Date: 11/9/26 8:45 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (09 Nov 2026) 7 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 09, 2026
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Observation start time: 09:45:00
Observation end time: 14:15:00
Total observation time: 3.75 hours
Official Counter: Ajit Antony
Observers: Liza Antony
Visitors:
A CORA was flying close to the watch a little above eye level to the east
and a hiker said How beautiful, and remarked on its shiny plumage. I told
him that that's one of the identifying features compared to hawks. Just
then the adult RT which patrols the Kestrel Channel landed on a tree
downslope of us. I found it using my scope and invited him to look. He was
thrilled.
Weather:
At 9:45 a.m. there was a mild haze around Denver and a minimal brown cloud
just above the far horizon to the east but by 10:00 a.m. there was a
prominent brown cloud most prominent over the NE horizon. The Soaring
Forecast of the NWS had lift at 5 ft/sec with thermal height predicted at
4357 ft AGL which would make it 2557 ft above the watch i.e. a half mile
above us, but only by 1:45 p.m., indicating that before that thermals would
be even lower. This is caused by the subsidence inversion layer capping the
height of the thermals. In addition the winds aloft were from the South,
and together with no strong wind coming from the East that would not be any
significant ridge lift over Lookout Mountain. For all these reasons I did
not expect much of a migration today, and this was borne out, so on one
hand that was disappointed but on the other hand I was happy that I was
better understanding the meteorology and potential or not for a good
migration at this site.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant was only by 10:21 a.m. and was an RT.
Golden Eagles: 1. At 10:48 a.m. an adult GE flew from the south over
Lookout Mountain and went NE.
2. At 11:50 a.m. an adult GE was seen at the North end of Green Mountain
which began its territorial display flight, so we lookrd for another raptor
nearby, it dove and was lost. We then found it again and it migrated to the
SSE at 11:59 a.m.
3. At 11:53 a.m. we saw an adult GE over the radomes of Buckley SFB below
the far horizon, which migrated to the SE.
Non-migrant raptors: RT 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S409416148 A single paraglider at 1:39 p.m. had no lift at all, consistent with the
Soaring Forecast.
Predictions:
Partly sunny, with a high near 68. West wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as
high as 16 mph after 1:00 p.m.
The winds aloft at 700 hPa, the height at which hawks would migrate at are
going to be moderately strong c. 15 mph from the NW.
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Report submitted by Ajit Antony (<aiantony...>)
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