Date: 11/10/26 5:59 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (10 Nov 2026) 11 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 10, 2026
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Observation start time: 09:45:00
Observation end time: 15:15:00
Total observation time: 5.5 hours
Official Counter: Ajit Antony
Observers:
Visitors:
Many hikers from high school students to older couples asked the now
standard question Are you bird watching? and I'd explain. Some wanted to
know whether I was doing research or engaging in a hobby- my answer was
Both. Two young women carrying babies in their backpacks asked many
questions about the watch, was I doing for myself or for an organization -
HMA, They asked about eagles. I told them about the Bald Eagle Watch of the
Bird Conservation of the Rockies that I volunteer for and something like
175 nests along the Front Range that are monitored by them. Just then two
adult RT flew up out of the Kestrel Channel and I could show them and
demonstrate why it is so-named. A couple said that they saw a hawk on the
trail coming up but they didn't know what it was. They said, I expect you
can identify them, and I replied that I wouldn't be here if I couldn't.
They hadn't heard of the Merlin app which I told them about and the man
installed it on his phone immediately. Another couple wanted to know how
far hawks migrate to, and I explained. I asked whether they had the Merlin
app and both of them said they had it on their phones but they used it only
for sound ID. I showed them how to look at look at the range maps for
example RT, and how to use the photo ID and calls/songs. A woman hiker came
up with a shining hula hoop which she twisted around her arms and body, but
not using her hips. Another couple were afraid of turkey vultures eating
their dogs! I explained that they were carrion eaters, and that the only
way a TV would eat their dog is if they were dragging along a dead dog on a
leash! They were reassured.
Weather:
A mild haze over Denver extending from NNE to SSW along low line areas.
Excellent cloud cover with cirrus and cirrostratus, and by 11:30 a.m. a
huge mountain wave/ Chinook Arch cloud overhead and slightly to the West of
the watch giving a good backdrop to see hawks against - if there had been
any.
The Soaring Forecast had the Thermal Soaring Index as Fair, lift at 5
ft/sec, height of thermals by 1:45 p.m. of 4357 ft AGL which is 2,557 ft
above the watch - because of the overcast sky. Because of this and low wind
from the East I did not expect much of a count today.
Raptor Observations:
Except for the first migrant which was a female AK along the Kestrel
Channel all of them were RT including a beautiful dark morph calurus/
Western RT at 12:35 p.m. which was so dark I initially thought it was a
CORA as it looked black and top of its wings were extremely shiny like that
corvid but I realized what it was using my scope and it had a red tail
ruling out Harlan's.
Most of the raptors were high or far at Level 5 height of flight - needing
binoculars. Except for the last RT which is found far to the NW all the RT
were found in relation to Lookout Mountain - using ridge lift since there
were poor thermals today. There were very few hawks found in the last 3
hours when I saw only one migrant each hour , but I stayed to document that
there were no late flights, lower. I scanned very high especially two and
three binocular fields above Lookout Mountain without any great success.
The west-based winds may have pushed migrants east of Denver, or they may
have been beyond binocular range even with the excellent cloud cover, as I
had seen hawks thermaling over Lookout Mountain after getting to the top
using ridge lift.
Non-migrant raptors: RT 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S409619699 Four F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters flying in a variation of the
finger-four formation coming from the direction of Buckley Space Force Base
- thanks to Google Lens for the information.
Predictions:
There is a weak cold front going through Denver tonight so the next 2-3
days could be good for migrants, whatever is left for this season.
Sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind 3-6 mph after 11:00 a.m.
The winds aloft should be from the NW similar to today.
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Report submitted by Ajit Antony (<aiantony...>)
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