Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch

! WEATHER WHIPLASH !

This isn’t an April Fools Day post. We have seriously had it all in the month of March! From 4+ inches of snow, to almost 90 degree days, to 60+ mph winds, to a very smoky day! March gave us a roller coaster ride of weather.

Spring in Colorado is always wild in terms of weather, but we’ve had record high temps multiple times already. Stick around to see how April will unfold, and how this weather will impact our counts.

The ridge had a VERY special visitor at the end of the day yesterday. This adult Golden Eagle spent 30 minutes perched in a snag about 15 meters away from the count platform, unbothered by nearby bikers and hikers. Counter Emma Riley said she could “count the feathers of the golden nape” if she wanted to. How exciting!

Each year DFO participates in Colorado Gives Day, and this year we have an amazing opportunity to unlock a matching donation of $3000!

Please consider supporting our work to bolster conservation efforts by monitoring raptor migration on Dinosaur Ridge.
Donate today at: www.coloradogives.org/story/e4wbpf

Colorado Gives Day is coming up on December 9, but you don’t have to wait to make an impact. Give early. Give with love. Help us move together toward our goals!

Congratulations and a huge thank you to our wonderful counters, Emma and Audrey! With their guidance we counted over 3000 raptors this year! That’s a huge milestone, not surpassed since 2005. We couldn’t be more proud of our official counter and observer team as well as our dedicated volunteer observers! 🙏 😊 💛

Blink and you’ll miss them! How many kestrels do you see in this reel? They fly fast. Really fast! But our counters and observers at Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch, located between Golden and Morrison Colorado, work hard to catch every single one. Answer below…
Did you count all the kestrels? Don’t miss the second image….it reveals birds that may not be obvious at first glance. There are FIVE!
📸: Emma Riley

We had two Merlins pass one right after the other, an unusual event, followed promptly by two American Kestrels. It was a great opportunity to fine-tune identification of these similarly sized raptors. The Merlins (left) are overall darker, with slate grey backs similar to a Peregrine Falcon. They also are much stronger flyers than the Kestrels (right), evidenced by a less fluttery flying pattern and extremely rapid movement.
Photo: John Breitsch

We had our first-ever sighting of an Evening Grosbeak at Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch! (No, he's not a hawk, but he sure is handsome.) Oh, and 113 American Kestrels in ONE DAY! 😍
Photo: bellemare celine

Happy Earth Day.
Get out and celebrate the beauty of Colorado and the wonder of birding.

Thank to the Feminist Bird Club Denver and the Front Range for joining us on a muddy Hawk Watch this weekend. We loved having you!

💚Morning view from the ridge💚 Come up and visit!