Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Bill Young, Mike Serruto, Ryan Gannon, Shay Lyons
Visitors:
We had a great crowd up at the ridge this morning with folks in search of
BW and they were not disappointed! While looks at the birds could have been
better, everyone that came out to see them got to see them. As always I
want to thank our volunteers for their help spotting distant birds today.
We had a total of 44 visitors on the ridge today with many of them getting
to see migrants.
Weather:
We had excellent viewing conditions today with cloud cover all day and
partial sun. Winds were from the E in the morning and began to vary in the
late morning. Right around the 1300 hour winds picked up to speeds of 26
mph in gusts, continuing for the rest of the day. Rain could be seen west
of us in the late afternoon but missed us all day.
Raptor Observations:
Today was our biggest Broad-winged Hawk day to date with all but one of
them in the morning. There was an abrupt halt to their migration when the
winds picked up which was interesting to see but disappointing for our
afternoon volunteers. The smaller birds came en masse in the high winds
with AK, SS, and CH coming so close we felt like we could touch them.
Almost all of our birds today were over the west ridge, with the only
overhead/east birds coming in the afternoon high winds.
Local raptors seen today include RT, TV, GE, CH, OS, and AK. 7 TV at once
were seen around Mt Morrison in the afternoon not migrating.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity was low today, especially in the late afternoon, minus
the WTSW out in unbelievable numbers. We saw SPTO, SAPH, BARS, CORA, and
others today. 2 CORA were seen mobbing the late BE today, and looking
minuscule next to the eagle.
Predictions:
Temperatures are supposed to be lower tomorrow than they were yesterday but
our nice spotting conditions look like they will be sticking around for at
least part of the day. Migration has picked up and we are hopeful for some
more BW and SW tomorrow.
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Report submitted by Official Counter (<j.f.peters58...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
http://www.dfobirds.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,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by a Hawk
Counter and volunteers from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM from March 1st to May 10th,
weather permitting.
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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