Mount Lorette (28 Mar 2024) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 28, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 51 | 51 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 1436 | 1436 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 2 | 1511 | 1511 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 10:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 2.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
There were no visitors, and no one passed by during the count time.
Weather:
The temperature started around -1C and was 0C when the count was completed. The ground winds were low from the NE, but the ridge winds appeared to be strong. It was very cloudy with nimbostratus clouds and light snow – however the ridges remained clear until 10:15 am when the sky quickly became very dark and the mountains and ridges were completely obscured by dark cloud and the snowfall increased. The ground winds also increased significantly.
Raptor Observations:
Before the ridges were obscured, there were two brave adult golden eagles seen struggling along the western ridge – in and out of clouds. Before the weather took a turn, there was a local sub-adult golden eagle seen flying low through the valley. No other raptors were seen.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations included: 1 Norther Flicker, 6 Common Raven, 2 Black-Capped Chickadee, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 American Robin
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (27 Mar 2024) 44 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 27, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 51 | 51 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 41 | 1434 | 1434 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 44 | 1509 | 1509 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rosemary Power, Susan Wilberg |
Visitors:
About 12 people stopped to chat, and three came with binoculars to help spot.
Weather:
The starting temperature was -3C. It warmed up to 4C, and dropped to 1C by the end of the day. Initially the sky was half filled with fluffy white clouds drifting across the sky from west to east, with a layer of cirrus above, but the clouds gradually thickened and lowered and, while never completely covering the sky, dropped some snowflakes on us, and partially obscured the west ridge. Snow plumes on the east ridge indicated strong winds at that level from the west to southwest that continued all day. Ground winds were mostly light from a westerly direction with occasional gusts.
Raptor Observations:
The first two Golden Eagles were spotted before 0900. With the strong ridge winds, there was hope for substantial migration movement for the rest of the day, but there were few birds until late in the day. There were thick grey clouds blotting out the mountains to the south, which may have impacted the migration. 25 of the 41 Golden Eagles (26a, 1sa, 14u) were seen in the last three hours after the clouds had thinned and lifted a bit. Most were gliding high over the east ridge, but a few showed up on the west ridge. Three adult Bald Eagles were deemed to be migrants.
Non-migrant eagles were a bit problematic, as we needed to follow them to see if they would head north or not. One Golden Eagle crossed from west to east, and three were seen going from east to west, one of which did a display dive. The pair of Bald Eagles that have been hanging out in the area were seen again.
Non-raptor Observations:
The beautiful, sweet song of a Brown Creeper was heard while walking in to the site in the morning. In the evening there was a chorus of robins singing in trees along the river. Other birds were: Canada Goose 6, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 3, Mountain Chickadee 2, Boreal Chickadee 4, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Brown Creeper 1, American Robin 8, Red Crossbill 2
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (26 Mar 2024) 57 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 26, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 48 | 48 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 54 | 1393 | 1393 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 57 | 1465 | 1465 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Many thanks to Yumi and Cindy for visiting the site and assisting with spotting and location raptors.
Weather:
The day started at minus 8 C and increasing to a high of +3 C at 1700 hrs. The predominant ground winds were from the SW at 0-5 km/hr with occasional periods of 5-10 km/hr. The ridge winds were assessed as NE with speeds varying from low to medium. Cloud cover was 50 – 80 % cumulus, and both ridges were generally clear during the day
Raptor Observations:
Migration activity started slowly with the first migrant Golden Eagle at 0958 hrs and two in the next hour. After 1100 hrs, the hourly counts ranged from 5-10 Golden Eagles per hour. Aging was extremely difficult as most of the migrants flew very high and fast over Patrick. The monochrome gray sky made location detection extremely difficult. The count for the day was 54 Golden Eagles (28 Adult, 26 unaged), 2 Bald Eagle (Adult) and one undifferentiated Eagle. The resident Golden Eagle was observed over Nakiska ridge several times, and once made a circuit of the West to East ridges and back across the valley to the West ridges. At the end of the day, the resident Northern Goshawk flew through the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
California Gull x 40 Canada Goose x 75 Downy Woodpecker x 3 Hairy Woodpecker x 2 Northern Flicker x 1 Common Raven x 8 Black-capped Chickadee x 2 American Dipper x 1 European Starling x 1 American Robin x 10
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (25 Mar 2024) 51 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 25, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 46 | 46 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 50 | 1339 | 1339 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 51 | 1408 | 1408 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rick Robb |
Visitors:
There were quite a few people on the trail today, and about 20 stopped to ask about the eagles.
Weather:
It was -13C at the start of the count. The temperature rose to a maximum of 1C, and dropped to -4C at the end. Cloud cover ranged from 50% to 90%, initially cirrus and cirrostratus, and then slowly changing to mostly cumulus. Ground wind was light and variable in the morning, then building to knock-the-chairs-over strength (over 30kph) in the afternoon, from the northeast, giving a “feels like” temperature of a chilly -10C. The high cumulus clouds were moving from the northwest at a moderate speed, while the ridge winds were unknown until late in the day when snow plumes on McDougall indicated strong west to southwest winds at ridge level.
