Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Amanda Baker, Clay Gibson, Dori Edwards, Ellie Meng,
Mike Serruto, Ric Olson
Visitors:
Thank you to Clay Gibson, Amanda Baker, Ellie Meng, Dori Edwards, Ric
Olson, and Michael Serruto for your help and company today on the ridge! As
always it is a pleasure getting to experience the migration with you.
Weather:
Today was warmer than yesterday with almost constant cloud cover. A haze
settled into the area in the afternoon making some birds hard to spot until
they were close. Winds were from the NE for much of the day, shifting to a
more West wind in the late afternoon. The count was ended 30 minutes early
due to high winds.
Raptor Observations:
The morning started off a touch slow but once it picked up migration was
constant for a few hours. We had another eye level Osprey come on the East
side of the ridge this morning, along with a few low Sharp-shinned and
Coopers Hawks. SS and CH continue to come in great numbers. We had another
stellar American Kestrel flight for a day in March, leaving us with 102 AK
counted in March. Turkey Vultures continue to come, earlier than usual.
This leaves us with the highest March count for TV ever at this site, and
4th highest March count for AK at this site! This March was our second
highest count overall since 2006.
Local raptor activity was high in the morning through mid-afternoon, with
many RT escorting migrant birds. The local PG (2) from Red Rocks were seen
harassing an adult BE above Mt. Morrison. The highlight of the day was the
FOY Swainson's Hawk (!!!!) that unfortunately could not be counted as it
was spotted overhead and moved South. Other local raptors seen today
include one GE, a male AK on the power lines west of us, and TV (at least
2) that perched on a rock along Dakota Ridge and watched cars pass by.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity was high in the morning but significantly declined by
the end of the day. SPTO were heard singing all day on either side of the
ridge. WEME continue to also be heard throughout the day. 10 WTSW were seen
in the afternoon.
The lack of Townsend's Solitaires is getting more obvious by the day, as we
typically see at least one every day by this time of year.
4 Elk were seen just below the ridge on the E side. 9 Mule Deer were seen
on the hike out.
White-throated Swift 10, Black-billed Magpie 2, Common Raven 2, Western
Bluebird 9, Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks like another cold and potentially wet spring day at Dinosaur
Ridge, so bring your rain coats and a pair of gloves! We may have some
strong gusts of wind but we are hopeful it won't be too bad.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
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)
--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to <cobirds...>
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate.
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ ---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+<unsubscribe...>
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/<01010195ef25acfb-18e25d42-f85a-41a5-97ad-39e4c85670c2-000000...>
