2024 Fall Count
The Fall 2024 Migration Count runs from September 20 to November 15 with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily. If interested in visiting the site we suggest that you visit after 3pm. We see the majority of migrating eagles later in the afternoon. This is the 32rd year of vigilant recording. Observation map. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.
See the Fall Count 2024 Daily Summaries
Mount Lorette (15 Nov 2024) 14 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 5 | 44 | 119 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Golden Eagle | 8 | 184 | 2791 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 14 | 234 | 3115 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis, Sofia Preece |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
28 people stopped to talk.
Weather:
The temperature was 0 C at the start of observation, it rose to a high of 4, then fell to 3 as we were leaving. Ground wind was usually light from the SW with occasional gusts around 15 km/h. Ridge wind was from the SW-SSW with gusts reaching 34. In the morning cloud cover was 100% cumulus and stratus, which gradually decreased to 20% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus.
Raptor Observations:
Raptors on this last day of the 2024 fall count included 8 Golden Eagles (6 adults & 2 unaged), 5 Bald Eagles (4 adults & 1 juvenile), and 1 adult American Goshawk. Migrants passed by slowly throughout the day the day, with a peak of 5 between 11 AM and 12 PM. Most of them were relatively low over the east ridges, though a few used the west earlier in the day. No non-migrant raptors were observed.
Non-raptor Observations:
25 Canada Geese, 2 Cackling/Canada Geese (In a flock of Canada Geese flying over. They had noticeably shorter necks than the other geese, but their bodies didn’t seem any smaller. They were too far away to see bill size.), 3 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 20 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 2 Boreal Chickadees, 60 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Pine Grosbeak, 30 Redpolls, 1 Pine Siskin, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 6 White-tailed Deer, and 1 Bighorn Sheep.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (14 Nov 2024) 7 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 39 | 114 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 176 | 2783 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 7 | 220 | 3101 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.95 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
14 of the passers by stopped to talk.
Weather:
Overall it was a dark and gloomy day with some snow flurries. The temperature started out at 3C, rose to 6C, and was back at 3C by the end of the day. Ground winds were mostly light from the west to southwest with a few chilly gusts. Ridge winds were unremarkable, staying in the range 20-40kph with gusts up to 69, mostly from the southwest. Upper winds were moderate, bringing in the snow flurries from the west. There was very little blue sky to be seen. The west ridge was never completely free of clouds, and both ridges started disappearing around 3pm. The entire valley was engulfed in cloud for about an hour, with light snow that didn’t settle. We decided to wait out the snow; the east ridge cleared up as we were packing up to leave, and our patience was rewarded with a late Golden Eagle.
Raptor Observations:
The first Golden Eagle appeared low on Patrick before 10am and flapped its way along the ridge below ridge level. Subsequent eagles all managed to fly above the east ridge, but not too high. The last one was about 20 minutes before sunset. The totals were 6 Golden Eagles (3a, 3u), and one juvenile Bald Eagle.
One adult Bald Eagle flew low up the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were: Common Merganser 22 (flying high to the south), Northern Pygmy-Owl 1, Canada Jay 4, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 8, Boreal Chickadee 1, chickadee sp. 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, American Dipper 1, Bohemian Waxwing 30, Pine Grosbeak 1, Redpoll 1
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (13 Nov 2024) 4 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 13, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 38 | 113 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Golden Eagle | 3 | 170 | 2777 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 4 | 213 | 3094 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Sandy Graham |
Visitors:
9 people stopped for a chat.
Weather:
The temperature rose from a morning low of 3C to 6C at 1300. Ground winds were S-W moderate and ridge winds were SW strong. Cloud cover was 100% nimbostratus and stratocumulus with light snow until 09:30 becoming 80% nimbostratus and stratocumulus with some weak sun by 13:00. Western ridges were partially obscured during the count time. The count ended at 13:00.
Raptor Observations:
Only 4 raptors were seen between 11:45 and 12:10, 3 Golden Eagles (2a, 1sa) and 1 adult Bald Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
2 Canada Jays, 6 Common Ravens, 50 Bohemian Waxwings.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (12 Nov 2024) 12 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 12, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 37 | 112 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Golden Eagle | 10 | 167 | 2774 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 12 | 209 | 3090 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
The first two groups of people were hikers, but then a number of families came by, as it is a school holiday. About 40 people stopped to talk about the count.
Weather:
The day started out mostly clear with a few cumulus clouds, but the clouds gradually built up until at the end of the day most of the valley was covered in low stratus cloud, the west ridge was almost completely obscured, and a few flakes of snow were falling. The temperature started at 3C, rose to 5C, and fell to 4C at the end. Ground winds started out low, became moderate, and were calm at the end of the day. Ridge winds started out strong, above 80 kph from the southwest, but gradually diminished throughout the day, down to about 30 kph from the southwest. Upper winds appeared to be moderate from the west.
