Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:45:00
Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Dustin Kohler
Observers: Chris Gearhart, Dave Hill, Guillaume Stordeur,
Joyce Michael, Karl Brummert , Natalie Uschner-Arroyo
Visitors:
We had 41 visitors to the ridge today including 5 ladies in a hiking club.
Their birding friend was out of town, so they said that they will be back
with this friend. Another guy said he would come back and bring his wife
and daughter.
Weather:
Today started a fairly cloudless and warm day. The wind started from a
Northwestern direction but switched to West and Northeast throughout the
day. At about 11:15 MST there was rain to the South, and at about 14:30 MST
wind picked up and the rain started.
We called count early because of close thunder overhead, the storm and/ or
rain is to continue the rest of the day and turn into a winter weather
advisory tomorrow.
Raptor Observations:
Our migrants were either very close overhead or miles away. The medium
distance that we usually see migrants, didn't have any migrants today.
The Northwestern wind kept our smaller migrants (kestrel, sharp-shin,
cooper's) mostly stayed low to the ridge or the other ridges, but our other
migrants were generally higher up, out of unaided vision.
The Goshawk was molting from its juvenile plumage to adult plumage. This
particular bird had a swallowtail look as, its middle rectrices were still
growing out. The wings looked like adult wings, but there were some
juvenile feathers on the chest.
The unknown accipiter was either an immature Cooper's or an immature
Goshawk. The flaps were strong and the tail seemed almost extra long
suggesting a goshawk, but the wings seemed less bulky and there was a lot
of head projection suggesting a cooper's. After consulting many books we
still could not get a definite ID.
The Broad-wings were very far away their wings looked like accipiters, but
with very little tail. This combined with the three in a kettle together
suggested Broad-wings.
Local news was pretty slow. We had a local Cooper's hawks and several
Red-tails including one who was parading around with a big vole.
Non-raptor Observations:
We saw a Mule and an Elk in velvet as their antlers are growing back. We
also saw a big bumblebee with a thick orange stripe on its abdomen.
There were a lot of Swifts playing in the wind, and three types of swallows
(Tree, Violet-Green, and Northern Rough-winged). There was also a
red-breasted nuthatch, blue-grey gnatcatchers, rock wren and our usual
spotted towhees and western meadowlarks.
Predictions:
There is a Winter storm warning from 3 am Saturday to 6 am Sunday. With
4-12 inches of snow and precipitation all day. Tomorrow is likely to be
canceled.
========================================================================
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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