Visitors:
We had another great day on the ridge with 47 visitors today including a
birder from England looking for his 7000th life species. Thank you to all
that showed up today and helped spot and keep track of our crazy day, both
on and off our volunteer schedule. I am expecting another busy day
tomorrow.
Weather:
Today was a hot one with scattered clouds but rarely clouds covering the
sun. Winds stayed pretty consistent all day today from the general E
direction. Humidity was low and in the last 2 hours a pretty thick haze
settled into the west valley.
Raptor Observations:
The second I got to the ridge today migration was off with a bang with our
best BW day and overall day this season! We had small kettles of 2-5 BW
moving consistently for the first hour and then they continued to come one
by one for much of the morning, dwindling off throughout the day. At one
point we had 4 BW, 1 RT, and 1 FH all in the same kettle. We did get to
see one BW in the last hour of the day as well. We are also seeing SW
moving throughout the day and expect this to continue. Migration as a whole
is truly in its peak currently and we are loving it!
Local RT activity was high and steady all day with up to 6 seen up at one
time. We continue to see 5 local TV moving around the western ridge. We
also saw the local PG, GE, AK, and CH today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Spring migration has also picked up for passerines as we continue to see
FOY birds, with todays being both WBNU and RBNU. Other passerines seen or
heard today include BTHU, BCCH, WEME, SPTO, WTSW, BARS, VGSW, CORA, and
others. WTSW activity was not as high as it has been in the last few days
but they were still active. It goes without saying that the CORA continue
to be active through the day.
Predictions:
Tomorrow morning will be sunny with winds from the SE. Rain is possible in
the afternoon, potentially kicking off our predicted rainy weekend. As
always I cannot promise anything, but am hopeful for more BW in the
morning.
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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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