Raptor Observations:
The migrating birds were all over the place today. The movement started low on the west ridge in the early afternoon, then a couple were spotted high on the east ridge. Shortly after that a number were seen gliding high above the valley on the west side, apparently not using the ridge, and going north over Skogan Pass. Soon after that, a number were spotted coming from the east side of the valley and going over Skogan Pass. Spotting these high-flying birds was challenging, and aging them next to impossible. Later in the afternoon the west ridge became shrouded in mist, and the migration pattern settled into a more traditional pattern on the east ridge, with the height of flight gradually dropping as winds apparently died down, with the last few eagles barely getting above ridge level.
The totals were 50 Golden Eagles (28a, 4sa, 18u) and one adult Bald Eagle.
The presumed resident adult Golden Eagle was seen crossing the valley from west to east in the morning, an adult Bald Eagle was soaring above the river, and there were several sightings of one or two American Goshawks – all sightings presumed to be one of a pair that at one point were soaring together over Hummingbird Plume, not appearing to be migrating.
Non-raptor Observations:
The cold temperature seemed to put a damper on non-raptor activity. Not many other birds were seen: Hairy Woodpecker 1, Canada Jay 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 8, Black-capped Chickadee 2, European Starling 5, American Robin 8
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (24 Mar 2024) 158 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 6 | 45 | 45 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 150 | 1289 | 1289 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 158 | 1357 | 1357 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
30 visitors stopped to talk. Thanks to Jim, Chris, Isaiah, and one other person for helping to spot migrants!
Weather:
The temperature was -10 C at the beginning of observation, it warmed to -1 in the afternoon, then fell to -3 by the end. Ground wind was from the NW, usually below 10 km/hr with some gusts between 10 and 20. Ridge wind was from the N-NE, 40 km/h or lower. Until 2 PM Low cumulus cloud covered most of the west ridges and part of the east ridges. Cloud cover in the sky varied between 10 and 30%. There was no precipitation.
Raptor Observations:
The count for the day was 150 Golden Eagles (94 adults, 6 sub-adults, 50 unaged), 6 Bald Eagles (5 adults & 1 sub-adult), 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, and 1 Red-tailed Hawk. Almost half of them passed in two hours between 12:45 PM and 2:45 PM. Movement was slower but steady after that. Until 4 PM almost all of them were on the western ridges and over the west side of the valley, where backlit conditions made ageing difficult. Between 4 and 5 PM migrants were spotted on both ridges. After 5 they had transitioned to the eastern ridges, where they usually flew low, passing in front of or behind the Fisher Range.
Local raptors included one Golden Eagle that was soaring around the southern flank of Olympic Summit before flying south, one adult Bald Eagle, and one adult American Goshawk doing a display flight over the west side of the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 30 White-headed gull sp. flying high over the Fisher Range, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 7 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Boreal Chickadees, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 3 American Robins, and 1 Song Sparrow. 7 White-tailed deer were also seen.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (23 Mar 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 23, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 39 | 39 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1139 | 1139 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 0 | 1199 | 1199 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 10:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 1.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
No visitors today.
Weather:
The forecast was not looking great but we ventured to the site. Unfortunately both the ridges were completely covered by low thick clouds and the forecast did not seem to offer improvement for the rest of the day, so the count was ended early.
Raptor Observations:
The ridges were entirely obscured but there was one local bald eagle flying low over the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
There were some active passerines in the valley: 2 Black-Capped Chickadees, 12 Starlings, 2 Common Merganser
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (22 Mar 2024) 36 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 39 | 39 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 23 | 1139 | 1139 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 6 | 11 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 36 | 1199 | 1199 |
| Observation start time: | 10:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch, Rosemary Power |
| Observers: | Annie Finch, Caroline Lambert, Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
We had no visitors other than a scheduled school group in the early afternoon and a few intrepid cross country skiers who didnât break while stride gliding by.
Weather:
The morning started out at -5°C, rose to -4°C by noon, and fell back down to -5°C by 6 pm. Clouds obscured most of the ridges all day; most raptors were spotted higher up over the valley or low in front of the Bumps or Patrick. The poor light (during peak movement) and visual interference from the falling snow made aging challenging at times. Despite the sky above occasionally revealing blue sky, it snowed the whole time we were at the site. Cold NE winds blew steadily up river.
Raptor Observations:
The beginning of the count was delayed today by road and weather conditions. The peak of migrant activity today was in the 2 oâclock hour when 14 raptors were observed moving north; the following hours produced 9 and then 8. As the weather improved through the afternoon the movement of raptors dwindled to nothing. A total of 36 migrant raptors were recorded.
Migrant Eagles
23 Golden Eagles: 17a, 6u 4 Bald Eagles: 3a, 1sa 6 Undifferentiated Eagles
Migrant Raptors
1 Rough-legged Hawk (dark morph) 2 Undifferentiated Buteos
Non-migrant Raptors
Two Golden Eagles appeared repeatedly over the south flank of Olympic Summit in the afternoon; it was unclear whether their lingering was due to the cloud-shrouded western ridges or if they are the returning resident pair. Another odd couple has been observed at the site for the past three days. Two Bald Eagles, an adult and an immature, kept us on our toes all day. The immature bird is very dark, with white axillaries only visible under optimal conditions. This bird further confounded by presenting with a light carpal bar. It also appears to be moulting.
Non-raptor Observations:
25 European Starlings Black cap chickadee Mountain Chickadee 1 Common Raven
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
