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 24, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 3 | 34 | 34 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 7 | 63 | 63 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 2 | 16 | 16 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 14 | 128 | 128 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 12:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
A hiker stopped and asked what I was looking at, and I explained. He was from CT and live near the Chestnut Ridge Hawk Watch. He said he took pictures with his camera and use AI to identify them. I suggested the Merlin app and suggested he go on DFO trips and after a long chat, as he left he confirmed that it was called DFO. Two women stopped and asked whether I got good photographs. I explained I was counting migrating raptors going south. They wanted to know how far hawks migrated, and when I said some of them, SW go down to Argentina they were truly amazed. They wanted to know the species and I told then we could see around 16 species here, and I try to separate them where I can into adults versus immature and males versus females where plumages are different, and I gave the example of a Kestrel, and they want to know how males and females differ, and I explained about the coverts. I asked if they like birds, and they said Yes. I suggested the Merlin app explaining all its features, and one of them downloaded it right there. One of them showed me a photograph taken at her house which she thought was a teenager. It was a LEGO, which I showed them on the Merlin app, and played the call for them. They said they were going to Peru next month and it would come in handy. I explained that they would have to load a bird pack for Peru. As they left, one of them said You're wonderful.
Weather:
Denver was in a haze of wildfire smoke, though DIA was visible to the naked eye. The air was very clear, the clearest I have seen this month. Winds were from the West, then the east, though the winds aloft were predicted from the north. Abundant cloud cover mainly altocumulus, with the usual buildup of cumulus clouds from the West later on. Initially, there was a huge cloud to the east covering the sun, which made a pleasure climbing up to the watch, in that for the first day I was not sweaty reaching the top, and it was actually slightly cool.
Raptor Observations:
The first raptor in the air was a non-migrant RT at 9:07 a.m. DST. The first migrant was a juvenile SW at 9:40 a.m. DST which came from the Northeast and went up Clear Creek Canyon just to the north of and below the watch, followed 4 minutes later by an adult SW which was initially seen above North Table Mountain and followed the same route but at eye level. The 3rd migrant in the first hour, an AK female went through the 'Kestrel Channel' which is to the East and below the watch, then catching a ridge lift on the north face of Lookout Mountain, going past it. In the 11:00 MST hour, I found that raptors used a different flight path, from the top of the easternmost antenna, they would fly south, gaining height progressively until they disappeared over Lookout Mountain at a variable area east of the westernmost antenna which has all the drums on it. Non-migrant raptors: SS 1, CH 2 one of which flew along the Kestrel Channel, RT 3, TV 7.
Non-raptor Observations:
BGGN 1, WTSW 5, CHSP 1, VGSW 2, MOCH 1, SPTO 1, CORA 4, AMCR 1.
Predictions:
Similar to today with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. The winds aloft are predicted to be light, from the NW>NNW>N>NE.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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