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2024 Fall Count

migration-sites-ab_(1)

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


2024 Spring Count

migration-sites-ab_(1)

The Spring 2024 Migration Count runs from March 6 to April 22 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 Spring Count 2024 Daily Summaries


Mount Lorette (10 Oct 2024) 170 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 10, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 5 14 25
Northern Harrier 0 1 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 32 50
Cooper’s Hawk 0 3 4
American Goshawk 0 6 6
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 1 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 0 7 15
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 1 3 3
Golden Eagle 160 635 898
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 0 1 4
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 1 4 6
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 0 1 1
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 4 4
Unknown Raptor 0 1 7
Total: 170 716 1039
Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 10.28 hours
Official Counter Caroline Lambert
Observers: Ethan Denton, Mia Winklmeyer, Rick Robb

Visitors:
Only about half a dozen visitors stopped to ask about the count.

Weather:
The day was one of the coolest of the count so far, but the lack of wind made it quite pleasant. The starting temperature was 0C. It rose to 9C and was 4C at the end of the day. Ground winds were mostly calm and variable all day. Ridge winds were low, ranging from south to southwest. Upper winds were low to moderate from the west. Cloud cover was at about 75% cumulus all day, with some cirrus and altostratus building up towards the end of the day.

Raptor Observations:
The first two Golden Eagles were seen before 0900, giving hope for a good day, but seeing none for the next hour diminished those hopes. But then the flood gates opened, with a steady parade on the east ridge for the next four hours, with up to seven kettling over Lorette at a time, peaking with 37 from 1100 to 1200. There was another lull in the afternoon, but then the flight built up again in the evening, with a steady stream of 21 in the last hour, the last one seen a few minutes before sunset. Only two raptors were spotted over the west ridge. There was a decent variety of other raptors too.
The total was 160 Golden Eagles (63a, 12sa, 11ui, 11j, 63u), 5 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa, 2j), 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 very late Swainson’s Hawk, 1 Peregrine Falcon.
The only non-migrant raptor was a Golden Eagle seen flying northwest over the valley.

Non-raptor Observations:
All day long we heard drumming by a Ruffed Grouse north of the site that seemed to have its seasons mixed up. The two Ruffed Grouse that hang out south of the site were silent. Complete non-raptor list: Canada Geese (heard flying south while walking in), Ruffed Grouse 3, Belted Kingfisher 1 (Male), Northern Flicker 1, Northern Shrike 1, Canada Jay 3, Common Raven 5, Mountain Chickadee 1, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, American Dipper 1, American Robin 4, Red Crossbill 2, Dark-eyed Junco 2, White-crowned Sparrow 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 3


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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 (09 Oct 2024) 17 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 09, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 1 9 20
Northern Harrier 1 1 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 30 48
Cooper’s Hawk 0 3 4
American Goshawk 0 6 6
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 1 7 15
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2
Golden Eagle 13 475 738
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 0 1 4
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 5
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 0 1 1
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 4 4
Unknown Raptor 0 1 7
Total: 17 546 869
Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 10.17 hours
Official Counter Dan Parliament
Observers: Lynette MacCulloch

Visitors:
A total of 16 Visitors. A special thank you to George Halmazna who assisted with observation and aging in the morning.

Weather:
Overall ground weather conditions were reasonable with opening temperatures of 4 C and a closing temperature of 10 C at 1820 hrs. Ground winds were predominately from the NE switching to Northerly after 1400 hrs and ranging from 5-25 km/hr. Ridges winds were SSW from 40-50 with gusts to 80 km/hr. Presumably, the strong Southwesterly winds prevented a significant raptor movement. From 1700-1800 hrs rain to drizzle occurred and after the observers reached the parking lot a strong rain shower ensued.

Raptor Observations:
A total raptor flight of 17 birds was recorded for the day. The migrant flight consisted of: Golden Eagle x 13 (Adult x 8, Juvenile x 1, Unaged x 4) Northern Harrier x 1 (Unaged x 1) Sharp-shinned Hawk x 1 (Unaged x 1) Bald Eagle x 1 (Adult x 1) Red-tailed Hawk x 1 (Adult x 1)

Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose x 90 (two flocks 60 + 30) Belted Kingfisher x 2 Northern Shrike x 1 Canada Jay x 2 Blue Jay x 1 Black-billed Magpie x 1 Common Raven x 14 Black-capped Chickadee x American Dipper x 1 White-crowned Sparrow x 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler x 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 (08 Oct 2024) 123 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 08, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 0 8 19
Northern Harrier 0 0 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 29 47
Cooper’s Hawk 0 3 4
American Goshawk 1 6 6
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 1 6 14
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2
Golden Eagle 121 462 725
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 0 1 4
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 5
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 0 1 1
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 4 4
Unknown Raptor 0 1 7
Total: 123 529 852
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter Caroline Lambert
Observers: Ruth Morrow

Visitors:
About 15 people stopped to ask about the count. Thanks to Tina for staying through the busy afternoon to help us spot the high flying eagles!

