Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (12 Aug 2026) 2 Raptors

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Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park
Golden, Greater Denver, Colorado, USA

This is a new raptor migration site identified and designated in mid-September 2024. This is Colorado's 1st fall hawk watch site, and the second hawk watch in Colorado. To get to the site which is along Lookout Mountain Rd. in Golden, enter either Windy Saddle Park or Mount Zion into Google Maps on your favorite navigation app, or enter the coordinates 39.7368,-105.2454. From the parking lot ascend the stone steps to the watch site. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO THE HAWK WATCH TO ENJOY THE SPECTACLE OF RAPTOR MIGRATION, EVEN IF YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IDENTIFYING RAPTORS IN FLIGHT. We will help you to learn Raptor ID. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk

Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 12, 2026
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	0
Turkey Vulture	0	2	2
Osprey	0	0	0
Bald Eagle	0	0	0
Northern Harrier	0	0	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0	0	0
Cooper's Hawk	1	2	2
American Goshawk	0	0	0
Broad-winged Hawk	0	0	0
Red-tailed Hawk	0	14	14
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	1	1	1
Ferruginous Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	0
American Kestrel	0	2	2
Merlin	0	0	0
Peregrine Falcon	0	0	0
Prairie Falcon	0	0	0
Mississippi Kite	0	0	0
Unknown Accipitrine	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Total:	2	21	21

Observation start time:	09:00:00
Observation end time:	11:00:00
Total observation time:	2 hours
Official Counter	Ajit Antony
Observers:

Weather:
Smoke still blanketed Denver. At the watch the winds were from the ENE caused by local factors related to Denver, though the winds aloft (using the earth.nullschool.net app) at 700 hPa corresponding to an elevation of 10,000 ft above sea level at which level raptors could be flying- the watch is at 7062 ft MSL - showed the winds coming directly from the north, an infrequent wind in fall according to my meteorology mentor in Denver, Bryan Guarante, and which usually brings rain and thunderstorms. On the other hand the clouds were moving towards the NNE, and checking the app at 500 hPa corresponding to an elevation of 6,500 to 23,000 ft AGL the predicted winds were from the WSW to ENE which is pretty close. Good altocumulus cloud cover 30-45-75%, and in the last 30 minutes dark clouds were moving in from the West with distant thunder which came closer. I checked the My Lightning app and there were lightning strikes 11.5 mi away near Floyd Hill to the West. With the winds I thought the strikes made pass north of the watch, but there were other lightning strikes reported SW of the watch which would bring them directly over the watch, so I left. 10 minutes later when I checked, there were lightning strikes only 5 miles from the watch!

Raptor Observations:
Yay! While watching a local male AK chasing a local CH I had our first migrant Swainson's Hawk at 11:38 a.m. DST, directly overhead, visible to the unaided eye, confirmed with my spotting scope to be an adult. Most Swainson's Hawk being plains birds migrate along a broad front through the plains of Montana, Wyoming and Eastern Colorado and only a minority presumably use the ridges of the foothills of the Rockies. https://explorer.audubon.org/explore/species/945/swainson-hawk/migration?sidebar=collapse&zoom=3.2899200469427674&x=-1598836.5949261608&y=2080827.7100144234&range=0.8204%2C0.8404 A CH migrating at 10:20 a.m. DST. Non-migrant Raptors: 4 RT at 10:14 a.m. DST, TV 5.

Non-raptor Observations:
Rock Wren 1, MOBL 1, CORA 3 with two of them at one point chasing an adult TV. A single paraglider at 10:56 a.m. who had good lift, so should the raptors using this area.

Predictions:
A slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 3pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. High near 80. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. I have a mid-morning meeting every Thursday, and had thought of coming after that except for the showers and thunderstorms by noon, so I will not likely watch tomorrow.

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Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aian...@earthlink.net)
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