Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Soren Zappia
Observers:
Visitors: 7 visitors. A few bikers and hikers were present today and were curious about what we were seeing, especially when the birds weren't visible to the unaided eye!
Thank you to Janet Peters, Jerry Arni, and Kathi Moses for volunteering today.
Weather: It was another hot day at the ridge, with record heat in the high 80s F. Winds started as moderate from the NW but died down in a few hours before shifting to a very slight E wind by the end of the count. Cloud cover was variable - the first and last hours were mostly cloudy, but there were few clouds in the midday.
Raptor Observations: It was a quieter morning with less local and migrant raptor activity than the previous few days. Two Cooper's Hawks and a distant American Kestrel were counted in the first few hours. Later, a migrant juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was chased off by two local adults. In the final few hours of the count, we saw RTs and AKs stream past quite high overhead. AKs were our most numerous migrant raptors of the day with a total of 9.
We had our first good flight of White-throated Swifts in the morning. A large Bullsnake and a few lizards were also active on the ridge.
Non-raptor Observations: White-throated Swift 42, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 4, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Tree Swallow 2, American Bushtit 3, Mountain Bluebird 7, House Finch 2, Pine Siskin 1, Spotted Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions: Tomorrow, expect more high temperatures and mostly sunny skies with moderate winds shifting from W to N as the day goes on. There is a slight chance of showers after 3 PM.
A visitor informed us that they had spotted a young rattlesnake on the trail a day or two ago - make sure to look out for them when hiking to or from the hawkwatch! ======================================================================== 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, and American White Pelican. 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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