Date: 11/8/26 5:31 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (08 Nov 2026) 4 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: Nov 08, 2026
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Observation start time: 09:45:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 4.75 hours
Official Counter: Zak Hepler
Observers:
Visitors:
Many visitors to Mount Zion Hawk Watch today. I think this is due to the
beautiful weather. One couple from Austin correctly guessed that I was
"looking for hawks" because they "saw a hawk" on the way up. I told them
that they guessed correctly and they most likely saw the resident RT that
has been active today in the Kestrel Channel. Another group of young men
left trash at the top, after being there for an hour, and I requested that
they take it down with them. They complied. Another family, near the end of
the day, had an inquisitive child who is an intrinsic naturalist. He was
careful to notice the types of insects and rocks found at the watch. He
told his Mom to look at the neat "quartz" he found. His Mom kept calling it
"mica".
Weather:
Bright blue skies, with only a slight breeze, for the entirety of the stay.
Cirrus fibratus clouds began to form in the North around 12 PM. These are
the most 'common' of the cirrus forms of clouds. The slight breeze only
came from the East today. The brown haze known to be over Denver was
actually Northeast of downtown so I had clear sight all the way to DIA.
Even at the start of the watch. The temperature stayed mostly cool so there
was hardly any lift. The temperature did not get above 61F so the soaring
forecast from National Weather Service did not go into effect.
Raptor Observations:
The slowest day that I have yet had at Mount Zion. I had an exciting start
with the Sharp-shinned Hawk at 9:45 AM who seems to have been waiting for
me to set-up and get ready for the day. That was the only bird I saw until
11:05 AM. Between 11-12, I was able to see two RTHA migrants. The last of
the four migrants seen today was at 12:58 PM. That bird was also a RT. I
did not see any migrants for the last 90 mins of my watch.
Non-migrants observed: 1 GE, 5 RT
Bonus: A resident adult RT kept me company by perching, and actively
hunting, about 60 feet in front of me. The bird was even standing in the
tall grass like a Ferruginous. I was able to get a couple photos.
Final note: As the day progressed, and the migrant number did not, I had to
make sure I wasn't missing any overhead. There was not a single time today
where my binoculars picked up a migrant that I couldn't see by eye. The
type of blue sky today is some of the hardest conditions to look for
migrants because the birds seem to 'disappear'.
Non-raptor Observations:
Along with seeing, and hearing, the many Townsend's Solitaires, I was
treated to hearing, and seeing, some Red Crossbills (Type II). I have not
had those at Mount Zion yet so I was delighted.
A full list of birds can be found here:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S409148039
Predictions:
We can expect slightly warmer temperatures tomorrow. More of the expected
Eastern wind. There will be a bit more cloud cover, so the migrants might
be easier to spot!
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Report submitted by Zak Hepler (<zakhepler...>)
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