Mount Lorette (03 Nov 2022) 58 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 6 | 6 | 91 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 26 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 49 | 49 | 2276 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Total: | 58 | 58 | 2608 |
| Observation start time: | 07:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Rick Robb |
Visitors:
One visitor came with binoculars to watch migration. Six others stopped to talk
Weather:
It was a windy day at ridge level with gusts exceeding 70 km/h. At ground level the wind was moderate, typically around 10 km/h with gusts up to 20. Cloud cover was low in the morning, around 20% which made spotting high-flying birds difficult. In the afternoon cloud cover increased to 60-80% which helped spotting. Temperature was a chilly -8 C in the morning which increased to -2 C in the afternoon. 20-30 cm of snow had fallen in the last couple days.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the migrants were flying high over the eastern ridges, kiting into the strong updrafts then gliding south well above the Fisher Range. Some birds were high enough to detach from the ridges and flew down the east side of the valley. Others seemed to have trouble maintaining height and came low in front of Mt. Patrick before finding another updraft and kiting high again.
The total count consisted of 49 Golden Eagles (27 adults, 4 sub-adults, 1 juvenile, 2 undifferentiated immature and 15 unaged), 6 Bald Eagles (3 adults & 3 sub-adults), 1 adult Northern Goshawk and 2 unidentified eagles. Local raptors included an adult Bald Eagle that was once again flying low over the river in the morning and an adult Northern Goshawk flying west to the south of the site.
Non-raptor Observations:
Common Merganser 11 One on the river, ten flying south Belted Kingfisher 1 Canada Jay 2 Common Raven 10 Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 Brown Creeper 1 American Dipper 1 European Starling 8 Seven flying south and one hanging around Bohemian Waxwing 25 Red Crossbill 8 Dark-eyed Junco 2
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 (02 Nov 2022) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 85 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 2227 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Total: | 0 | 0 | 2550 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
No Observation conducted – Snowfall Warning in effect Conditions at the site were reported as low cloud and continued snow throughout the day. Driving conditions to the site were reported as marginal
Raptor Observations:
No Observation conducted due to weather conditions – snowfall warning in effect
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (31 Oct 2022) 7 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 72 | 85 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 13 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 18 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 7 | 2072 | 2227 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 13 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 17 | 21 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| Total: | 7 | 2299 | 2550 |
| Observation start time: | 12:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
None
Weather:
Bad weather hindered the onset of today’s count. The temperature at 13:00 was 2C and remained the same. SW winds were calm at times and only rose to about 5km/h. Ridge winds appeared to be moderate from a westerly direction. After 16:00, the brief clearing in the clouds began to close in. The ridges disappeared and the drizzle turned to snow. The count ended at 17:30.
Raptor Observations:
After 1 pm the clouds cleared a bit and a few migrants were located along the Eastern ridges. Some were found gliding into Patrick and continuing along the Fisher Range. The birds that were aged had flown below ridge level which made identification possible in the low light of the day. Final Count: Golden Eagle 7 (4a, 3u).
Non-raptor Observations:
I finally got to meet the Brown Creeper of Hay Meadow after all these years. I think there were two, but I didn’t get a good look at the other. About thirty Golden Crowned Kinglets crossed the path right in front of me in small groups of three and four. Iâve never seen so many of these cute little thinglets together! Some even stopped a few feet away to observe me. Five Loons flew by, first to the east behind Patrick and later to the Southwest. Two large groups of birds with extremely fast and furious Bohemian Waxwing flight style passed through the valley. One had about 50 birds and the other 100 at least. In addition, there were two Black-capped Chickadees, one Boreal Chickadee, one Northern Flicker, four Ravens, one Hairy Woodpecker, one Canada Jay, one Ruffed Grouse drumming, and a sweet singer, Tom the Dipper (adult).
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 (30 Oct 2022) 19 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 72 | 85 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 13 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 18 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 19 | 2065 | 2220 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 13 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 17 | 21 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| Total: | 19 | 2292 | 2543 |
| Observation start time: | 07:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich, Rosemary Power |
Visitors:
10 visitors stopped at the site
Weather:
Early in the day wind was strong with gusts up to 40 km/h at ground level and up to 114 km/h at ridge level. Cloud cover varied from 20% to 70% until the afternoon. Between 1 and 3 pm the wind died down a bit and the storm that had been clinging to the Kananaskis Range to the west moved into the valley. The count was concluded at 3:30 pm as rain settled in.
