Date: 10/28/26 7:05 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (28 Oct 2026) 18 Raptors
Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park
Golden, Greater Denver, Colorado, USA
To see hourly weather data and details of migrant raptors, look up this watch at hawkcount.org.
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 if you are interested.
See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2026
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 4 hours
Official Counter: Ajit Antony
Observers: Liza Antony
Visitors:
A hiker expressed surprise that we were still counting, as he had been here
before. He asked about thermals and I explained ridge lift that the hawks
were using today. I showed him a GE flying next to one of the antenna on
Lookout Mountain and he could see it without binoculars. I pointed my scope
at the GE and an RT close by and he said that was the most thrilling part
of his hike!
I was able to show 2 other hikers a perched RT on a tree in the Kestrel
Channel, then 2 RT which circled and rose very close to the watch, and
showed them how to tell adult versus juvenile using the tail color.
Weather:
A slight haze at the bases of the buildings of downtown Denver, excellent
cirrus clouds to the east to 40� above the horizon and altostratus over
Lookout Mountain to the South.
By 10:43 a.m. an SS which rose out of the Kestrel Channel we could see
using a moderately strong thermal to rise quite high before moving south.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant was a CH at 10:22 a.m. MDT.
At 10:35 a.m. Liza said that there were 2 Ravens over Green Mountain and
when I looked one of them looked like a buteo, and at the same time she
said no they're buteos. Through my scope they were Golden Eagles, one
having escorted the migrant, turned back North.
Today was the day for Golden Eagles - 4 migrants at 10:35 a.m., 10:40 a.m.,
10:44 a.m., and 10:53 a.m. and 3 locals, 6 adult, one too far to tell. More
migrants used Lookout Mountain than over the Table Mountains and to the
east.
The 1st hour we had 7 migrants, 1 in the next hour so we scanned with
binoculars much higher using the good cloud cover but could not find any
high migrants, 7 more in the next hour and 3 in the last hour.
Non-migrant hawks: RT 5 sightings.
Non-raptor Observations:
Paragliders started at 1:18 p.m. and consistent with the Soaring Forecast
of the NWS of lift at 6 ft/sec and height of thermals of 5257 ft AGL by
12:45 p.m. - 3,500 ft above the watch- 10 flew very high until they were
not visible with the naked eye.
Monarch butterfly 1.
Predictions:
Sunny, with a high near 62. Good cloud cover. Calm wind becoming east
around 6 mph in the afternoon.
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Report submitted by Ajit Antony (<aiantony...>)
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