Visitors:
Thank you to all of our visitors and volunteers! Today was my last day on
the ridge with Cheryl Wilcox for the season, thank you for your kindness
and constant enthusiasm.
We had a total of 15 visitors on the ridge, many that came with the purpose
of visiting the Hawkwatch! It was lovely to meet you all and we are looking
forward to having you up on the ridge again soon!
Weather:
Today started and ended with strong winds out of the NW. During the day
winds were based out of the E with scattered cloud cover throughout. A
storm rolled in from the W at the end of the count.
Raptor Observations:
Today started and ended with strong winds out of the NW. During the day
winds were based out of the E with scattered cloud cover throughout. A
storm rolled in from the W at the end of the count.
Today, 10 minutes after sunrise we had an extraordinary migrant raptor! A
Short-earred Owl was spotted moving N low above Mathew's Winters before
crossing i70! This is the 2nd SEOW recorded at Dinosaur Ridge. The first
was in 2005 on March 2nd. A very exciting and unexpected addition to the
count total. Not much is known about owl migration as they are a secretive
migrant species so this is a really neat sighting! SEOWs are considered
diurnal raptors as they are naturally very active at dawn and dusk. The
migration count records all diurnal raptor species, including this SEOW.
Overall. raptor migration at Dinosaur Ridge seems to have slowed down a bit
as we are entering the final 10 days of the season. We are still seeing
nice numbers of Osprey, Broad-winged Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks.
Non-raptor observations included northbound movement of Pygmy Nuthatches
(7), Blue-grey Gnatcatchers (5), and Hermit Thrushes (2).
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 9, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, Mourning Dove 2, Say's
Phoebe 1, Blue Jay 7, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 6, Black-capped Chickadee 2,
Tree Swallow 27, Violet-green Swallow 47, Barn Swallow 3, Cliff Swallow 8,
Rock Wren 2, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 5, Pygmy Nuthatch 2, Townsend's
Solitaire 4, Hermit Thrush 2, American Robin 7, House Finch 2, Chipping
Sparrow 3, White-crowned Sparrow 5, Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 2,
Red-winged Blackbird 1, Common Grackle 6, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)
8
Predictions:
Mostly cloudy skies throughout that day. Winds are expected out of the ENE
up to 10 mph. Temperatures will reach around 14C. Potentially muddy trail
conditions in the morning.
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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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