Date: 8/5/26 7:51 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (05 Aug 2026) 4 Raptors
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 05, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:45:00
Observation end time: 12:15:00
Total observation time: 3.5 hours
Official Counter: Ajit Antony
Observers: Liza Antony
Visitors:
A hiker at the parking lot who was obviously a birder as well, likely
having read our reports on COBirds the Colorado birding listserve, asked
Liza about the hawk watch and why we were counting so early. Liza explained
that we were trying to see if, based on our experience in fall 2025 at
Dinosaur Ridge, whether Swainson's Hawk have a consistent early August
migration.
A number of hikers (10) stopped to ask about the hawk watch and they were
interested in varying degrees. I explained about raptor migration south in
fall and why, thermal formation and how raptors use them to conserve
energy, flocking behavior of Broadwings and Swainson's hawk and the number
we used to see at fall watches in New York, volunteer versus paid hawk
watchers - in response to their many questions. One family lived only 40
minutes from Hawk Mountain and had never visited. I encouraged them to go
in mid-September for the BW spectacle. A couple had 2 BE nests near their
home in OK and said they went in a canoe and played a mating call. I
explained they shouldn't do that during the breeding period. I explained
how the Bird Conservation of the Rockies has a BEWatch monitoring around
175 nests along the front range, where we volunteer to monitor a nest
during the breeding season.
Weather:
There was even more smoke from wildfires in western states over Denver
than yesterday with a thick white-brownish pall 10 degrees above ground
level which blotted downtown Denver out completely. The air quality was
poor with <10 and <2.5 micrometer particulate matter in the air, so we wore
masks to protect our lungs. I wondered whether to take a vacation from the
hawk watch until the smoke resolves, but who knows when it would.
Clear visibility was reduced to 0.2 Km except for the last hour when the
South and North Table Mountains were clear 6 Km away. There were light
winds from the ENE, and temperatures ranged from 19 to 37 degrees Celsius,
humidity in the 30s and cloud cover minimal.
Raptor Observations:
The first raptors aloft were two local RT at 9:38 AM DST which were
disappearing into the haze beyond Lookout Mountain 0.6 kilometers south of
us.
The first migrant was at 9:45 AM MST. Two other migrant RT, one of which
was an immature dark morph, and a TV were counted.
Non migrant raptor sightings: RT 9, including 5 together; an immature
female CH (large) which flew almost directly overhead, initially looked
like a migrant flying south, but dropped into the trees north of Lookout
Mountain; TV 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
The first paraglider at 9:38 AM DST had no lift whatsoever, couldn't even
reach our level. Another one at 11:00 AM had two people on board and got
about 200 feet above our level and then lost lift, descending.
Common Nighthawk 5, Mountain Bluebird 2, BTHU 2, SPTO 1, CORA 1, AMCR 1,
WBNU 1.
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Report submitted by Ajit Antony (<aiantony...>)
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