Dinosaur Ridge 2 and Swainson's

 My Dad and I headed down to Dinosaur Ridge again yesterday, Monday, April 21 and it was a relatively quiet day.  On the drive down US 287 to Hwy 142 behind Interlocken to US 93 to US 6 we did not observe a single raptor.  As we pulled into the Stegasaurus lot a RT glided off the ridge.  We hiked up and met Bill who had just seen same RT, as well as a Peregrine Falcon a little earlier.  It was a beautiful day but slow going bird-wise, with only really RTs and TVs, and more local residents than migrants.  The highlight of the day was when four Red-tailed Hawks suddenly appeared in front of us over the ridge, three definitely migrating together, circling higher and higher in a distinct northernly directions.  The fourth one might have been tagging along or just checking them out as they went by.  I also had a Sharp-shinned Hawk (relatively sure) whizz by me northwest to southeast, followed quickly by a Kestrel.  We stayed from a little after 9:30 to almost 1:00.  On the way home, on US 142 almost back to 287, I saw my first Swainson's Hawk of the year, soaring over the business complex and flashing me its two-toned wings.  Finally!  Later that afternoon, I saw a hawk in a tree overhanging Arapahoe on my way into Boulder and thought it might be another Swainson's but I didn't get a good look.  However, on the way home it was on a nearby post showing off its dark brown bib and stark white chest!  They have not even observed one at the Hawkwatch yet this year.

Here is the post from the Hawkwatch:

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2014
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	1	83	86
Osprey	0	8	8
Bald Eagle	0	2	27
Northern Harrier	0	3	3
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	30	35
Cooper's Hawk	0	45	60
Northern Goshawk	0	2	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	10	100	230
Rough-legged Hawk	0	2	9
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	0
Ferruginous Hawk	0	1	9
Golden Eagle	0	3	10
American Kestrel	0	57	71
Merlin	0	4	4
Peregrine Falcon	1	2	4
Prairie Falcon	0	1	6
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipiter	1	20	22
Unknown Buteo	0	10	15
Unknown Falcon	0	3	3
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	1	4	8
Total:	14	380	612

Observation start time:	09:00:00
Observation end time:	15:30:00
Total observation time:	6.5 hours
Official Counter	Bill Flowers
Observers:	David Smith, Doug Smith

Weather:
The day was a nice day for Hawk Watching, although the raptors did not cooperate. The day started sunny then clouds moved in in the afternoon with a rain cell moving in just South of Mount Morrison, which affected the migration for a couple hours (12:00-14:00). The temperature ranged from 12-16 C (53-60 F). The wind was light and generally from the East with some periods from the South East. 

Raptor Observations:
A few raptors were observed migrating during the times when it was not raining to the South. These included 10 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Turkey Vulture, and 1 Peregrine Falcon. In the morning the raptors flew low above Dinosaur Ridge or just to the East of the Ridge. In the afternoon raptors flew very high over Dinosaur and West Ridges. Resident Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, and Turkey Vultures were observed during the day.

 A lizard was also seen at the Hawk Watch site.

Nests, nests, nests!

The leaves are coming in so if you want to check out nests, this might be the last week to do so.  Here is a list and basic directions for a bunch of nests around Boulder County:

1)     I stumbled upon a brand new Red-tailed hawk nest (for me anyway) right in the middle of Old Town Lafayette.  It sits atop a tree at the NE corner of Simpson and Michigan above the pale yellow business house.  I was in the area and spotted it when I noticed a large hawk gliding in and land in the top of the tree as I was walking by, which I thought strange in itself as we were a few blocks from any type of open space.  It was them that I realized there was a nest just behind it with another hawk in it?!  I believe the first hawk was actually dropping some food for its mate sitting on the nest.  I am wondering if this is the pair that was chased off by “my” GHO (less than a mile almost directly north), and if their haste caused them to pick such an unusual spot, although I think this might also be a previously used GHO nest.

2)     GHO- Lafayette-Off of South Boulder Road, 1^st light east of 95^th, turn North on Plaza Dr, then right on Hecla Way, and go behind Jiffy Lube/Car Wash; a large nest is easily visible at the top of a tree, but active nest is actually much lower, more on east side of the tree, closer to noisy construction (?)-you can go into development and get almost under nest, without disturbing it, since they have not been bothered by any of the commotion; April 11 it had three large white owlets.

