Weather:
Incredibly heavy fog was present at the ridge this morning upon arrival,
causing us to push our start time back to 1040 MST. Fog was present for
most of the morning, but by the end of the day we barely had any clouds in
the sky at all. Temperatures were low in the morning but increased when the
fog lifted. Winds were variable today but from the E for a lot of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Right when we got to the ridge this morning migration kicked off. Birds
flew incredibly low near us as well as over Green Mountain for a few hours,
eventually shifting to a flight line over the W ridge. We had a stellar
Northern Harrier flight with birds coming one after the over overhead and
over Green Mtn. At one point we had two NH move together overhead. Today's
NH flights puts as at the highest season count for them in three years!
American Kestrels continue to come en masse, surpassing our RT count for
the season so far. We also had two BW move today, which was a little
surprising with the lack of thermals.
Local RT, TV, and a non-migratory SW were seen today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity was low today in terms of migrants, but SPTO and WEME
were heard singing almost non-stop all day today. Our Rock Wren was also
singing for most of the afternoon, perching very nicely for us to get many
good looks. A group of 16 BBMA were seen moving N across Mt. Morrison, and
our first BTHU was heard today!
White-throated Swift 6, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1, Double-crested
Cormorant 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 16, Common Raven 2,
Rock Wren 1, American Robin 2, Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 3,
Black-capped Chickadee 2, Dark-eyed Junco 4
Predictions:
Temperatures will be warmer tomorrow with partial cloud cover for most of
the day. Winds are predicted to come from the E/SE, hopefully bringing us
another nice day of migration!
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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,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. 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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