Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Soren Zappia
Observers: Laura Farnsworth
Visitors: 19 visitors, and one field trip. It was a busy day for visitors, and we had our final DFO field trip in the morning led by Ajit and Liza Antony - we are thankful to them for hosting our DFO trips.
We also want to thank Julie Eyden, Jeff Birek, and Jessie and Horace Liu for their help at the count today!
Weather: Today was cool with lots of cloud cover, scattered in the morning becoming gradually overcast by the end of the count. Winds were generally light to moderate from the east, varying SE to NE. Temperatures were in the mid 50s F, and humidity was higher than prior days. After a few hours, a very light layer of fog slightly limited visibility to the north and west, and a few times we saw birds disappear into the low clouds/fog.
Unsurprisingly, thermals did not seem as powerful as prior days, and birds were not able to gain height as quickly.
Raptor Observations: We had a good flight of raptors today, with birds seen throughout the day. American Kestrels were the most numerous, although we also had good diversity of species. Osprey made a strong showing with five counted. Almost all of our accipitrines seen today were Cooper's Hawks, and a local Cooper's Hawk was displaying and chasing off migrant birds.
Two Broad-winged Hawks were seen in the morning, with one close by on the east and the other high overhead. Swainson's Hawks mostly came in the afternoon and included a dark morph adult.
in the afternoon most birds were fairly low, with a good number overhead or slightly west, including a dark morph Ferruginous Hawk that flew past in the afternoon! We were surprised to see one this late in the season.
In the final hour we saw an adult Peregrine Falcon, our second of the day, fly past on the east incredibly fast. The final migrant was a late flying Northern Harrier that took its time circling before gaining height.
Besides the raptor flight, we also had our best Yellow-rumped Warbler flight so far, with thirteen seen flying north throughout the day, mostly in the morning.
Non-raptor Observations: duck sp. 3, White-throated Swift 30, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 6, Feral Pigeon 2, Mourning Dove 2, Double-crested Cormorant 6, American White Pelican 4, Northern Flicker 1, Say's Phoebe 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 5, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Violet-green Swallow 1, American Bushtit 1, Rock Wren 1, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 1, House Finch 2, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 5, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 11
Predictions: Tomorrow, more east winds and cool temperatures are predicted, with mostly cloudy skies. Thunderstorms are predicted in the afternoon and may limit the duration of the count - keep an eye on the weather! ======================================================================== 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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