Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Amanda Baker, Karrie Lagon , Patricia Galli,
Ryan Gannon, Sage Church
Visitors:
We had a busy morning up at the ridge today with many visitors looking for
Broad-winged Hawks, as well as our second Denver Audubon Homeschool field
trip. We love getting to share migration with you all, and really love to
see young people get excited about birds.
Thank you to today's volunteers for your help spotting migrants!
We saw 38 people at the site today, the vast majority being in the morning.
Weather:
The morning started out with scattered clouds, warm temperatures, and winds
from the SE. Winds began shifting in the late morning, moving from SE to NW
and in between. By the late afternoon we saw stronger winds and
precipitation almost 360 degrees around us, and felt drizzle in the last
hour.
Raptor Observations:
Migration started slow today but picked up by the late morning. Birds were
overhead and west of us, most closer than yesterday but generally higher
than yesterday. We had up to 8 Broad-winged Hawks move across the W ridge
at once, with another great day total of 23. Some close accipitrine were
spotted this morning as well. By the afternoon there was an extremely
dramatic halt to migration, with no more than 4 birds counted in an hour
after 1100 MST. We did have a relative low Northern Harrier come by, as
well as some American Kestrels.
Local Turkey Vulture activity has increased over the last few days, with up
to 6 non-migratory birds seen at once. They have been coming extremely
close to our count site going both N and S. We have seen weird flight
behavior the last few days and today figured out that we've been seeing the
courtship display, sometimes also seen on migration according to Birds of
the World, of the Cooper's Hawk! They have been flying with
Harrier/owl-like wingbeats, moving quickly and seemingly sporadically
around the sky. Local RT and AK were seen today utilizing the late day
winds to kite while hunting.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity followed raptor activity today, slowing as the day went
on. SPTO and WOSJ were seen nicely perched all day, giving us something
nice to look at when raptors were down. We had two GBHE move WNW over us, a
first for us in recent years at this site.
Mallard 2, White-throated Swift 2, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1,
Double-crested Cormorant 3, Great Blue Heron 2, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 9,
American Crow 1, Common Raven 9, Tree Swallow 7, White-breasted Nuthatch 1,
American Robin 1, Pine Siskin 1, Spotted Towhee 3, Western Meadowlark 2,
Common Grackle 1
Predictions:
A cold front is moving through the area starting tomorrow through Friday
night, carrying the potential to bring 6+ inches of snow. Temperatures will
drop tomorrow, winds will pick up, and precipitation is predicted to start
sometime in the afternoon. We are hoping for a nice push of migrants before
this front moves through! Winds will vary from the SW to NW tomorrow.
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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)
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