Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (10 Aug 2026) Raptors
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Aug 10, 2026, 8:55:37 PM (yesterday) Aug 10
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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
Visitors:
A few visitors were interested in what I was doing. 2 young women asked which hawks I was looking for when I told them I was looking for migrating Raptors, and when I said I could see up to 14 species their comment was That's really cool. A man with his 4-year-old daughter had a picnic on the rocks at the watch. Talking to him it turned out that until the age of 4 he lived in Cornwall on Hudson, only a mile from where I lived for 38 years! Thereafter he lived in Highland Falls which is the town next to the West Point Military Academy where his father was a professor. A man with his family found a raptor overhead, he was puzzling what it was, I was able to tell him it was a CH, I also pointed out to distant RT over Lookout Mountain which they enjoyed looking at.
Weather:
The winds were initially from the West, turning to NNW with gusts from the NE, the local winds we usually get in the afternoon. Heavy cloud cover, Altocumulus. Minimally less smoke than 2 days ago to the point that Denver could barely be seen and by the 2:00 p.m. DST hour I could actually see the buildings of downtown Denver with my binoculars and all of the area east of Denver including the radomes of Buckley AFB and even the airport at 39 km without binoculars, none of which I have been able to see since August 1st. By the end of the watch dark clouds came in. My MyLightning app showed lightning to the South 56 miles away, but when I heard a roll of thunder, I got off the mountain as soon as I could. In the morning I thought that we needed a good rain to wash out the smoke from the atmosphere. PM 10 was 'good' while PM 2.5 was moderate and ground level ozone was at a moderate level.
Raptor Observations:
With mainly West Winds which are inimical to raptor migration in this area, I counted no migrants today, but plenty of local raptor activity to keep me busy. Non-migrant Raptors: juvenile GE to the NW low over the ridges; CH 1-3 once seen close up with a bluish back, an adult male; RT 6; TV 7 together.
Non-raptor Observations:
ROWR 1, WTSW 2, VGSW 5, WBNU 1, MOBL 2, HAWO 1, CORA 3, AMCR 4.
Predictions:
Local forecast for Golden Colorado: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. West wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. earth.nullschool.net predicts light NNW winds changing to NE winds, aloft.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aian...@earthlink.net)
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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 10, 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 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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: | 0 | 19 | 19 |
| Observation start time: | 09:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
A few visitors were interested in what I was doing. 2 young women asked which hawks I was looking for when I told them I was looking for migrating Raptors, and when I said I could see up to 14 species their comment was That's really cool. A man with his 4-year-old daughter had a picnic on the rocks at the watch. Talking to him it turned out that until the age of 4 he lived in Cornwall on Hudson, only a mile from where I lived for 38 years! Thereafter he lived in Highland Falls which is the town next to the West Point Military Academy where his father was a professor. A man with his family found a raptor overhead, he was puzzling what it was, I was able to tell him it was a CH, I also pointed out to distant RT over Lookout Mountain which they enjoyed looking at.
Weather:
The winds were initially from the West, turning to NNW with gusts from the NE, the local winds we usually get in the afternoon. Heavy cloud cover, Altocumulus. Minimally less smoke than 2 days ago to the point that Denver could barely be seen and by the 2:00 p.m. DST hour I could actually see the buildings of downtown Denver with my binoculars and all of the area east of Denver including the radomes of Buckley AFB and even the airport at 39 km without binoculars, none of which I have been able to see since August 1st. By the end of the watch dark clouds came in. My MyLightning app showed lightning to the South 56 miles away, but when I heard a roll of thunder, I got off the mountain as soon as I could. In the morning I thought that we needed a good rain to wash out the smoke from the atmosphere. PM 10 was 'good' while PM 2.5 was moderate and ground level ozone was at a moderate level.
Raptor Observations:
With mainly West Winds which are inimical to raptor migration in this area, I counted no migrants today, but plenty of local raptor activity to keep me busy. Non-migrant Raptors: juvenile GE to the NW low over the ridges; CH 1-3 once seen close up with a bluish back, an adult male; RT 6; TV 7 together.
Non-raptor Observations:
ROWR 1, WTSW 2, VGSW 5, WBNU 1, MOBL 2, HAWO 1, CORA 3, AMCR 4.
Predictions:
Local forecast for Golden Colorado: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. West wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. earth.nullschool.net predicts light NNW winds changing to NE winds, aloft.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aian...@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
This is an automated email report from hawkcount.org.
If you do not wish to receive these reports, please send email to unsub...@hawkcount.org to unsubscribe.
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