Mount Lorette (15 Oct 2024) 40 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 40 | 51 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 68 | 86 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 9 | 17 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Golden Eagle | 38 | 1550 | 1813 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Total: | 40 | 1711 | 2034 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Bill McKeeman, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
About 10 passers by asked about the count. Several came with binoculars. Thanks to Ed and Bill for staying for several hours, and we hope Julie and Tony from Montana can come back on a day when the eagles are more cooperative.
Weather:
Another warm October day, even with clouds over the sun much of the time. The starting temperature was 5C, which rose quickly to 15C and was 12C at the end of the count. There were initially few clouds in the sky – mostly cirrus and some cumulus, but the cover built up until, by the end of the day, there were thick cumulus clouds interspersed with cirrostratus clouds with little sunlight coming through. Ground winds were calm most of the day, ridge winds were low to moderate from the southwest, and the cumulus clouds were moving slowly over us from the west.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor movement was more typical today than it has been recently, with very little movement in the morning, then 8-10 raptors per hour in the late afternoon. A few of the eagles struggled to gain altitude, especially in the morning, but most were gliding high above the east ridge, with very little soaring. Only one was seen heading down the west ridge.
There were 38 Golden Eagles (19a, 1sa, 1j, 4ui, 13u), one Bald Eagle, and one adult Northern Goshawk.
One resident Golden Eagle was seen hunting around Collembola in the morning, and an adult Bald Eagle hunted over the beaver ponds below Hummingbird Plume.
Non-raptor Observations:
The Ruffed Grouse to the north of the site is still drumming. One Varied Thrush was heard trying to sing. One dipper was seen multiple times racing up and down the river, and at one point there were two of them. 10 Canada Geese winged their way south, as did two Common Loons and four American Robins. Other birds were:
Northern Flicker 1, Canada Jay 3, Common Raven 12, Mountain Chickadee 1, Boreal Chickadee 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, American Robin 4, Pine Siskin 5, American Tree Sparrow 1
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