Raptor Observations:
With the strong ridge winds early in the day, expectations were high for early sightings, but nothing was seen until almost noon. Migrants were sparse, although there was a late afternoon rush of 3 in the last half hour when it was too dark to make out any details for aging. All migrants were seen on the east ridge, gliding along at a moderate speed, some quite high, and some low. The totals were 10 Golden Eagles (5a, 5u) and two adult Bald Eagles.
Only two non-migrant raptors were seen – two adult Bald Eagles circling together low over the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were also sparse – 2 Canada Jays, about 5 Common Ravens, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 15 Bohemian Waxwings, and a couple of Redpolls.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (11 Nov 2024) 13 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 35 | 110 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Golden Eagle | 11 | 157 | 2764 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 13 | 197 | 3078 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
The site was buzzing with activity all day. More than 70 people stopped by to chat including Mike Gibeau, Cindy Kelly, and Sage. We also had the delight of meeting Andrew and Baxter, the most stylish Yorkipoo I’ve ever seen, sporting his designer hoodie.
Weather:
Rain threatened from the west all day and wind-blown droplets sprinkled the valley at intervals. A very warm 6 C was the temperature at the onset of the count. The reading for most of the day was 8 C, reaching 9 C between 13:00 and 15:00. Strong winds blew from the SW at about 20-30 Km/h all day with very strong gusts, some up to 60 Km/h. Ridge winds were very strong reaching up to 131 Km/h with gusts up to 159 Km/h. Cloud coverage ranged from 80 – 100% and consisted mainly of a combination of cumulus and cirrostratus. One large lenticular cloud formed to the north around 13:00 but had dissipated by 15:00.
Raptor Observations:
Once again, the eagles chose the eastern ridges as their preferred route. Some came in low and flapped their way up to incredible heights in no time, while others glided high above the ridges. The final count was 11 Golden Eagles (5 adults, 1 subadult, 5 unaged) and 2 adult Bald Eagles.
Non-raptor Observations:
A song Sparrow was still lingering at the site. A bright white object in the trees across the river turned out to be the head of a Bald Eagle. It perched in the tree for quite a while before taking off to the north. Other birds included 40 Bohemian Waxwings, 2 Canada Jays, 3 Pine Grosbeaks. 1 American Dipper, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Belted King Fisher, 10 Ravens (many in courtship flights),
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (10 Nov 2024) 19 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 10, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 7 | 33 | 108 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Golden Eagle | 11 | 146 | 2753 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 19 | 184 | 3065 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
19 people stopped to talk. We were also lucky to have MRU student Xavier help out for the day.
Weather:
The start of the day was delayed by a heavy fog hanging over the valley, but it dissipated around 09:30 and from then on the day was as clear as could be hoped for. Temperature at the site ranged from 0 to a high of 5 degrees, and ground winds never exceeded 3 beaufort. The pressure dropped only a little from 854 to 852. After the morning cleared, clouds were primarily cirrus, cirro-stratus, or cumulus, and never covered more than 50% of the sky at any given time.
Raptor Observations:
Eagles came in little pulses, never more than 3 birds at a time. Every raptor migrated low along the eastern ridge, gliding, soaring, and later in the day, flapping. The final count was 11 Golden Eagles, 7 Bald Eagles, and a Rough-legged Hawk. The resident American Goshawk hunted over Hummingbird Plume during the morning, and a resident subadult Bald Eagle circled Lorette before drifting off north, never to be seen again.
Non-raptor Observations:
A late Song Sparrow foraged along the river and at one point underneath our bench. The Northern Pygmy-Owl was present in the morning and offered some wonderful views. Other than those, a fairly average day on the other observations front.
The full list is: 12 Canada Goose, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 6 Common Loon, 1 Northern Pygmy-Owl, 4 Canada Jay, 10 Common Raven, 1 American Dipper, 40 Bohemian Waxwing, 1 Redpoll, 10 Pine Siskin, 1 Song Sparrow.
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 (09 Nov 2024) 1 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 09, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 26 | 101 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 94 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 135 | 2742 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total: | 1 | 165 | 3046 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 11:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 2.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Sofia Preece |
Visitors:
3 people stopped to talk.
Weather:
On arrival to the site cloud cover was 100% cumulus and cirrocumulus, west ridges were 100% obecured, and east ridges were 80% obscured, but no precipitation was falling. Wind was light from north to west at ground and ridge level. The temperature stayed at 3 C, except for the last few minutes when it fell to 2. Around 11 AM the clouds lowered from ridgetop height down to the bottom of the mountains and it began to snow. The count ended at 11:45 as the snow thickened and the weather radar showed nothing but precipitation to the north.
Raptor Observations:
The only migrant raptor was an adult Bald Eagle that flew south low over the site at 10:37 AM. No non-migrant raptors were observed.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations included: 27 Canada Geese flying south, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 3 Common Ravens, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 70 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Pine Grosbeak, 40 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches foraging in gravel bars along the river, 4 Redpolls, and 3 White-tailed Deer.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