Raptor Observations:
In the morning migrants were flying high, gliding in the strong wind over the Fisher Range. Most of them kept their wings and tail tucked in, were backlit in front of cloud and sometimes passed behind the low cumulus making them very difficult to age. As the wind died down in the afternoon the eagles dropped to more of an average height, still gliding but not far above ridge level. They moved through slowly but steadily until the ridges socked in around 3 pm. The final count included 19 Golden Eagles (7 adults and 12 unaged). One resident adult Bald Eagle was flying low over the river in the morning.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds: Belted Kingfisher 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker (Northwest) 1 Canada Jay 2 Black-billed Magpie 1 Common Raven 9 Black-capped Chickadee 2 Mountain Chickadee 1 Boreal Chickadee 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 Bohemian Waxwing 30 Red Crossbill 2 Pine Siskin 1
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 (29 Oct 2022) 80 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 8 | 72 | 85 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 13 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 18 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 68 | 2046 | 2201 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 13 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 3 | 17 | 21 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| Total: | 80 | 2273 | 2524 |
| Observation start time: | 07:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.22 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
18 visitors stopped by to check out the scene and chat. Several people brought binoculars and scanned the ridges for a while.
Weather:
The weather was upside down again. The strongest winds were early in the morning with ridge winds up to 130kph, gusting to 155kph, then dying down a lot in the afternoon and picking up at the end of the day – quite the opposite to what is expected. In addition, the temperature high of 6C was not that much different from the morning low of 4C. Not much sun was seen between the cumulus clouds that raced across the sky from a westerly direction. Bits of the west ridge kept vanishing behind snow-laden clouds, but the east ridge remained clear.
Raptor Observations:
Again, the clouds were helpful in spotting the migrants which were all over the place on the east side of the valley. The wind allowed most of them to glide by quickly and effortlessly, not showing much in the way of ID marks. That, combined with the lack of light, resulted in another day with a high number of unaged eagles. The distribution was somewhat even throughout the day, but the hour with the most eagles was 10am to 11am, when we had 20. Nearly half of the migrants were seen in the morning, which, like the weather, was unusual. The tally was 68 Golden Eagles (27a, 5sa, 4j, 32u), 8 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa, 1j, 4u), 3 eagles not identified to species, and 1 Peregrine Falcon.
Non-raptor Observations:
Many flocks of small birds, ranging in size from 10 to 50, zipped by us at high speed throughout the day. Most of these were determined to be Bohemian Waxwings. The total of waxwings in these flocks that could be identified was about 180, but there could have been more. Along the trail to the site 2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, and 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch were detected. 2 Common Mergansers were seen flying down the river, and 5 loons (presumably Common Loons) were seen flying high to the south. 3 Canada Jays were around, about 6 Common Ravens were spotted, and Tom the American Dipper serenaded us several times late in the day.
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 (28 Oct 2022) 15 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 64 | 77 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 13 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 18 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 13 | 1978 | 2133 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 13 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 14 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| Total: | 15 | 2193 | 2444 |
| Observation start time: | 13:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
7 visitors stopped by the site to talk about the count, including a very cute baby.
Weather:
Sleet and low clouds delayed the start of the count until 2:00pm. The temperature ranged from 2C to 4C. From 3:00pm on, the clouds progressively cleared leaving the air crystal clear. Spotting and aging were complicated by the constantly changing conditions.
Raptor Observations:
13 Golden Eagles (1 adult, 1 undifferentiated immature, 13 of unknown age) were observed migrating south, all along the Fisher Range. An adult Bald Eagle and a Northern Harrier were the only other migrant raptors.
Resident/Non-migratory Raptors: a Northern Goshawk was seen hunting in the valley, and in the parking lot at the end of the day.
Non-raptor Observations:
Flocks of Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Siskins were noted through the day. And Tommy serenaded us for a bit; heâs getting quite good!
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]
