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.