Mount Lorette (25 Oct 2024) 61 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 56 | 67 |
| 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 | 0 | 16 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 59 | 2220 | 2483 |
| 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: | 61 | 2415 | 2738 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
Many thanks to Sofia, Jen and Peter for assisting in spotting raptors. There were a total of 12 visitors.
Weather:
The opening observation temperature was -5C and increasing to the high at 1500 hrs (MDT) of +3 C. Early morning conditions were clear blue skies offset by smoke haze in the valley (Presumably from a prescribed burn), which lifted around noon, only to return in the late afternoon hours. Ground winds were predominately SW and calm at 1-5 km/hr. Ridge winds were difficult to determine, but were assessed as SW @ “Low” (<10 kmhr), based upon the ground and upper winds. winds were recorded as calm (which is extremely unusual), and increasing southwesterly to an astounding low value of about 15 hr. the initial blueskies sunshine diminished mid-afternoon grey lenticular clouds.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant was an adult Bald Eagle at 1131 hrs (MDT). The windless conditions were very unfavourable for migration. As a result the first Golden Eagle migrant was not observed until 1305 hrs (MDT). The hourly counts were as follows: 1300-1359 hrs (MDT) – 15 Golden Eagles; 1400-1459 hrs (MDT) – 12 Golden Eagles; 1500-1559 hrs (MDT) – 6 Golden Eagles; 1600-1659 hrs (MDT) – 13 Golden Eagles; 1700-1759 hrs (MDT) – 11 Golden Eagle & 1 Bald Eagle; 1800-1845 hrs (MDT) – 2 Golden Eagles; The total daily count was 59 Golden Eagle (Adult x 51, Subadult x 3, Unaged x 5) and 2 Bald Eagle (Adult x 2) Due to the windless conditions the migrants typically came low across the face of Patrick or the “Bumps” making aging and location straightforward. Also the windless conditions resulted in the migrants engaging in spectacular flight displays of hugging the face of the mountains, circling, soaring, and flapping all in futile attempts to gain significant elevation.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose x 105 (two flocks 40 + 65), Canada Jay x 2, Black-billed Magpie x 1, Common Raven x 2, Boreal Chickadee x 2, American Dipper x 1, Pine Siskin 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]
