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 14, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 18 | 18 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 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: | 7 | 28 | 28 |
| Observation start time: | 08:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 11:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: | Liza Antony |
Visitors:
An older man, a runner from Denver who had lived in Massachusetts for 50 years and back here for 2 years was interested whether we were looking at birds and raptors. He said he loved birds, but was not aware of DFO. I suggested he join, telling him of the 200-250 birding trips every year, possibly the highest of any bird club in the country.
Weather:
We had 8 hours of fine misty rain yesterday which should have washed all the smoke out of the air, but it looked the same as 2 days ago at the watch, presumably new smoke was able to flow in with a thick gray brownish layer over Denver more to the north than the South. Winds as usual from the ENE because of local causes, though the winds aloft up to 0.5 miles above the watch (750 hPa) predicted by earth.nullschool.net were initially from the West, then WSW, and finally from the SW. Mostly sunny, cooler after a front went through, with cumulus and altocumulus clouds, and cumulus congestus from the west later on, with a prediction of rain and thunderstorms by 2:00 p.m. Such weather is common daily in Denver between May and August related to warm air moving NW from the Palmer Divide meeting cooler air coming down from the mountains.
Raptor Observations:
The first local raptor was an an Rt at 958 a.m. DST . The first migrant raptor was an AK at 10:02 a.m. DST. . Non-migrant Raptors: RT , TV.
Non-raptor Observations:
Common Nighthawk 15 (migrants, as they are normally crepuscular, they were flying to the SW and WSW, and mid-August is when they begin migration), Rock Wren 1, GTTO 2, MOBL 3, BTHU 1, SPTO 1, VGSW 1, WTSW 1, CORA 5. The initial paragliders at 10:18 a.m. DST did not have any lift not even reaching our level, the ones at 10:47 a.m. had a little lift and the last ones at 11:41 a.m. had extremely good lift going many hundreds of feet above us, traveling both North and South.
Predictions:
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Light and variable wind becoming ENE 5-7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Zak, we will be at the watch both Saturday and Sunday, at least until the rain / thunderstorms reach us.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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