Thursday, 13 August 2026
[cobirds] Larimer and Weld
I ran my shrike route today just to get out of the apartment. Here are some random observations.
Hamilton Reservoir Overlook
Black Tern (estimate 45)
No loons or grebes that I could see
Chipping Sparrows (molt migrants, flying over the parking area n to s)
Vesper Sparrow (1 along res shore below the Overlook)
Rattlesnake warning signs (at least 3)
No rattlesnakes (still have never see one here, although it does look perfect for them)
Shark? (an occasional large dorsal fin appears out of the water from one of the Asian Grass Carp introduced to eat algae, some of which are over 4 feet long and reportedly weigh 100 lbs!)
Larimer CR5 from Buckeye Road north to CR92
Lark Buntings (small groups roaming around)
Sage Thrasher (3)
Loggerhead Shrike (1)
Weld CR122 from US85 e to CR37
Sage Thrasher (3)
Loggerhead Shrike (1)
Weld CR37 from 122 s to 114
Sage Thrasher (2)
Cassin’s Sparrow (1)
Western Kingbird (a few)
Western Wood-Pewee (1 on fence, obvious bird on the move)
Common Nighthawk (10+ cruising low over the saltbush prairie)
Lark Bunting (a few)
Loggerhead Shrike (3)
Saw four fresh items impaled near where I saw a pair of adult shrikes (thinking about a second brood?);
From left to right: pallid-winged grasshopper (Trimerotropis pallidipennis); a scarab (Orizabus pyriformis); many-lined skink (Eumeces multivirgatus) and two-striped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivitattus)
Crom Lake (west of Pierce on Weld CR31 s of CR90
Very high water, both sides, very few birds, nothing noteworthy
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
[cobirds] Evening Grosbeaks in Larimer County
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Wednesday, 12 August 2026
[cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (12 Aug 2026) 2 Raptors
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 12, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 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 | 21 | 21 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 11:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 2 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Weather:
Smoke still blanketed Denver. At the watch the winds were from the ENE caused by local factors related to Denver, though the winds aloft (using the earth.nullschool.net app) at 700 hPa corresponding to an elevation of 10,000 ft above sea level at which level raptors could be flying- the watch is at 7062 ft MSL - showed the winds coming directly from the north, an infrequent wind in fall according to my meteorology mentor in Denver, Bryan Guarante, and which usually brings rain and thunderstorms. On the other hand the clouds were moving towards the NNE, and checking the app at 500 hPa corresponding to an elevation of 6,500 to 23,000 ft AGL the predicted winds were from the WSW to ENE which is pretty close. Good altocumulus cloud cover 30-45-75%, and in the last 30 minutes dark clouds were moving in from the West with distant thunder which came closer. I checked the My Lightning app and there were lightning strikes 11.5 mi away near Floyd Hill to the West. With the winds I thought the strikes made pass north of the watch, but there were other lightning strikes reported SW of the watch which would bring them directly over the watch, so I left. 10 minutes later when I checked, there were lightning strikes only 5 miles from the watch!
Raptor Observations:
Yay! While watching a local male AK chasing a local CH I had our first migrant Swainson's Hawk at 11:38 a.m. DST, directly overhead, visible to the unaided eye, confirmed with my spotting scope to be an adult. Most Swainson's Hawk being plains birds migrate along a broad front through the plains of Montana, Wyoming and Eastern Colorado and only a minority presumably use the ridges of the foothills of the Rockies. https://explorer.audubon.org/explore/species/945/swainson-hawk/migration?sidebar=collapse&zoom=3.2899200469427674&x=-1598836.5949261608&y=2080827.7100144234&range=0.8204%2C0.8404 A CH migrating at 10:20 a.m. DST. Non-migrant Raptors: 4 RT at 10:14 a.m. DST, TV 5.
Non-raptor Observations:
Rock Wren 1, MOBL 1, CORA 3 with two of them at one point chasing an adult TV. A single paraglider at 10:56 a.m. who had good lift, so should the raptors using this area.
Predictions:
A slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 3pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. High near 80. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. I have a mid-morning meeting every Thursday, and had thought of coming after that except for the showers and thunderstorms by noon, so I will not likely watch tomorrow.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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Tuesday, 11 August 2026
[cobirds] Re: Incredible sighting
Hello
I was at my Cabin in Estes Park and captured this white magpie. Thought I should share. Thank you.
Danielle Menapace
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Monday, 10 August 2026
[cobirds] Incredible sighting
Hello I was at my Cabin in Estes Park and captured this white magpie. Thought I should share. Thank you. Danielle Menapace -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate. * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/9833B947-3ED0-47F4-92F8-A343415AE776%40gmail.com.
Sent from my iPhone -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate. * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/9833B947-3ED0-47F4-92F8-A343415AE776%40gmail.com.
[cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (10 Aug 2026) Raptors
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 10, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 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: | 0 | 19 | 19 |
| Observation start time: | 09:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
A few visitors were interested in what I was doing. 2 young women asked which hawks I was looking for when I told them I was looking for migrating Raptors, and when I said I could see up to 14 species their comment was That's really cool. A man with his 4-year-old daughter had a picnic on the rocks at the watch. Talking to him it turned out that until the age of 4 he lived in Cornwall on Hudson, only a mile from where I lived for 38 years! Thereafter he lived in Highland Falls which is the town next to the West Point Military Academy where his father was a professor. A man with his family found a raptor overhead, he was puzzling what it was, I was able to tell him it was a CH, I also pointed out to distant RT over Lookout Mountain which they enjoyed looking at.
Weather:
The winds were initially from the West, turning to NNW with gusts from the NE, the local winds we usually get in the afternoon. Heavy cloud cover, Altocumulus. Minimally less smoke than 2 days ago to the point that Denver could barely be seen and by the 2:00 p.m. DST hour I could actually see the buildings of downtown Denver with my binoculars and all of the area east of Denver including the radomes of Buckley AFB and even the airport at 39 km without binoculars, none of which I have been able to see since August 1st. By the end of the watch dark clouds came in. My MyLightning app showed lightning to the South 56 miles away, but when I heard a roll of thunder, I got off the mountain as soon as I could. In the morning I thought that we needed a good rain to wash out the smoke from the atmosphere. PM 10 was 'good' while PM 2.5 was moderate and ground level ozone was at a moderate level.
Raptor Observations:
With mainly West Winds which are inimical to raptor migration in this area, I counted no migrants today, but plenty of local raptor activity to keep me busy. Non-migrant Raptors: juvenile GE to the NW low over the ridges; CH 1-3 once seen close up with a bluish back, an adult male; RT 6; TV 7 together.
Non-raptor Observations:
ROWR 1, WTSW 2, VGSW 5, WBNU 1, MOBL 2, HAWO 1, CORA 3, AMCR 4.
Predictions:
Local forecast for Golden Colorado: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. West wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. earth.nullschool.net predicts light NNW winds changing to NE winds, aloft.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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