Mount Lorette (22 Sep 2024) 20 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 19 | 56 | 56 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 20 | 71 | 71 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.63 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
57, including five with binoculars eager to spot some Golden Eagles.
Weather:
It was a strangely warm day for being overcast most of the time. The temperature started out 11C and stayed in a narrow range, reaching a high of 14C and staying at that level. Ground winds were blustery; occasionally calm, then raising some concern about toppling some gear, then going back to calm. High level winds were moderate to strong, starting from the northwest and swinging to the west. Ridge winds were hard to assess – the first group of eagles were gliding both high and low on the east ridge, but later in the day were quite low. Cloud cover started out at 100% stratus, which gradually broke up to become cumulus clouds, but the coverage never was less than 75%, and by evening was back to a gloomy 100%.
Raptor Observations:
The first two migrants seen were on the west ridge, but after that all activity happened on the east ridge. After a burst of movement around noon, activity was sporadic for the rest of the day. The totals were 19 Golden Eagles (5a, 4sa, 1j, 2ui, 7u), and one Merlin.
Two non-migrant Golden Eagles were seen flying northwest across the valley, and an American Goshawk was hunting over Hummingbird Plume.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other species were mostly quiet on this dark and gloomy day. A couple of flocks of robins, about 35 in total, were seen heading south. The dipper put in brief appearance on the river. A Ruffed Grouse was hanging out on the path near the site. Other birds were 7 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 10 Pine Siskins, and a Savannah Sparrow.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
