Mount Lorette (08 Oct 2024) 123 Raptors
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]
