2025 Spring Count
The Spring 2025 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. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.
See the Spring Count 2025 Daily Summaries
Mount Lorette (22 Apr 2025) 9 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 22, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 21 | 77 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 155 | 1093 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Total: | 9 | 246 | 1260 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Rosemary Power |
Visitors:
Eleven people stopped to chat. Several had their own binoculars and observed for their own interest.
Weather:
Upon arrival at the observation site, the sky was blue, the sun was shining but immediately the clouds billowed up from the mountain tops and covered the sky and sent graupel hurtling down. The temperature was zero and made its way to plus 3. winds were very light mostly from the west, occasionally northwest and north east. Ridge winds were barely discernable, very light from the west, high winds also from the west, or south but light. Cumulous clouds dominated with cumulonimbus showing up on the horizon at times. After two graupel showers, there was only sun and clouds.
Raptor Observations:
4 Golden eagles(2sa,1j,1u), I unknown Falcon, 1 unknown accipiter, 1 subadult Bald eagle and 1 adult Goshawk were seen migrating. All appeared over the east side of the valley and caught good lines that carried them quickly beyond Mt Lorette. The resident Bald eagle was seen flying over the valley and was pestered by a Sharp-shinned hawk, which must also be a resident. The resident Goshawk flew up the valley and the resident Golden eagles put on a show over Skogan pass, flying close to one another , then seemed to be hunting separately around Mt Lorette.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen at the site were 2 Mallards, 5 Canada Geese, 10 Ravens, 6 Dark-eyed Junco’s, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, I golden-crowned Kinglet, I Golden-eye duck, and a flock of about 16 Cedar Waxwings flew over twice. The Kingfisher showed up around noon, Several robins , a Varied thrush flew overhead. The ruffed Grouse thumped till noon and the Fox sparrow was heard but not 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 (21 Apr 2025) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 76 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 150 | 1088 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Total: | 0 | 237 | 1251 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
No count was conducted due to wet snow or a rain/snow mix and low cloud which obscured the ridges all day. The forecast called for more of the same until Tuesday morning.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
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 (20 Apr 2025) 1 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 20, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 76 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 150 | 1088 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Total: | 1 | 237 | 1251 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Cameron Harvey |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
11 visitors stopped to talk. 4 brought binoculars, but did not help spot for a significant period of time.
Weather:
The weather was a mixed bag during today’s count. Before the count began the valley was filled with a low cloud ceiling obscuring all ridges. By count start the cloud had lifted giving some ridge visibility. Throughout the day both east and west ridge visibility ranged from 20-80% obscured with the odd snow squall rolling through. Thick cumulus clouds were around for most of the day, however we did get a few delightful periods of warm sunshine through a high haze of cirrostratus clouds. Temperature was 1° C at count start, rising to a high of 4° C. Ground winds were highly variable, but tended to come from the north. Ridge winds were difficult to judge with little cloud movement at ridge level. Upper winds were also difficult to judge, with different cloud layers moving in different directions, but winds appeared light based on cloud movement.
Raptor Observations:
1 large migrant raptor was observed on the west ridge, but was unfortunately not identified due to disappearing into thick cloud before being spotted in the scope.
Non-migrant raptors included 1 adult American Goshawk and 2 adult Red-tailed hawks (light morph) who made several appearances near the count site.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 17 Canada Goose, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2 Northern Flicker, 9 Common Raven, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 20 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Bufflehead, 7 Mallard, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 2 Common Merganser, 6 American Robin, 6 Trumpeter/Tundra Swan.
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 (19 Apr 2025) 9 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 76 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 22 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 4 | 150 | 1088 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 9 | 236 | 1250 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Cameron Harvey |
| Observers: | Jennifer Brand |
Visitors:
A busy day with visitors with 37 stopping to talk in some way and 1 helping to spot for 20 minutes with binoculars.
Weather:
Mostly cloudy day (cumulus) with several short squalls passing through. The temperature at the start of count was 8° C and rose to 10° C before falling to 7° C by count end. Ground winds were mild from the S/SW most of the day, ridge winds were light at count start, increasing to moderate at times in the afternoon. Although a couple of snow squalls briefly obscured the west ridge, conditions were good for spotting through most of the day except for one rain squall from 14:15-14:50 that obscured all ridges.
Raptor Observations:
Two migrant Golden Eagles in the first 20 minutes of count (both on the west ridges) were a promising start to the day. however, the promising start quickly dwindled down. A total of 9 migrant raptors were seen comprising 4 Golden Eagles (2sa, 2ua), 2 undifferentiated Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult Red-tailed Hawk, 1 unidentified buteo and 1 unidentified raptor. Flight paths were a mix, with 2 eagles being picked up on the west and 2 on the east ridges.
Non-migrant raptors included 1 adult Golden Eagle, 1 adult Bald Eagle and 1 American Goshawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 1 Red-breasted nuthatch, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Varied Thrush, 6 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Fox Sparrow, 14 American Robin, 1 Ruffed Grouse (drumming), 11 Common Raven, 5 Canada Goose, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Northern Flicker and 26 Bohemian Waxwing.
