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