3)     Red-tail- Lafayette-95^th St. just south of Baseline Rd., easily viewed from road- in stand of trees between 95^th and new houses, but might be even better from in new development; this nest has been used for years by Red-tails and maybe why they are not bothered by all the commotion?

4)     “My” GHO- Lafayette-Just west of 119^th in between Baseline and Arapahoe, north of the dog park, there is a service road that is usually locked, but you can pull off there and get a good view.

5)     RT-north of Lafayette on US287 at Jasper Rd., nest on SE corner, best to pull off on Jasper.

*There has been a huge GHO nest just across 287 from Jasper, but I can’t confirm if anything is in it now.

6)     GHO-west of Erie on Kenosha Rd. just before road turns hard right at bridge (not the greatest pull off after the flood), there is a Great Blue Heron rookery on the south side of the road, and a GHO nest on the north, not immediately obvious, back a little from the road in the stand of trees.

7)     RT-Erie-County Line Rd at Evans, pull off on Evans and turn around and look west and nest is easily visible on other side of County Line.

8)    RT-north of Erie on County Line, just before Highway 52, large nest above farmhouse on west side of road.

9)     Bald Eagle-Longmont-going north on County Line until it is closed from flood damage and turn left at Quicksilver Road (St Vrain Greenway area), a large cone-shaped nest is across field.

10)  GHO: Longmont-off 75^th, one street north of Nelson Road, turn east on Kennedy Dr., pull in behind small office complex; 150 or so yards east of 75th there is a GHO nest-you can park almost underneath it less than 50 yards to get a great look with scope.

*Closer to 75^th there is another nest that has been RT last couple of years, and has had activity around it, but not sure if inhabited or not…

11)   However, across Nelson Rd, SE corner with 75^th is an RT nest above the farmhouse that might be that pair.

12)  Osprey-Longmont-Airport Road, just south of Mountain View (and Westview Middle School) is a large platform in the middle of the field with a pair (April 11)

13)  Osprey-just west of 59^th on St. Vrain Road (basically directly south of Hygiene Eagle nesting site), there is a platform built on a farm (there is a small unused one just before larger active one) only maybe 30 yards from the road on south side-shoulder is narrow and I suggest parking a little farther west on south side of road so as not to disturb the birds or human residents.

14)  RT- Just north of St Vrain on 59^th, at first 90 degree turn, nest in large tree in field (for a few years now)

15)   Osprey-Walden Ponds, Boulder-you have to hike back to it (I have not observed but two good sources confirm)

16)  There are also two Osprey platforms (one or the other has been used for a few years at least) on the Valmont Energy land south of Walden Ponds and visible from Legion Park overlook off Arapahoe Road, ~1/2 mile west of 75^{th t} there is a turn off as you go up the hill on north side, from the top they can be seen with binoculars, looking almost straight north (little east), across water but on level area.

17)  Just west and north, visible from Arapahoe at Westview Dr. is a RT nest in the trees-it is almost exactly even with Westview, but is not the most viewable site.

Bird of note: A Broad-Winged Hawk was reported in Boulder last week at 28^th and Iris (by a reputable CoBirders poster) who said his wife noticed something that was just not a RT or Swainson’s.  So jealous!  None have been reported at Dinosaur Ridge yet either, although Northern Goshawks have been observed at least three times, with one considered a “local”.

I still have not seen my first Swainson’s Hawk of the season yet, but I intend to when my dad and I head to Dinosaur Ridge Hawkwatch again today (Monday, so report coming soon).

Impromptu run

I had some time Friday afternoon and decided to head out on my “loop”, only a little backwards since I was starting in Boulder.  I headed out Broadway and caught my first official Turkey Vulture of the year (the only other one had been a “probably” in the late day sun) soaring north of town.  I went by the St. Vrain Osprey nest, and one of the pair was sitting on the platform nest.  I cut over on 59^th past the RT nest out in the field near that first curve, to the Hygiene site.  The eagles were not on the nest, but again far out on their perch in the distance.  As I was leaving, a man with binocs and two bikers stopped by and I had to tell them about the failed nest. 

