Golden, Greater Denver, Colorado, USA
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. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk
| Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 04, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 2 | 9 | 9 |
| Observation start time: | 08:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 11:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: | Liza Antony |
Visitors:
6 hikers were curious as to what we were looking at and we explained.
Weather:
A cold front had gone through last evening and it was cooler and pleasant, the temperatures ranging from 64 to 73�F, light winds from the East, and low humidity. However there was more smoke in the air from wildfires than the last 3 days reducing clear visibility to 0.3 km.. When we got on to I-70 on our way to the watch, the Rocky Mountains could not be seen at all 18 miles away, whereas it is usually easily and clearly visible with no smoke. Particulate matter PM 10 and 2.5 were elevated in Denver but at the there was no particulate matter but there was a moderate amount of ground level ozone at 51 AQI, so we wore N95 masks, as I looked up and found out that ozone can reach 1000-3,000 ft above ground level and in the afternoon can even go as high as the troposphere which at Golden CO would be 5.8 to 6.9 miles high. Denver was blocked out by the smoke as long as we observed.
Raptor Observations:
Swainson's Hawk 4, the first ones seen this fall season at the watch, seen over the West end of Lookout Mountain to the South, and two of them with my 'scope could be identified as adults, but they progressively flew to the NW -either a family group or pre-migratory flocking, or even possibly migrants looking for a thermal. Migrant RT and an AK today. Non-migratory Raptors: TV 4, RT 8, CH 1. The first raptor aloft was a local TV at 9:48 a.m. DST low over the trees over Lookout Mountain. The first migrant was an RT at 9:10 a.m. MST High over Lookout Mountain, and the AK found moderately high to the east went through at 9:39 a.m.
Non-raptor Observations:
The first 3 paraglider were at 10:08 a.m. DST and had not much lift, not reaching our eye level. At 11:45 a.m. 2 others had the same issues but one was able to go perhaps 200 ft higher, then dropping. This, of course has implications for raptor migration. Red Crossbills 2, Red -breasted Nuthatch 1, Violet-green Swallow 5, Common Nighthawk 5, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, American Crow 3, Common Raven 9, Spotted Towhee 2.
Predictions:
Patchy smoke before 9am. Sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
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