Date: 8/22/26 5:31 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [cobirds] Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park (22 Aug 2026) 27 Raptors
Mount Zion Hawk Watch at Windy Saddle Park
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 22, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 12:00:00
Total observation time: 4 hours
Official Counter: Ajit Antony
Observers:
Visitors:
7 different hikers had various questions for me. Fantastic and cool were
some of the comments when I explained what I was doing.
Weather:
The usual haze of wildfire smoke over Denver. I looked up why it was so
every morning but cleared up later. A temperature inversion traps the smoke
over Denver early in the morning but as the sun hits the ground and warms
it, as the hot air rises, it dilutes the smoke as fresh air blows in from
the East, as well as wind blowing the smoke away. Sunny and cloudless
initially with increasing cloud cover, mainly cumulus from the West. Very
light winds from the East changing to stronger winds from the ESE, the
winds aloft being N>NE. In the last hour as predicted dark rain clouds
moved in from the West, with thunder and rain falling from the clouds to
the NW. I left when my app showed lightning strikes 9.5 miles away, and
when I got to my car they were only 5.5 miles away.
Raptor Observations:
After my enforced stint of counting at Lookout Mountain yesterday since
Lookout Mountain Road was closed at both ends, I have a changed mindset - I
assume every raptor I see is a potential migrant unless I can prove it is
not. I have more confidence that most raptors I see are indeed migrants,
nor do I worry about not seeing many birds fly north to south over the
horizon, except at the 3 antenna of Lookout Mountain, and this correlates
well with where we found migrant raptors in Fall 2025 at Dinosaur Ridge,
i.e. along the western ridge which is where migrants would go after passing
East of Lookout Mountain.
Non-migrant raptors: Prairie Falcon 1. Adult GE 2 one of which flew
directly below the watch to the east and I could see its dorsal primaries
reflecting/refracting a bluish light! Immature CH flew low over the watch,
going north. RT 10, TV 5. An RT dove on a TV.
Non-raptor Observations:
9 paragliders starting around 10:30 a.m. DST with good lift.
BGGN 1, STJA 1, CONI 8, BTHU 1, SPTO 1, NOFL 1, VGSW 2, CORA 2.
Predictions:
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly
sunny, with a high near 92. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming
northeast in the afternoon. The winds aloft are predicted to be SW changing
to NW
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Report submitted by Ajit Antony (<aiantony...>)
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