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 state's second spring watch site. Many raptors seen c. 1.5 miles to the West from Dinosaur Ridge, may be directly overhead at this site, we are hoping. 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.
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 07, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 8 | 40 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 3 | 30 | 99 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 12:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Weather:
Light to moderate winds from the ESE changing to East, which corresponded to the forecast. However earth.nullschool.net predicted winds aloft up to 2,000 ft above the watch from the NW at 6 km/h. There was some haze West of Denver, but to the SW Mount Blue Sky was clear at 39 km.
Raptor Observations:
The adult BE at 11:36 a.m. MDT was joined in a thermal to the SE by a TV which circled with it for a while, then flew South, while the BE soared to the North. Non-migrant raptors: TV at 10:12, 10:22 a.m.,12:16 and 12:28 p.m.. RT 4 going south , seen at the East end of Lookout Mountain including one which landed on one of the towers. The past few years when I helped count at Dinosaur Ridge I wondered whether we were missing raptors somewhat West of the Western Ridge which many raptors seemed to follow. My reason for the exploratory count at Mount Zion this spring was to test out the hypothesis that a small number followed that further West route, in which case they would show up over the Western end of Lookout Mountain, and as a side benefit these migrants would be seen fairly low over Mount Zion. The past week has shown me that there is not an excess of migrant raptors following this route, comparing Mount Zion numbers with Dinosaur Ridge. Some GE, an OS did come low past the watch from directly South or SSW, not documented in the same hour at Dinosaur Ridge.
Non-raptor Observations:
Western Bluebird 1 flyover, Townsend's Solitaire 1, mule deer 1.
Predictions:
I will be counting next at this site sometime in August, either the middle or last week depending on the winds, for the beginning of the fall migration to catch early Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawk.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
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