the meantime!
Weather:
Light rain and low clouds came and went at the ridge for most of the morning until settling in in the early afternoon. Winds were from the NE and never got too strong.
Raptor Observations:
All four of our migrants today came through the clouds or below eye level, but the low visibility made a confident identification challenging on two of those birds. Our final migrant of the season was an immature RT. One local TV was seen today and the local RT weren't seen until we were hiking out. As it is the last day of the season it is time to take a look at our final numbers! Total migrants counted this spring: 2259. Lower than last years count (predominantly due to lower RT numbers this year), but still the second highest season count since 2005. OS season count is equal to the highest count on record from 2002. Highest CH count since 2005. Highest SW count on record, 18 birds higher than last years record breaking season. Highest FH count on record (since 1997- 90s data still being entered) by 1 bird. It is worth noting the odd push of FH at the end of our season this year. Highest AK count since 2005. Highest ML count on record. And the star species of the season- the BW! Our season count was almost 3x last years count, and 1.6x more birds than our highest season on record. These birds showed out this year and we are really looking forward to see what the coming years bring for this species.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerines seemed to have settled into the ridge overnight following a whole bunch of moths! YRWA, CHSP, BHGB, GTTO, SPTO, BRSP, VESP, DEJU, BTHU, ROWR, AMRO, SCJA, BBMA, ROPI, and CORA were all highly active today giving us great looks at many of these birds.
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 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. Northern 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 a
Hawk Counter and volunteers from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM from March 1st to May 14th,
weather permitting.
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)
Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: May 14, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 83 | 435 |
| Osprey | 1 | 13 | 63 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 5 | 55 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 31 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 28 | 102 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 58 | 279 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 45 | 156 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 57 | 496 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 40 | 72 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 12 | 64 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 4 | 40 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 26 | 378 |
| Merlin | 0 | 4 | 26 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 6 | 17 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Total: | 4 | 390 | 2259 |
| Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Emma Riley |
| Observers: | Aarohi Barman |
Visitors:
We saw 4 visitors at the ridge today including a Jefferson County ranger coming to collect supplies, making the end of the season really sink in. I have been saying this all season but it needs to be said again- thank you to everyone who has made this season run efficiently and brought skill, passion, and great company to the count. We could not do it without the help of our DFO volunteers. We will see you next spring, and happy birding in the meantime!
Weather:
Light rain and low clouds came and went at the ridge for most of the morning until settling in in the early afternoon. Winds were from the NE and never got too strong.
Raptor Observations:
All four of our migrants today came through the clouds or below eye level, but the low visibility made a confident identification challenging on two of those birds. Our final migrant of the season was an immature RT. One local TV was seen today and the local RT weren't seen until we were hiking out. As it is the last day of the season it is time to take a look at our final numbers! Total migrants counted this spring: 2259. Lower than last years count (predominantly due to lower RT numbers this year), but still the second highest season count since 2005. OS season count is equal to the highest count on record from 2002. Highest CH count since 2005. Highest SW count on record, 18 birds higher than last years record breaking season. Highest FH count on record (since 1997- 90s data still being entered) by 1 bird. It is worth noting the odd push of FH at the end of our season this year. Highest AK count since 2005. Highest ML count on record. And the star species of the season- the BW! Our season count was almost 3x last years count, and 1.6x more birds than our highest season on record. These birds showed out this year and we are really looking forward to see what the coming years bring for this species.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerines seemed to have settled into the ridge overnight following a whole bunch of moths! YRWA, CHSP, BHGB, GTTO, SPTO, BRSP, VESP, DEJU, BTHU, ROWR, AMRO, SCJA, BBMA, ROPI, and CORA were all highly active today giving us great looks at many of these birds.
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 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. Northern 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 a
Hawk Counter and volunteers from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM from March 1st to May 14th,
weather permitting.
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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