Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Soren Zappia, Emma Riley, Soren Zappia
Observers:
Visitors: 4 visitors. A few folks, both new and familiar, stopped by to enjoy the birds today! We're excited to see what the next few days bring.
Weather: Today was pleasant with temperatures in the 60s and 70s F and mostly cloudy skies. Cloud cover was extensive but not complete, with the sun behind dense clouds for a good portion of the day. During the final hour or so, the clouds to the south became hazy.
In the first few hours, the wind was calm from the W and SW, but flipped to NE in midday, and intensified to a moderate speed. In the final few hours, the wind calmed but remained NE.
Raptor Observations: We had a good flight in the morning - the most common species were Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and American Kestrels. Birds were high even early in the morning, visible against the gray cloud cover overhead and to the west. When the wind increased in mid-day, the height of flight dropped drastically, and birds were mostly low past the ridge, with a few birds below eye level. AKs made up a good portion of the afternoon flight, although we had a few other birds including a high distant Osprey.
In the final few minutes of the count, we spotted our first Swainson's Hawk of the season, a beautiful light morph adult. It soared high before heading west - while this one didn't migrate, it's exciting to see them back!
Outside of the raptors, we had our highest total of White-throated Swifts to date for the season.
Non-raptor Observations: White-throated Swift 142, Feral Pigeon 3, Northern Flicker 1, Say's Phoebe 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Crow 1, Common Raven 3, Black-capped Chickadee 2, American Bushtit 3, Rock Wren 1, American Robin 1, House Finch 2, Pine Siskin 1, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 2
Predictions: Tomorrow, we expect moderate temperatures with light N and NW winds. Skies are forecasted to start sunny but become cloudy by midday. There is a slight chance of rain in the afternoon - good to have a rain jacket just in case. ======================================================================== 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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