Golden, Greater Denver, Colorado, USA
To see hourly weather data and details of migrant raptors, look up this watch at hawkcount.org. 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 if you are interested. See https://groups.google.com/g/cobirds/c/Oznn4uc6MBk
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 10, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 270 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 30 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 31 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 2 | 53 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 8 | 296 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 109 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 10 | 103 | 791 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 194 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 10 | 42 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 12 | 157 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mississippi Kite | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Total: | 11 | 140 | 2027 |
| Observation start time: | 09:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Ajit Antony |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Many hikers from high school students to older couples asked the now standard question Are you bird watching? and I'd explain. Some wanted to know whether I was doing research or engaging in a hobby- my answer was Both. Two young women carrying babies in their backpacks asked many questions about the watch, was I doing for myself or for an organization - HMA, They asked about eagles. I told them about the Bald Eagle Watch of the Bird Conservation of the Rockies that I volunteer for and something like 175 nests along the Front Range that are monitored by them. Just then two adult RT flew up out of the Kestrel Channel and I could show them and demonstrate why it is so-named. A couple said that they saw a hawk on the trail coming up but they didn't know what it was. They said, I expect you can identify them, and I replied that I wouldn't be here if I couldn't. They hadn't heard of the Merlin app which I told them about and the man installed it on his phone immediately. Another couple wanted to know how far hawks migrate to, and I explained. I asked whether they had the Merlin app and both of them said they had it on their phones but they used it only for sound ID. I showed them how to look at look at the range maps for example RT, and how to use the photo ID and calls/songs. A woman hiker came up with a shining hula hoop which she twisted around her arms and body, but not using her hips. Another couple were afraid of turkey vultures eating their dogs! I explained that they were carrion eaters, and that the only way a TV would eat their dog is if they were dragging along a dead dog on a leash! They were reassured.
Weather:
A mild haze over Denver extending from NNE to SSW along low line areas. Excellent cloud cover with cirrus and cirrostratus, and by 11:30 a.m. a huge mountain wave/ Chinook Arch cloud overhead and slightly to the West of the watch giving a good backdrop to see hawks against - if there had been any. The Soaring Forecast had the Thermal Soaring Index as Fair, lift at 5 ft/sec, height of thermals by 1:45 p.m. of 4357 ft AGL which is 2,557 ft above the watch - because of the overcast sky. Because of this and low wind from the East I did not expect much of a count today.
Raptor Observations:
Except for the first migrant which was a female AK along the Kestrel Channel all of them were RT including a beautiful dark morph calurus/ Western RT at 12:35 p.m. which was so dark I initially thought it was a CORA as it looked black and top of its wings were extremely shiny like that corvid but I realized what it was using my scope and it had a red tail ruling out Harlan's. Most of the raptors were high or far at Level 5 height of flight - needing binoculars. Except for the last RT which is found far to the NW all the RT were found in relation to Lookout Mountain - using ridge lift since there were poor thermals today. There were very few hawks found in the last 3 hours when I saw only one migrant each hour , but I stayed to document that there were no late flights, lower. I scanned very high especially two and three binocular fields above Lookout Mountain without any great success. The west-based winds may have pushed migrants east of Denver, or they may have been beyond binocular range even with the excellent cloud cover, as I had seen hawks thermaling over Lookout Mountain after getting to the top using ridge lift. Non-migrant raptors: RT 2.
Non-raptor Observations:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S409619699 Four F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters flying in a variation of the finger-four formation coming from the direction of Buckley Space Force Base - thanks to Google Lens for the information.
Predictions:
There is a weak cold front going through Denver tonight so the next 2-3 days could be good for migrants, whatever is left for this season. Sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind 3-6 mph after 11:00 a.m. The winds aloft should be from the NW similar to today.
Report submitted by Ajit Antony (aiantony@earthlink.net)
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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