Mount Lorette (25 Mar 2026) 54 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 25, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 52 | 52 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 53 | 923 | 923 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 11 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 54 | 996 | 996 |
| Observation start time: | 12:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
The thick snow is likely at fault for our complete lack of visitors today. Coincidentally, the sk-hill was very busy!
Weather:
The day started out with a heavy snowstorm, which blanketed the valley in low clouds and dumped around 20-25cm over the course of a few hours. By noon it showed some signs of lifting, and by 1:00pm, ridgelines began to become visible. A pleasant calm settled, with very low winds, some sun, and a strong scattering of cumulus clouds up above. This lasted until around 6:30pm, when a sudden north wind swept into the clearing gusting up to 35km/h. The wind brought with it an increase in clouds and a decrease in temperature, and lasted until we lost the ridgelines again at 7:45pm. The temperature was -1�C at 1:00, and held at zero until it dropped to -6�C by 7:00.
Raptor Observations:
Within a few minutes of the ridgelines clearing, the first eagles of the day were spotted gliding over the Eastern ridgeline. Goldens continued in trickles until the final two hours of the day, when 11 Eagles in 15 minutes contributed to our busiest hour (17 between 6:00 and 7:00). In total, 53 Golden Eagles were counted, almost all along the Eastern side. One unidentified Eagle dipped behind Mt. Patrick and was never picked up again.
We did see a resident sub-adult Bald Eagle, which cruised southwards along the powerline.
Non-raptor Observations:
Upon arriving, a European Starling was unceremoniously evicted from the kiosk, where it had been taking shelter from the storm. This same Starling hung around and was seen over a dozen times during the afternoon. Also seen were a pair of Hooded Mergansers, which flew low overhead late in the day, as well as a smattering of Robins, Juncos, and Redpolls. Two male Mountain Bluebirds paused briefly in the meadow.
Report submitted by Ethan Denton (ethan@suechick.com)
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
