Mount Lorette (09 Apr 2023) 16 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 24 | 110 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 9 | 251 | 1690 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 6 | 16 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 16 | 294 | 1847 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 12.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
30 visitors stopped to talk. 3 stayed for a bit to watch for raptors.
Weather:
The day began at 3C, rose to a high of 9 and had fallen to 8 as we were leaving. It was very windy with gusts from the SSW-WSW around 40 km/h. At ridge level wind was very strong from the WSW. Cloud cover was a constantly changing but was most often around 60-80%.
Raptor Observations:
It was a slow day for migration, perhaps the very strong (100+ km/h) ridge winds were too much for stable flight. The movements of one of the migrating eagles as it was kiting into the updrafts reminded me of a car barely keeping control on an icy road. What few migrants we did see were almost all very high, detected out in the sky between Patrick and Lorette before they flew well over Mt. Lorette. Some of them passed above the lowest layer of cumulus clouds. Light and cloud conditions were good but the speed, distance, and angles migrants were viewed from made many of them impossible to age.
At least one resident Goshawk was heard calling in the morning, then not long after was seen hunting over Hummingbird Plume Hill. One of the local Golden Eagles was seen as well.
Non-raptor Observations:
11 Canada Goose 1 Ruffed Grouse 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Canada Jay 9 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Mountain Chickadee 2 Boreal Chickadee 3 chickadee sp. 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 1 European Starling 2 Mountain Bluebird 3 Varied Thrush 20 American Robin 2 White-winged Crossbill 5 Pine Siskin 6 Dark-eyed Junco
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (08 Apr 2023) 28 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 08, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 20 | 106 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 25 | 242 | 1681 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 28 | 278 | 1831 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 20:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 13.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
Many people came by the site, and about 20 stopped to ask questions. Four people came by with binoculars and one scope and stayed for a while.
Weather:
Today’s temperature stayed in a narrow range, starting at 3C, rising to 6C, and closing the day out at 4C. The winds were similar to yesterday, with sustained ground winds at about 10kph and gusts up to 30. Ridge winds appeared strong in the morning from the southwest, but moderated as the day wore on. Cumulus clouds under a layer of altostratus moved quickly across the valley from the WSW. There were a few breaks with up to 40% open sky. The west ridge was partly obscured all day, and some sleet reached our location on occasion. The mountains to the south frequently disappeared behind a grey wall, which may have impacted raptor movement.
Raptor Observations:
No eagles were seen on the west side of the valley. The first eagles were spotted going from Patrick to Lorette, but by midday the upper winds were strong enough they were flying overhead, and crossing to the north over Skogan Pass, missing Mt Lorette altogether. It was difficult to get the scope on these, and as they became dark silhouettes against the white clouds as they disappeared to the north, they were practically impossible to age. Later in the day the eagles were coming up from behind Patrick, gaining height rapidly, and then moving off to Lorette. 9 of the eagles appeared between 11:00 and 14:00, then there was a lull as a weather system passed (mostly to the south), and the numbers picked up again after 18:00, with 11 in the last two hours.
The migrant raptors were 25 Golden Eagles (8a, 2sa, 3ui, 12u), 1 adult Bald Eagle, and 2 unidentified eagles.
Non-migrant adult Golden Eagles were spotted several times, one hunting over Skogan Pass, and a couple crossing the valley. Several goshawks were seen – two adults flying together in front of Hummingbird Plume, and an immature heading south. A couple of adult Bald Eagles were seen over the valley, and one immature Bald Eagle flew up the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
A number of small flocks of Canada Geese were seen heading north. A Ruffed Grouse was heard drumming briefly. A male Mountain Bluebird finally made an appearance in the meadow – it took one side for the morning while the Northern Shrike took the other side. Robins were abundant in the meadow in the morning, picking stuff out of the exposed grass. The non-raptor list is: Canada Goose 32, Ruffed Grouse 1, Northern Shrike 1, Canada Jay 2, Common Raven 8, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Mountain Chickadee 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, European Starling 1, Mountain Bluebird 1, Varied Thrush 1, American Robin 8, Pine Siskin 4, Dark-eyed Junco 3
Report submitted by Caroline Lambert (caroline144@gmail.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 Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (07 Apr 2023) 46 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 07, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 19 | 105 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 5 | 16 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 39 | 217 | 1656 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 46 | 250 | 1803 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 13.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
35 visitors stopped to talk. None stayed to watch migration.