I headed east to 75^th and the office site near Nelson Rd; the GHO was on its nest, but the RT nest was empty.  However, across Nelson, on the SE corner above the farmhouse is an occupied RT nest-could that be where they ended up, possibly if owls chased them off, or another pair entirely that close?  Next, I headed up to Airport Road and north to Westview Middle school, into their parking lot back south onto a bus service road, to where you can get a great view of an Osprey platform out in the middle of the field (basically at Mountain View Dr), and both adults were on the nest.  I cruised by the Fairgrounds where one Osprey was perched upon the camera.  

Next, it was east to the Bald Eagle nest off County Line and Quicksilver, near the St Vrain washout, and saw the mama on nest.  I headed back south on County Line past a couple of RT nests to Kenosha and up to the GHO nest across from the heron rookery, where mama was snoozing.  I went up to 287 and stopped near Dawson to look at huge nest just south of the creek, but it is so deep and surrounded by branches that I could not discern a head or “horns”, but the RT nest just up and across the highway at Jasper had a head poking out of it.  It was about then that I saw another TV soar overhead.  Lastly, I went up to 95^th, past the RT head in a nest at Baseline, and onto the GHOs behind the Jiffy Lube, where I once again had an incredible view of mama and her three babies (I have yet to spy the daddy hanging out in any nearby trees).  Later that afternoon, I saw a mini-flock of six TVs pass over Lafayette looking for a place to roost for the night.  Coming home that night I caught sight of another GHO on a light pole on Highway 7. Overall count for the day: 8 TVs, 3 Baldies, 4 Osprey, 4 adult & 3 baby GHOs, a few Kestrels and in the high teens for RTs.

I had to go into Boulder on Saturday morning so I stopped by Legion Park and looked down for the Ospreys and, sure enough, the pair was on the nest platform that is almost straight across the water at the base of the hill.  There also appears to be a Red-tail nest in the stand of trees just to the west, although it is not visible from the lookout.  I think the best viewing spot would be from Westview, just on the west side of the hill on Arapahoe, where you would be able to look back across the road and see it-I have only gotten quick glimpses from the moving car.  When I came home, one of the Osprey flew in low over the school buildings on the south side of the road and right over my car.  Lastly, just north of Lucerne on 111th, a Cooper’s Hawk whizzed out of the neighborhood on the west, right in front of me and disappeared into a yard on the other side of the street.

I have yet to see my first Swainson’s Hawk of the year, or at least identify one (there have been two maybes) but sightings are starting to pop up around the state.

Happy Raptoring!

Driving Field Trip

My friend Paul and I led a group of 7 students and 2 parents in three cars to tour Eastern Boulder County and more on the morning of Saturday, April 5.  We specifically scoped out seven different nesting sites, saw a few more along the way, and observed at least a dozen Red-tailed Hawks, two Great-horned Owls, five (and maybe a few others) Bald Eagles, a bunch of kestrels and another 10 or so unidentified birds that were probably mostly Red-tails (with maybe a couple more Baldies flying far and high).  The highlight of the day was seeing the two Ospreys preening their platform nest on West St. Vrain Road, one of which took a few sorties around the area for us to observe.

We got on the road a little before 9:00 AM and headed east from Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer, then North on County Line Road to the Red-tail nest at Evans.  We set up the scopes and the kids were able to kick off the day with a bang and nice view of a Hawk mama’s head poking out of its nest.  We then went a little further and turned left/west on Kenosha up to the Great Blue Heron Rookery at the curve before it connects with Lookout Rd.  There were four or five herons on the top nests and another flew in and landed for us.  Across the road to the north is a Great-horned Owl nest with a proud mama sitting on it. Even though we were pretty far away looking at her through scopes, she still seemed aware of us, though not bothered, seemingly looking right back at us.  This was a first sighting of an owl for many of the kiddos.

Next it was back to County Line and north, a few Red-tails along the way, including a huge nest right above a farmhouse just south of Highway 52.  We went all the way to the washout and just west of there is another well-known Bald Eagle nest.  As we approached I am pretty sure we saw one of the adults flying away, while one was on the nest.  We were able to get scopes on the white head for everyone to see.

