Observation start time: 08:45:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Soren Zappia, Emma Riley, Soren Zappia
Observers:
Visitors: 10 visitors. We saw a new bird at the ridge, our first Sun Conure (riding in a backpack of a hiker). He seemed to be enjoying his time outside.
Thank you to Chip Dawes for volunteering today!
Weather: It was a beautiful day on the ridge. There was some rain in the pre-count hours, but it had cleared by the time the count began. The day started as partly cloudy, but cloud cover increased in the first hour or two and the remainder of the day we had mostly cloudy skies. The sun varied from obscured behind thick clouds to shining. A few raindrops were felt during the midday during some brief periods.
Winds were gentle from the east throughout the day, varying slightly in direction from NE to SE. The wind intensified to 3 bft around noon but soon returned to gentle at 1-2 bft. Temperatures were pleasant in the 50s to low 60s F.
Raptor Observations: It was a great day for late April at the ridge with over 125 migrating raptors. We had our highest totals of the season so far for Broad-winged Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Most birds came in the morning through early afternoon, with many birds low and visible to the unaided eye. Broad-winged Hawks were seen overhead, at eye level, and even below the ridge! Some came solo, but they often were in groups of 2 or 3. While Sharp-shinned Hawks were the more common accipitrine today, we also had a few Cooper's Hawks. We also had a good push of Swainson's Hawks, including an adult dark morph and intermediate juvenile right above our heads. We also had some late young Bald Eagle movement and a few Red-tailed Hawks. The birds continued until the late afternoon when the pace slowed to a trickle.
Outside of raptors, we saw lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds move today.
Today we counted our 2000th migrant raptor, an Osprey! We are so lucky to see so many of these striking and unique birds.
Non-raptor Observations: White-throated Swift 25, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 9, Feral Pigeon 4, Mourning Dove 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Say's Phoebe 1, Blue Jay 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, American Crow 1, Common Raven 3, Tree Swallow 1, Violet-green Swallow 12, swalow sp. 35, Rock Wren 2, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 2, House Finch 2, Pine Siskin 3, Chipping Sparrow 4, Spotted Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 12, passerine sp. 1
Predictions: Tomorrow, we expect cloudy skies and a light wind from the NE.
Some precipitation is in the forecast, with slight chance for thunderstorms in the morning and another slight chance in the afternoon. Scattered rain showers are forecasted for the afternoon and evening. Bring rain gear!
Despite some light precipitation in the past few days, trails are still dry. ======================================================================== 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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