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 (18 Apr 2025) 19 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 18, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 20 | 76 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 146 | 1084 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Total: | 19 | 227 | 1241 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Bill McKeeman |
Visitors:
45
Weather:
The temperature at 0915 was 0C which rose to a high at 1600 of 14C. Ground winds were light WSW-SSW. Ridge winds were difficult to assess but occasional snow plumes indicated they were from NW to NE. The count began with a layer of altocumulus covering 90% of the sky but this quickly dissipated to 20% cumulus by 1000 before increasing again to 80% cirrostratus at 1200 then gradually clearing for the rest of the afternoon with some interesting cirrocumulus cloud formations.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor movement was sporadic and slow with 19 migrants seen between 1030 and 1620 with birds gliding high to very high above both the east and west ridges. The flight comprised 2a Bald Eagles, 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1a Cooper’s Hawk, 1a American Goshawk, 2 Red-tailed Hawks (1a light, 1u), 6 Golden Eagles (5a, 1u), 3 Merlin (2a, 1u), 1u Peregrine Falcon and 2 unidentified large falcons. Of note were the 5 falcons that flew along the western ridges between 1155 and 1225. Unfortunately I could only get an identification on the 2 Merlins that were flying together and 1 Peregrine. The other 2 large falcons were at extreme range in the binoculars and flew separately but on the same flight path from near the summit of Ribbon Peak northwards behind Mt Allan. Resident birds were a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and an adult Golden Eagle that was seen a few times throughout the day gliding high above the Fisher Range. An adult Golden Eagle could be seen perched near Olympic summit for about 2 hours. The resident American Goshawk was also seen a couple of times, displaying low over the river and later in the afternoon it was soaring very high overhead.
Non-raptor Observations:
4 Canada Geese, 2 Mallard, 1 Common Merganser, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 25 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 1 European Starling, 4 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Varied Thrush singing, 30 American Robins, 11 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Fox Sparrow singing, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 American Dipper, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Tree Swallow
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 (17 Apr 2025) 3 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 17, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 18 | 74 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 19 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 140 | 1078 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Total: | 3 | 208 | 1222 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Susan Wilberg |
Visitors:
Thank you to Yumi H for staying and assisting with the observation during the afternoon. About 30 seniors from the Fifth Dimension Seniors Outdoor Club stopped by at various stages to learn more about the Eagle migration.
Weather:
The day was characterized by strong (>40 km/hr) Northerly ridge winds, and cloudy/blustery conditions. The opening temperature was -2C increasing to +3 by noon and steady for the remainder of the day at 2 C. The initial clear and sunny conditions deteriorated steadily after 1200 hrs (MDT) until by 1330 hr (MDT) the Mt Lorette and Eastern ridges were completely obscured with cloud and continuous light snow. The ground winds were from the North at generally 5-10 km/hr with gusts at intervals to 20 km/hr. The wind conditions were not favourable for migration! The count was suspended at 1530 hrs (MDT) due to the continued low clouds and obscured ridges.
Raptor Observations:
The total migrant count was three raptors (Bald Eagle x 2 adults & Northern Harrier x 1 adult). The Northern Harrier put on a flight display very low across the middle of the meadow during a particularly bad spell of snow and North wind. No migrant Golden Eagles were observed. The resident Golden Eagle was observed hunting several times during the day on the slopes of Patrick and Hummingbird Plume. A resident adult Bald Eagle and a resident adult American Goshawk were observed hunting over the valley and Hummingbird Plume.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose x 2 Common Merganser x 2 Ruffed Grouse x 2 (drumming) Pileated Woodpecker x 1 Northern Flicker x 1 Common Raven x 20 Red-breasted Nuthatch x 1 Varied Thrush x 3 American Robin x 6 Fox Sparrow x 1 (singing) Dark-eyed Junco x 3
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 (15 Apr 2025) 27 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 15, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 7 | 16 | 72 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 19 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 12 | 140 | 1078 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Total: | 27 | 205 | 1219 |
| Observation start time: | 08:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Ethan Denton, Mia Winklmeier |
Visitors:
14
Weather:
The temperature at 1000 was 9C, the high at 1500 was 13C. Winds were SW light increasing to moderate from early afternoon. Ridge winds were NW light increasing to moderate SW in the afternoon. Cloud cover was 30-60% cumulus.
Raptor Observations:
27 raptors of 7 species moved between 1005 and 1615 comprising 7 Bald Eagles (6a, 1j), 1a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1a American Goshawk, 2a light calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 1a dark Rough-legged Hawk, 12 Golden Eagles (3a, 5sa, 1j, 3u), 1u Peregrine Falcon, 1 unidentified buteo and 1 unidentified small raptor. Most of the Golden Eagles were seen gliding high on the east ridges, sometimes almost overhead, with occasional soaring esp. over Mt Lorette and Skogan Peak. Non migrants were 2 Bald Eagles, 3 Golden Eagles and 2 Red-tailed Hawks.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Fox Sparrow was heard singing just across the river in the morning and briefly again in the afternoon. Other birds were 1 Ruffed Grouse (drumming), 2 Northern Flickers, 10 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 10 American Robins, 1 Varied Thrush, 6 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
