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 05, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 3 | 11 | 11 |
| 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 | 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: | 4 | 13 | 13 |
| Observation start time: | 08:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 12:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: | Liza Antony |
Visitors:
A hiker at the parking lot who was obviously a birder as well, likely having read our reports on COBirds the Colorado birding listserve, asked Liza about the hawk watch and why we were counting so early. Liza explained that we were trying to see if, based on our experience in fall 2025 at Dinosaur Ridge, whether Swainson's Hawk have a consistent early August migration. A number of hikers (10) stopped to ask about the hawk watch and they were interested in varying degrees. I explained about raptor migration south in fall and why, thermal formation and how raptors use them to conserve energy, flocking behavior of Broadwings and Swainson's hawk and the number we used to see at fall watches in New York, volunteer versus paid hawk watchers - in response to their many questions. One family lived only 40 minutes from Hawk Mountain and had never visited. I encouraged them to go in mid-September for the BW spectacle. A couple had 2 BE nests near their home in OK and said they went in a canoe and played a mating call. I explained they shouldn't do that during the breeding period. I explained how the Bird Conservation of the Rockies has a BEWatch monitoring around 175 nests along the front range, where we volunteer to monitor a nest during the breeding season.
Weather:
There was even more smoke from wildfires in western states over Denver than yesterday with a thick white-brownish pall 10 degrees above ground level which blotted downtown Denver out completely. The air quality was poor with <10 and <2.5 micrometer particulate matter in the air, so we wore masks to protect our lungs. I wondered whether to take a vacation from the hawk watch until the smoke resolves, but who knows when it would. Clear visibility was reduced to 0.2 Km except for the last hour when the South and North Table Mountains were clear 6 Km away. There were light winds from the ENE, and temperatures ranged from 19 to 37 degrees Celsius, humidity in the 30s and cloud cover minimal.
Raptor Observations:
The first raptors aloft were two local RT at 9:38 AM DST which were disappearing into the haze beyond Lookout Mountain 0.6 kilometers south of us. The first migrant was at 9:45 AM MST. Two other migrant RT, one of which was an immature dark morph, and a TV were counted. Non migrant raptor sightings: RT 9, including 5 together; an immature female CH (large) which flew almost directly overhead, initially looked like a migrant flying south, but dropped into the trees north of Lookout Mountain; TV 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
The first paraglider at 9:38 AM DST had no lift whatsoever, couldn't even reach our level. Another one at 11:00 AM had two people on board and got about 200 feet above our level and then lost lift, descending. Common Nighthawk 5, Mountain Bluebird 2, BTHU 2, SPTO 1, CORA 1, AMCR 1, WBNU 1.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
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