Mount Lorette (15 Nov 2022) 12 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 9 | 69 | 154 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 26 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 3 | 138 | 2365 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 6 | 27 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Total: | 12 | 219 | 2769 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.67 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rosemary Power |
Visitors:
12 people came by the site. Some knew about the flooded path but wanted to drop by anyway. No one attempted to venture onto the flooded section – a wise decision!
Weather:
The temperature started at -9C, rose all the way to 1C, and dropped to -4C at the end of the day. Cloud cover was initially 70% altostratus, eventually giving way to cloudless skies. Ground wind was non-existent, and ridge winds were light and variable. The ice on the river had built up even more than in previous days, making more of the path flooded and more of the meadow under ice. The warmth, if +1C can be called “warm”, allowed the river to make some headway against the ice in the river channel, but at 4pm the water level starting rising again, and it was clear that more ice was about to be created. This was the last day of the count for this season; it will be interesting to see what awaits us when we return in March.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the passing eagles were seen in the morning, when there was cloud in the sky. After the clouds cleared up, only 2 more eagles were seen, both Bald Eagles. The count was 3 Golden Eagles (2a, 1u), and 9 Bald Eagles (6a, 1j, 2u), most using powered flight to make any progress, and most barely reaching ridge level. One additional adult Bald Eagle was seen flying north. The total count of 2365 Golden Eagles for the season is one of the lowest (if not the lowest) counts so far, but the low number is likely attributable to the anomalous weather we had this season, with many days with winds like they were today – very light, making it difficult to spot them as they passed below ridge level. Only time will tell if this is representative of a true decline in population numbers, or whether the strange weather was the dominant factor in the final season numbers.
Non-raptor Observations:
Several mountain sheep were seen at the top of Patrick, crossing from one side of the Big Smile to the other. Of birds, there was one Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, about 6 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Boreal Chickadees, and the American Dipper.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
