Colorado, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 08, 2012 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 4 | 16 | 17 |
| Osprey | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 3 | 9 | 17 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 6 | 33 | 184 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 9 | 29 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total: | 17 | 81 | 311 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Joyce Commercon |
| Observers: | Bill Wuerthele, Francis Commercon, Marianne Batchelder |
Visitors:
A number of visitors stopped by, mostly hikers and bikers taking in the view or families having a snack. Several asked what we had seen. One couple stayed a while to talk in the morning and thanked us for doing Hawkwatch and gathering this data.
Weather:
The day was warm and sunny with partial cloud cover strewn across the sky. Visibility was good. Light winds were consistently from the E and SE.
Raptor Observations:
About half of the migrants today were on the West side of the Ridge; the rest were split evenly between those passing on the East side and those coming right over top of us. One migrant Red-tail that passed close and directly over the ridge gave every appearance of being a juvenile, but was seen to have an adult-like red tail as it went away North. A local immature Bald Eagle, with a lot of white on its head and tail as well as a whitish "stripe" down its back, was seen making its way South below and along West Ridge. Two local juvenile Red-tails, with beautiful translucent wing panels, were spotted South on the ridge; one went East while the other went Southeast. Local Turkey Vultures and American Kestrels were also spotted. A male Kestrel kited on the East side of the Ridge, enlivening the afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
A few White-throated Swifts were spotted during the day, and later in the afternoon a flock of about 20 passed over the Ridge. Other birds seen or heard included:Black-billed Magpies, Spotted Towhees, Black-capped Chickadees, Western Meadowlarks, Northern Flicker, Stellar's Jay and Pink-sided Dark-eyed Junco.
Predictions:
It should be a productive day, especially if the wind continues from the East and Southeast.
Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.birek@rmbo.org)
Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/
Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may
be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged
Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see
resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to
migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and
Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern
Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes
Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White
Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome.
The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the
first week of 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 small signs from the south
side of lot to hawkwatch 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, head through the gate, and walk to
the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge.
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