Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 17:45:00 Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Soren Zappia
Visitors: We had quite the group up on the ridge this morning all gathered behind the Juniper to escape the winds. A total of 11 visitors came to the ridge today including some regulars and some new faces! Many of these visitors came to observe the migration, and a few stopped by on their hike along the trail.
Thank you to Kathie Moses, Janet Peters, Cayce and Chris Gulbransen, and Sammy Korengut for their help at the site today!
Weather: It was a beautiful day on the ridge today if we were hiding behind the juniper from the high winds that were most present in the morning. The sun was shining and there were few clouds in the sky. Winds were from the NW all day blowing up to a 5 on the bft scale. They eventually calmed down in the late afternoon/early evening.
Raptor Observations: Birds were moving today despite the winds! West winds always surprise us in terms of flight conditions, and lucky for us it brought birds close to the ridge today. We were grateful for this, as spotting conditions were challenging against the bright blue sky. Migrants came overhead almost all day with some highlights including our second Broad-winged Hawk of the season, a very close Northern Harrier, and a whole bunch of American Kestrels at the end of the day! Kestrels came in groups of 2-3 for most of the 1600 MST hour. Up to 5 were seen at one time! The count was extended an additional 45 minutes to continue counting these delightful birds. Our American Kestrel count for the season has already surpassed the season count for 2022 and 2023.
We also saw another beautiful adult Swainson's Hawk that came overhead before turning back around to the SW. An adult Bald Eagle took a similar path as well. The local Red-tailed Hawks continue to show aggression towards anything in their area. We even got to see one of the local RT land on the nearby nest!
The non-raptor highlight of the day was two large groups of Franklin's Gulls that came right along the ridge! The first group was made up of 58 birds, and the second group was estimated to contain 95 birds. These are our FOY Franklin's Gulls along the ridge!
Non-raptor Observations: White-throated Swift 31, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1, Feral Pigeon 1, Franklin's Gull 269, Double-crested Cormorant 7, Say's Phoebe 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, Common Raven 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Violet-green Swallow 9, American Bushtit 3, Rock Wren 1, Townsend's Solitaire 1, House Finch 6, Pine Siskin 1, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions: Conditions are expected to be windy, dry, and warm tomorrow with a Red Flag Warning in effect for most of the day. Winds are expected out of the SW. ======================================================================== 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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