Weather:
The calm ground wind that started the day soon gave way to strong, blustery winds. Our little patch of ground is sheltered from the worst of the wind, but it was likely 40-50kph or more out in the meadow, particularly in the afternoon when the ridge winds were gusting to over 120kph. A couple of trees along the path back to the parking lot were not where they used to be, but fortunately they were not fully blocking the path. Wind at all levels was from the southwest. The ridge winds gradually built up and were near 100kph for the last three hours of the day, gusting to 136kph. Fortunately for the observers, the temperature rose as quickly as the wind, starting at 8C and going as high as 17C. It was 14C at the end of the day. A Chinook arch formed over the east ridge early in the day, but that slowly moved off to the east, and the sky was marked with cumulus clouds for the rest of the day, with about 50% coverage.

Raptor Observations:
The day was unusual in that the first hour was one of the busiest hours, with 20 Golden Eagles taking advantage of the early wind. With the high ridge winds, most were gliding along high and fast above the east ridge, a pattern that continued throughout the day. Ageing the birds was difficult due to their height and speed, and especially in the morning when the sun was behind the Chinook arch, although the clouds did help with spotting the birds. When the ridge winds were at their strongest, in the last couple of hours, very few eagles were flying. There were 121 Golden Eagles (47a, 8sa, 3j, 8ui, 55u), one Red-tailed Hawk, and one American Goshawk. No migrants were seen on the west side, and no non-migrant raptors were spotted.

Non-raptor Observations:
It was a relatively quiet day for other birds. Early on, two loons did a couple of circles over Patrick before moving on to the south. Few ravens seemed to want to play in the wind. Today the kingfisher was an adult male; a female is also in the area but didn’t make an appearance today. Here’s the complete list: Common Loon 2, Ruffed Grouse 1, Belted Kingfisher 1, Canada Jay 3, Common Raven 6, Black-capped Chickadee 4, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 2, American Robin 2


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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 (07 Oct 2024) 35 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 2 8 19
Northern Harrier 0 0 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 29 47
Cooper’s Hawk 0 3 4
American Goshawk 0 5 5
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 5 13
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 1 2 2
Golden Eagle 30 341 604
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 0 1 4
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 5
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 1 1 1
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 4 4
Unknown Raptor 0 1 7
Total: 35 406 729
Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 11 hours
Official Counter Lori Anderson
Observers: Lynette MacCulloch

Visitors:
43 We had visitors, some from Australia, Holland and, South Africa.

Weather:
A calm golden morning with gradually increasing ground winds from the south. At ridge level moderate to strong winds from the SW with gusts up to 75 at times. Cloud coverage ranged from 10-30% and comprised of cirrus, cirrocumulus, and later lenticular clouds took over. Ridges were clear all day. The sun kept us warm all day with temperatures starting at 1C, rising to 16C.

Raptor Observations:
At 9:00 on the dot the Eagles started appearing over the eastern ridges. By 12:00 we had counted over half of the eagles that would appear today. The final count was 30 Golden Eagles (13 adults, 6 subadults, 5 juveniles, 6 unaged). Bald Eagle 2 (1 adult, 1 subadult), Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Rough-legged Hawk 1, Unidentified Buteo 1. The flight pattern was lower glides, and the birds often dipped below ridge level. Non-migrant raptors: 1 Golden Eagle and 1 Bald Eagle.

Non-raptor Observations:
Two Ruffed Grouse hung out on the path on the way in. A very happy high-tailed Song Sparrow delighted us with it’s chitter chatter by the river in the morning. Other sightings included: Belted Kingfisher 1, Canada Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 1, Robins 12, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Pine Siskin 1, Common Ravens 6, Mourning Cloak Butterfly 1, Midges- too many.


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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 (06 Oct 2024) 119 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 06, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 1 6 17
Northern Harrier 0 0 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 16 28 46
Cooper’s Hawk 1 3 4
American Goshawk 4 5 5
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 5 13
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 1 1 1
Golden Eagle 94 311 574
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 0 1 4
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 2 3 5
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 4 4
Unknown Raptor 0 1 7
Total: 119 371 694
Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 19:30:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours
Official Counter Ethan Denton
Observers: Allison Zukewich, Caroline Lambert

Visitors:
19

Weather:
Temperatures of between 5 and 15 degrees made for a pleasant day, while ground winds stayed between 7-9km/h. Ridge winds were a little low to start at 22km/h, but rose to 43km/h with gusts of up to 57km/h. Cloud coverage was 90% for the majority of the day, falling to 50 by the end of the count.