Weather:
In the morning the temperature was 2C, it rose to a high of 6 and was 5 as we were leaving. Sustained ground wind was around 10 km/h though it was blustery with some gusts between 20 and 30. Ridge wind was usually strong, but seemed inconsistent and was probably moderate at times. Wind direction was SW-WSW at ground and ridge level. Cloud cover was heavy with multiple layers of stratus and cumulus hanging overhead, though the occasional moment of clearing brought up to 30% open sky.
Raptor Observations:
All of the migrants passed by Mt. Lorette though their flight paths were variable. Some went over the Fisher Range, some probably came from east of the Fisher Range, some used the east side of the valley and some flew along the middle of the valley, passing high overhead. They were often fairly high though many lost significant height as they approached Lorette. The peak was 11 am-1 pm with 17 migrants recorded in two hours. The heavy cloud cover helped for spotting migrants but made ageing difficult. Resident raptors included the local goshawk pair heard calling early in the morning, an adult Bald Eagle flying around to the north of the site, and at least one adult Golden Eagle displaying briefly near Olympic Summit, then later hunting on Patrick
Non-raptor Observations:
7 Canada Goose 1 Mallard 1 Hairy Woodpecker (female) 1 Northern Flicker 2 Canada Jay 10 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 5 Mountain Chickadee 1 Boreal Chickadee 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 2 European Starling 1 Varied Thrush 10 American Robin 20 Bohemian Waxwing Pine Grosbeak 1 Red Crossbill 4 White-winged Crossbill 4 Pine Siskin 7 Dark-eyed Junco
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (06 Apr 2023) 43 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 06, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 16 | 102 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 38 | 178 | 1617 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 43 | 204 | 1757 |
| Observation start time: | 06:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 13.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Alex Dragosz |
Visitors:
The first visitors, a group of eight hikers, showed up right before lunch. After that there was a constant buzz of people around the site for about five hours, totalling about 40 people. Four people came with binoculars and were immensely helpful with spotting some of our high-flying birds.
Weather:
The temperature started out at a pleasant -5C, rose to 5C for most of the afternoon, and had dropped to 2C on departure. There were varying degrees of cloud coverage during the day, ranging from 10% to 50% of a continually changing mixture of cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus. The cumulus clouds moved sedately from the northwest, but winds at ridge level, judging by the plumes of snow coming off the ridges all day, were from the southwest. Ground level winds were also from the southwest, mostly mild, but just strong enough at times to blow over a chair.
Raptor Observations:
Conditions were perfect for smart eagles that like to fly with little effort. There was a steady trickle of them gliding mostly very high and fast from Patrick to Lorette and beyond all day, starting at 08:30. There were 2-4 eagles each hour, except the last hour when there were 5. Apart from one stray Golden Eagle on the west ridge, all the action was between Patrick and Lorette.
The migrant totals were 38 Golden Eagles (23a, 2s, 13u), one Bald Eagle of indeterminate age, a light adult Red-tailed Hawk, an American Kestrel, one large falcon (possibly Peregrine), and one unidentified eagle.
One Golden Eagle was seen displaying rather inexpertly above Lorette early in the morning – flapping energetically to gain height and then doing rather shallow dives – and others were seen hunting a couple of times. One goshawk was seen hunting, and later in the day one was seen carrying prey. Red-tailed Hawks were also seen hunting on a couple of occasions.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species were a little disappointing. The shrike put in a very brief appearance, as did the kingfisher. The only singing birds were juncos, robins, and Black-capped Chickadees. A Canada Goose called in the distance, but the Mountain Chickadees and a Red-breasted Nuthatch that were seen were silent. Several pairs of ravens sky-danced off and on all day long over and around Mt Lorette, generating comments like “Barrel roll – so not an eagle again”. (Another word for raven is “not-an-eagle”).
