Mount Lorette (21 Mar 2026) 91 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 21, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 7 | 27 | 27 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 83 | 370 | 370 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 91 | 410 | 410 |
| Observation start time: | 15:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3.52 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Thanks to Marney & Charleigh, and to the manager of the local hostel for stopping by to spot some eagles. Come back anytime! There were no other visitors.
Weather:
The temperature was a steady 0 C during observation. Wind was very light to calm from the NE-NW at ground and ridge level. High wind shifted to moderate from the SW late the day. Cloud cover was 80-100% cumulus, stratus, and stratocumulus. Ridges were variably obscured between 20 and 100%. Occasional snow squalls passed through, but they didn’t last long and didn’t drop enough snow to accumulate.
Raptor Observations:
In the morning the cameras on the Nakiska ski hill showed nothing but snow and low clouds. The forecast seemed to indicate more of the same for the rest of the day, so I cancelled the count. When I checked again in the afternoon the snow had stopped and the sky was clearing slightly. I still wasn’t expecting much to be moving, but I decided to go to the site anyway just in case. It’s a good thing I did, because the short count produced 91 migrants including 83 Golden Eagles (34 a, 4 sa, 1 ui, 44u), 7 Bald Eagles (6 a, 1 sa), and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. Light north wind makes poor flying conditions, so most migrants were moving low and slow with much soaring and flapping and very little gliding or kiting. All were on the east ridges, and most of them (63) were counted in the 4-5 PM hour. No local raptors were observed.
Non-raptor Observations:
The Northern Pygmy-owl was heard on and off in the afternoon, and later seen near the site. One of the local Canada Jays seemed to be following it and harassed it at least once. Other birds were 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Common Ravens, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 11 European Starlings, 3 Varied Thrushes, 15 Bohemian Waxwings, and 9 Dark-eyed Juncos (6 Oregon, 3 u).
Predictions:
The return of strong SW wind during what’s usually the peak week of migration means tomorrow has potential to be a very high count.
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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (20 Mar 2026) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 20, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 0 | 287 | 287 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 0 | 319 | 319 |
(No count conducted today)
Visitors:
All sensible people stayed inside today, so I had the meadow to myself.
Weather:
No count conducted today due to persistent rain and low clouds obscuring the ridgelines.
Raptor Observations:
N/A
Non-raptor Observations:
A pair of Canada Geese flew along the river, while the forest edge contained at least one Robin, and slight deeper in, a group of Boreal Chickadees accompanied by one Mountain and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. By the time I left the list sat at 9 species, none of them unexpected.
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]
Mount Lorette (19 Mar 2026) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 0 | 287 | 287 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 0 | 319 | 319 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.63 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: |
Weather:
A day of persistent light to moderate rain. Temperature from 6C to 8C. Ground winds light SW. The count was ended at 15:00 as the rain became heavier.
Raptor Observations:
No raptors were seen
Non-raptor Observations:
I walked through some of the forest trails during periods of lighter rain and there seemed to be a few more small birds around. 3 Common Merganser, 6 Common Raven, 6 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 1 Varied Thrush, 1 Canada Jay, 2 White-winged Crossbill, 6 Pine Siskin
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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (18 Mar 2026) 10 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 18, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 8 | 287 | 287 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 10 | 319 | 319 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Alicia Magwood, Erk Gamboa, Kerry Malakoff, Tyler Magwood |
Visitors:
We appreciated the additional assistance of George H, Dave S, and Yumi H in helping with observation. In addition, eighteen students from the Grade Five elementary school in Banff came to the site to learn more about the migration dynamics. A big thank you to Glenn Webber for providing an excellent interpretative tour, and Banff teachers Tyson and Christy.
Weather:
The temperature was reasonable at +6 C with ground winds from the SW at 6-11 km/hr. The High winds were High or greater than 41 km/hr. The day was characterized by low cloud cover and steady drizzle that ranged from light to heavy and then rain at at 1500 hrs. The count was suspended at 1530 hrs due to the continuing rain, obscured ridges and the promise of more nasty weather moving from the South.
Raptor Observations:
Ten migrant raptors were observed today. The count was eight Golden Eagles (Adults x 3, Unaged x 5), one adult Bald Eagle, and one unidentified Eagle. With the low cloud ceiling there was some haze on the ridges, and the migrants appeared to pop up behind the Big Smile and then catch the Southerly ridge winds and then quickly disappear down the valley. The route seemed to extend down the valley rather than towards Mt Lorette as typical. The brief appearance of the migrants plus the lack of soaring was not conducive to accurate aging of the migrants. In addition, a resident American Goshawk (unaged) and three resident adult Bald Eagles were observed, all of which were hunting low over the valley and proceeding in a Southerly direction.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations were as follows: Canada Goose x 4, Common Merganser x 3, Belted Kingfisher x 1, Canada Jay x 1, Common Raven x 1, Black-capped Chickadee x 3, Mountain Chickadee x 3, White-winged Crossbill x 2 and White-tailed Deer x 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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (17 Mar 2026) 33 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 17, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 19 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 30 | 279 | 279 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 33 | 309 | 309 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.87 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Three women from Lethbridge stopped by, one with her binoculars and scope to briefly watch and a school group from Canmore came for a short introduction to Eagle counting.
Weather:
Today started out at a temperature of plus 4 and ended at plus 8. Heavy clouds covered the south half of the west ridge all day, nimbostratus, cumulus and high cirrus clouds circulated over the sky in varying degrees of coverage. The northern skies stayed predominantly blue with accompanying cumulus clouds. Grounds winds were 2-3 beaufort wind scale with gusts up to 6. Ridge winds were anywhere from 20km/hr. to 80 km/hr. with lots of snow spinning off the ridgetops. High winds were moderately strong to very strong. Throughout the afternoon a fine mist sprayed us carried by the strong winds.
Raptor Observations:
The raptors just materialized out of nothing, over Patrick, then Lorette, most moving at such a rapid pace that aging them was impossible Later a few came over the giving us a little more time to look at them. There were 30 Golden eagles, 12 adult, 16 unaged, 2 subadults, 2 adult Bald eagles, and 1 unknown eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were 4 Mountain chickadees,2 Black-capped chickadees, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 White-winged crossbills, one American Robin, one European starling,4 Pine Siskins and 9 Ravens flying about, one with nesting material in its beak. The resident Goshawk was seen hunting over Skogan pass, and a Golden eagle was seen touring the valley north to south which we thought was likely the resident. Six white-tailed deer were seen in the meadow.
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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
