Date: 11/8/26 9:23 pm From: Ajit Antony <aiantony521...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (08 Nov 2026) 4 Raptors
Correction....Sorry, its Scott Severs who helped us count at the watch.
Ajit
On Sun, Nov 8, 2026, 6:31 PM <reports...> wrote:
> *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
> *Species* Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 0 0 270
> Osprey 0 1 30
> Bald Eagle 0 1 8
> Northern Harrier 0 2 31
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 2 53
> Cooper's Hawk 0 8 296
> American Goshawk 0 0 0
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 109
> Red-tailed Hawk 3 89 777
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Swainson's Hawk 0 0 194
> Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 3
> Golden Eagle 0 8 40
> American Kestrel 0 11 156
> Merlin 0 0 7
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 1
> Prairie Falcon 0 0 2
> Mississippi Kite 0 0 0
> Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 4
> Unknown Buteo 0 0 9
> Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
> Unknown Raptor 0 0 19
> *Total:* 4 122 2009
>
> 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!
>
> ------------------------------
> Report submitted by Zak Hepler (<zakhepler...>)
> More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile
> <https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=968>] [Day Summary
> <https://hawkcount.org/day_summary.php?rsite=968&ryear=2026&rmonth=11&rday=08>]
> [Month Summary
> <https://hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=968&ryear=2026&rmonth=11>]
>
> ------------------------------
>
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