Mount Lorette (23 Oct 2024) 60 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 51 | 62 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 73 | 91 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 4 | 16 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 52 | 1982 | 2245 |
| 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 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 60 | 2172 | 2495 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.08 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
There were 8 visitors. Special thanks to Nathan and Abby for helping to spot birds !
Weather:
The count opened at 0830 (MDT) at a chilly temperature of -7 C and concluded at 1835 (MDT) at + 1 C, with a daytime high of + 4 at 1500 hrs (MDT). The ridges were clear and the skies were cloudless. Ground winds were from the SW, initially at 1-5 km/hr and increasing to SW at 15-20 km/hr at the close. Ridge winds were difficult to determine due to the absence of cloud cover, but were assessed as low increasing to medium after lunch. The high winds were predominantly SW and ranging from 25-50 km/hr.
Raptor Observations:
The flight consisted of a total of 60 raptors. The migrants were as follows: Golden Eagle x 52 (Adult x 44, Juvenile x 2, Unaged x 6), Bald Eagle x 4 (Adult x 4), Rough-legged Hawk x 4 (Adult x 4). The bright blue skies made aging difficult as reflections from the fresh snow lit the migrants like beacons. Once the migrants flew into the mountain face and “normal” lighting conditions prevailed – aging the birds became more routine. The highest hourly count was between 1400-1500 hrs (MDT) with 13 Golden Eagles.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose x 30, Hairy Woodpecker x 1, Canada Jay x 2, Common Raven x 16, Black-capped Chickadee x 2, Mountain Chickadee x 1, Boreal Chickadee x 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet x 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet x 4, American Dipper x 1, American Robin x 15, Pine Grosbeak x 50 (one flock), Gray-crowned Rosy-finch x 90 (one flock feeding by the river below the site), Swamp Sparrow x 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]