Raptor Observations:
We finished with 94 Golden Eagles. It was a slow start with only 2 eagles before 12pm, but what it lacked in eagles the morning made up for with a flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks which made for a total of 16 for the day. The majority of Golden Eagles came between 16:00 and 17:00 with 26 birds. The vast majority of eagles drifted across low or at ridge level towards Patrick, soaring and gliding but without much exertion required. Late in the day, the flight path rose well above Patrick and passing eagles glided over effortlessly. Our resident Goshawk, a resident Golden Eagle, and two resident Bald Eagles all made appearances.

Non-raptor Observations:
It was a big day for Robins, with 286 migrating along the valley in scattered groups throughout the morning. The Canada Jays are getting very bold and managed to steal some of Allison’s sandwich while we were distracted. In total, other observations were: 1 Ruffed Grouse, 5 Ring-billed Gull, 2 California Gull, 1 Larus sp., 1 Common Loon, 1 Great Horned Owl, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 3 Canada Jay, 16 Common Raven, 5 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 Brown Creeper, 286 American Robin, 4 American Pipit, 12 Pine Siskin, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler.


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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 (05 Oct 2024) 38 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 0 5 16
Northern Harrier 0 0 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 12 30
Cooper’s Hawk 0 2 3
American Goshawk 0 1 1
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 1 5 13
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 28 217 480
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 1 1 4
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 3
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 2 4 4
Unknown Raptor 1 1 7
Total: 38 252 575
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 9.75 hours
Official Counter Blake Weis
Observers: Lynn Macintosh

Visitors:
63 visitors stopped to talk. Thanks to Tina, Aleksandra, Alan and Lorna for helping to spot eagles!

Weather:
Ground wind was strongest in the first few hours of the day with gusts close to 30 km/h, but the gusts decreased slightly to 20 after. The wind was strong at ridge level all day, with gusts up to 88. Cloud cover was 20-75% cumulus and cirrus. The actual temperature stayed in a narrow range between 7 and 11 C, but the apparent temperature varied greatly depending on whether the sun was out or behind clouds and if wind was gusting or not.

Raptor Observations:
Migrants were using the strong wind to glide high over the Fisher Range and the east side of the valley. Only a few eagles passed below ridge level, though some of the sharpies were closer in over the river. Movement was sporadic throughout the day, with short bursts of activity between slow periods. Most of the migrating eagles resisted ageing by staying tucked in a glide, flying in front of higher clouds where they were backlit, and occasionally disappearing above lower clouds. The count for the day was 28 Golden Eagles (2 adults, 2 juveniles, 4 undifferentiated immature, and 20 unaged), 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Merlin, 2 unidentified eagles and 1 small unidentified raptor.
Local raptors included an adult American Goshawk hunting over Hummingbird Plume Hill in the morning and an Adult Bald Eagle flying north in the evening.

Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were: 1 Common Merganser, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Northern Shrike, 3 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 17 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 14 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 8 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Pacific Wren, 1 American Dipper, 25 American Robins, 1 American Pipit, 22 Pine Siskins, 2 American Tree Sparrows, 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 White-crowned Sparrows, and 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler. 1 White-tailed deer was also seen.


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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 (04 Oct 2024) 34 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 04, 2024
Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 1 5 16
Northern Harrier 0 0 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 7 25
Cooper’s Hawk 2 2 3
American Goshawk 0 1 1
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 4 12
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 26 189 452
American Kestrel 0 1 4
Merlin 0 0 3
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 1 1 3
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 4
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 2 2
Unknown Raptor 0 0 6
Total: 34 214 537
Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 6.8 hours
Official Counter Ethan Denton
Observers: Carol McTavish, Caroline Lambert

Visitors:
22 visitors stopped to chat.

Weather:
The temperature was mildly above average, between 2 and 13 degrees. A warm ground wind blew throughout the day at between 1 and 5 Beaufort. Ridge winds were high throughout the day, rising to gusts of over 120 km/h. Cloud cover was typically significant – mostly Altocumulus and Cirrostratus. Unfortunately, a rain storm blew in at around 14:30 and we were forced to end the count early.

Raptor Observations:
26 Golden Eagle were observed, and movement peaked between 11am and 12pm with 11 birds. Most followed the eastern ridge, fairly low. The resident Bald Eagle was seen hunting the river. Early on, several small raptors came through the valley, including an adult Peregrine Falcon which flew over the count site.

Non-raptor Observations:
A Pacific Wren greeted us as we walked in, but during the morning there wasn’t a ton of activity around the count site itself. A hard pf Big Horned Sheep fed in a ski run on Nakiska. In total, other observations tallied: 2 unidentified ducks, 2 Canada Jay, 21 Common Raven, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4 Brown Creeper, 1 Pacific Wren, 1 American Dipper, 28 American Robin, 4 American Pipit, 12 Pine Siskin, 2 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler.


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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]



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