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (05 Apr 2023) 40 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 05, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 6 | 15 | 101 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 33 | 140 | 1579 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 40 | 161 | 1714 |
| Observation start time: | 06:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 13.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Monica Draosz |
Visitors:
About a dozen people stopped at the site to chat. We enjoyed the company and assistance of a lovely guest observer from Canmore.
Weather:
The morning was crisp and bright at -12C with no wind and only shreds of low cloud. The winds increased gradually coming around from the west to the southeast. Scattered cumulus clouds covered ~20% of the sky throughout the day which made for favourable observing conditions. The air temperature rose to 2C by 6pm, though the wind ensured it felt colder than the morning. By sunset the temperature had fallen back to 0C and the winds had died down.
Raptor Observations:
Raptors trickled through the valley all day, rarely repeating a route. Some passed high over the eastern valley almost directly overhead (far too high for the scope). For the last few hours before sunset all the Golden Eagles popped up level with the Pyramid, passed slowly in front of Lorette (teetering like Turkey Vultures), emerging above the Beehive, and slipped behind Lorette. Fortunately, their slow movement across the rock face and the golden light of the sunset made for the best aging opportunities of the day. The last eagle was spotted near official sunset.
Migrant Raptors: 33 Golden Eagles (24a, 1s, 1j, 7u), 6 Bald Eagles (3a, 2si/ii, 2siii), 1adult Northern Goshawk.
Non-migrant Raptors: the resident Northern Goshawk pair were vocal in the morning and evening and appeared a few times over the western valley soaring and displaying. An adult Bald Eagle spent time discovering new places to gain lift and patrolled up and down the river extensively. One of the resident Golden Eagles was also observed patrolling and appeared to encourage a subadult Golden Eagle to continue its migration.
Non-raptor Observations:
A handful of foraging Golden-crowned Kinglets were enchanting company on the walk in to the site in the morning. An adult Northern Shrike commanded the meadow for much of the day, leading to rewarding rounds of âspot the snowballâ for observers. Varied Thrush, American Robin, Mountain Chickadee, and Dark-eyed Junco sang through the day. An American Pipit made multiple eponymous pronouncements.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (04 Apr 2023) 39 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 04, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 9 | 95 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 36 | 107 | 1546 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 39 | 121 | 1674 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 20:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 13.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
We had 12 visitors, and five stayed for varying lengths to help observe.
Weather:
It was a frigid start to the day, at -16°C, and though it warmed to 0°C, it never really felt warm thanks to the ground winds. Cumulus clouds built and collapsed with varying degrees of threat, but the vast majority of the snow that did fall came in short bursts which didn’t affect visibility too much.
Raptor Observations:
In keeping with this season’s trend, eagles began the day around 10:00 and on the western ridge. It was 15:00 by the time one appeared on the eastern ridge, and from then on it was either there or directly overhead in neck-wrecking fashion. One light-morph Red-tailed Hawk flapped northwards over Hummingbird Plume, and singles each of Northern Goshawk and Bald Eagle rounded out the migrant list.
The resident Goldens displayed above Himmingbird and popped up elsewhere throughout the day. Both resident Goshawks were quite vocal in the morning, and both offered good views on the fly-by. A seemingly resident Merlin was also spotted, in rapid pursuit of a small flock of Waxwings.
Non-raptor Observations:
6 Mallards flew over high, and Varied Thrushes called from across the river. Two Northern Flickers and a Hairy Woodpecker were also rather vocal. Later in the day, Tom the Dipper whizzed down the river, and a pair of Hooded Mergansers were seen settling in for the night.
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 Dunkadoo – [Project Details]
