Mount Lorette (16 Oct 2026) 73 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 20 | 30 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 52 | 80 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 6 | 18 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 11 | 23 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 11 | 14 |
| Golden Eagle | 66 | 1000 | 1266 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 4 | 9 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 4 | 9 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 12 | 16 |
| Total: | 73 | 1137 | 1503 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.3 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich, Linda Hickey |
Visitors:
Around 40 people stopped by today. Massive thanks to the 12 or so people who stayed for varying lengths to help spot!
Weather:
A gorgeous day out at Hay Meadows saw temperatures rise from 2�C to a whopping 15�C, with the sun beaming down for most of the afternoon. Winds ranged from 45 to almost 100 at ridgelevel, and came consistently from the SW. The pressure dropped throughout the day, which was relatively dry at around 24% humidity.
Raptor Observations:
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to start moving. The first bird came through at around 0830 and from thence on they trickled through at a relatively steady pace before drying up in the late afternoon. For much of the morning, clouds and sun conspired to create a harsh backlighting which made ageing difficult for birds on the Eastern ridgeline. Early on, the Eagles were clearly struggling for height and battled their way through the valley well below the peaks. This changed by evening and a comfortable proportion of the later Eagles cruised over high enough to put a serious crook in our necks.
In total, 66 Golden Eagles were observed, with a split of 29ad, 7sub, 1 juv, 1ui and 28 unknown.
Other raptors included 2 Bald Eagles (1ad 1sub), 3 Red-tailed Hawks, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a solitary Sharp-shinned Hawk over Olympic Summit.
The resident Goshawk and an apparent resident Golden both made appearances.
Non-raptor Observations:
It felt like winter today! Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Siskins and Canada Jay’s were around, while a Pine Grosbeak sang heartily from the far side of the river. The couple migrants still around included a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and an American Tree Sparrow.
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]