After a pit stop at a nearby shopping center, we went by the Boulder County Fairgrounds, and although it has been noted that both of the pair of Osprey have been back and working on the nest, neither was around for us, so we headed west out to the Hygiene Bald Eagle nest.  When we got there, we were met by two surprises, first that no one else was there watching, and we didn’t see anything on the nest. I hope that means that the eggs have hatched, not that something has happened to the eggs.  However, as I scanned the area I was able to spot four more eagles in the distance: a juvenile fairly close that we all got good looks at through both binocs and scope, then a pair of adults perched together on a great branch to the northeast whose white head were quite visible once we were able to get a scope on them, and lastly, another adult went flying by even farther away just below ridgeline (I think I was the only one to eye that one).

Next we head back to 59^th and south to St. Vrain Rd. and west only a few hundred yards to where a platform is built maybe 30 yards south of the road, giving a spectacular view of the two would be parents and their black eye stripe, especially with the scopes, as they were preening and preparing their nest.  It is not the greatest parking area along the side of the road, but no one yelled at us this time.  When one of the gorgeous birds gave its third flight overhead, we decided to move on and leave them in peace.

On the way home we went back to 75^th and into the parking lot of the office building a block before Nelson Road where there are two nests, one fairly close to 75^th, and the other maybe 120 yards east.  These two sites have been inhabited by a pair of Red-tails and a pair of Great-horned Owls for the last few years.  The GHOs are back on the eastern nest again and Paul has seen the Hawks on the western one recently, although only one soaring Red-tail was nearby today.

From there we headed home via 75^th (given more time we would have stopped in at Lagerman Reservoir to see what was lurking about), through Niwot to Lookout Road where saw one RT on the high power poles (couldn’t stop to scan for Burrowing Owls), and home to Lafayette on US 287 past the Red-tail nest at Jasper (still not sure if there is a GHO again in the huge nest across the highway and closer to the creek).

All in all a very successful day of raptoring, with many participants notching a couple of “lifers” with the Opsreys and Owls.

Happy Raptoring!

Spring Raptoring and sweet new GHO nest

The Spring Raptors are coming back and the first sightings are being reported.  While Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles and Great-horned Owls are sitting on eggs in nests, other, more migratory birds, are headed either back to or through Colorado.  Here are some of the raptor “events” around the county and state:

Last week, while being detoured behind the Jiffy Lube/Black Diamond car wash in Lafyette, my dad Doug “discovered” (new to us anyway) an incredibly visible nest with fluffy owlets.  At first, as you pull behind the car service areas off S. Boulder Rd., you will see a big nest at the top of a tall tree-that is NOT it; look down below it, on the southeastern side of the tree, close to the loud construction site, and you will be surprised when you see the small nest on a small branch “table” that is chock full of owl-a mama and three white puffballs that are approaching their mom’s size and starting to overflow the nest.  They should be fledging soon and very easy to observe.

It appears that three owlets at the Twin Lakes GHO nest have hatched and are peeking out of their nest.  I don’t think “my” owls are nearly as far along. 

I have not figured out where “my” displaced Red-tail pair is nesting, but I have still seen them, (or at least a pair of RTs) flying together quite a bit in the area recently.

The Hygiene Bald Eagles appear to be incubating eggs.  There is a nest in Longmont near the detour of County Line Rd, another off of Dillon Road (visible from 95^th) and another visible from C-470 near exit 34.

I have scanned the fields east of 75^th and Lookout for Burrowing Owls but have not seen any yet, even though sightings are being reported around the state.

My first Osprey (probably) was flying over my house on a windy afternoon March 23 and Boulder County Fairgrounds reported the first Osprey at the nest platform on March 30.

The first lone Turkey Vulture was sighted at Dinosaur Ridge on March 27 and now many other single sightings are being documented around the state, including a group of 20 or so in Adams County.  They are certainly on their way as the Bentsen State Park Hawkwatch site in Texas (it’s got a great platform) has been reporting hundreds of TVs each day heading north.  ]I am pretty sure I saw my first TV of the year floating in the late afternoon wind on April 3, but I have yet to see a Swainson’s Hawk.

Accipiters are active and migrating or setting up nests and many Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks are being seen almost daily at Dinosaur Ridge Hawkwatch, and the first Northern Goshawk of the year was observed there yesterday, April 4.

I am heading out today (Saturday, April 5) with my student group to make up our snowed out raptoring field trip.  We are hoping to hit a couple Bald Eagle nests, a couple of GHOs, a few Red-tails, a couple of Osprey platforms, maybe see an incoming TV or Swainson's and whatever else we see.