Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Joey Kellner, Laura Farnsworth, Mike Ames, Tim Condon
Visitors:
Thank you to everyone who came out today to help spot raptors! We had a
great group on the ridge for most of the morning, including Dinosaur Ridge
legend Joey Kellner.
We had a total of 55 visitors on the ridge today, with many folks stopping
to ask questions and fill out our visitor log! By far the best visit we had
today was a woman named Margo from Boulder who hiked her harp up to the
site and played for us for 20-30 minutes. She said she enjoys taking her
harp to various public sites to play for folks. We enjoyed every second of
it!
Weather:
We had a beautiful bluebird day today with very minimal cloud cover. Winds
varied in direction all day, creating less than ideal migratory conditions.
Winds settled from the W in the later part of the day. We are very used to
slow counts during west winds, and today was no exception.
Raptor Observations:
Migratory behavior today was minimal with our first migrants being counted
in the 12 MST hour. Most of our migrants took a path close to the Dakota
Ridge, with one immature RT flying below/at eye level on the western side.
Local RT activity kept us all busy today as we watched them gain elevation
and then not fly North. Again, 6 RT could be seen all at once today. One
very stunning dark-morph bird was seen flying directly south in the first
half of the day. Other local birds seen today include multiple GE flying N
of the site, BE over Mt Morrison and Green Mtn, a female AK that landed
below the ridge on the eastern side, and a CH that gained elevation but did
not move N.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine's seen today: Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 2, American Crow 1, Common
Raven 8, American Bushtit 2, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Mountain Bluebird
13, Dark-eyed Junco 2
MOBL are moving N in small flocks throughout the day.
6 Mule Deer were seen on the western slope of the Dakota Ridge on our hike
out.
Predictions:
Winds are predicted to again vary throughout the day with some western
component. This could lead to another low count day, but it is going to at
least be a beautiful & sunny day.
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Report submitted by Official Counter (<j.f.peters58...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
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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