Mount Lorette (03 Oct 2025) 77 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 03, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 9 | 39 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| American Goshawk | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 8 | 30 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 58 | 109 | 251 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Total: | 77 | 148 | 393 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Tiina Moore |
Visitors:
30. Thanks to Guy Kerr for joining the count team.
Weather:
A sunny and quite warm day. The temperature at 0800 was 1C, the high at 1500 was 15C and it was 10C at 1815. Ground winds were SW-W all day 0-20 km/h, ridge winds were SW to WSW, light to moderate with strong gusts from 1300 to 1800. It was cloudless to 1000 when cirrus and cirrostratus cloud began to form and then generally increased through the day reaching 100% altostratus, cirrostratus and cumulus by 1730. Observing conditions were good to excellent throughout.
Raptor Observations:
The count was 77 birds of 8 species between 0905 and 1720 that comprised 1 Osprey, 3 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa), 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 2u), 1a Cooperâs Hawk, 3 American Goshawks (1a, 1juv, 1u), 4 Red-tailed Hawks (3a, 1u), 58 Golden Eagles (28a, 3sa, 3juv, 24u), 1u Merlin, 1 unidentified small Falcon and 1 unidentified raptor. The highest hourly count was between 1500 and 1600 with 23 raptors. The first 4 Golden Eagles were seen separately between 0900 and 1000 all soaring in the same spot just to the north of Mt Allan. Most of the subsequent eagles were seen on the Fisher Range, usually gliding across from Mt Lorette but many also seeming to appear above the eastern ridges as though they had approached from the north east. When the ridge winds were strongest through much of the afternoon most of the Golden Eagles were flying quite high, soaring and gliding, making locating the birds quite challenging. A few Golden Eagles were observed slowly gliding into the winds high over Mt Lorette towards Mt Kidd before angling back towards the Fisher Range and flying very high over our heads.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included:- Downy Woodpecker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Clark’s Nutcracker 8, American Crow 13, Common Raven 45, Ruby-crowned Kinglets 4, American Robin 300, Pine Grosbeak 1, White-winged Crossbill 15, Pine Siskin 950
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 (02 Oct 2025) 31 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 5 | 35 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 4 | 26 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 26 | 51 | 193 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 31 | 71 | 316 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.45 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch, Lynette MacCulloch Susan Clarahan |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Thirty three visitors stopped to have a look, while a large group of students from Rundle college came by but did not engage. About eight of the visitors brought binoculars and sat watching for eagles for at least half an hour, through out the afternoon. Huge thanks to Caroline for visiting us and helping us by bumping up our eagle observation numbers up with her expertise!!
Weather:
Arriving at the observation site to witness a beautiful sunrise, the temperature was 3 degrees. the temperature rose to a high of 14 degrees and then dropped to 12 degrees by home time. The wind was at first almost imperceptible, with dark clouds hanging over Nakiska, the rest of the sky covered with cumulus and cirrus clouds. By noon he dark clouds had moved off to the south the southwest wind began to blow about 12km/hr. with gusts, the westerly ridge winds were 30km/hr. with gusts to 50km/hr. High winds were south west at moderate speed. b The wind dropped in the middle of the afternoon and high cirrus clouds moved in again with a few fluffy cumulus clouds floating around. The sky was once mostly blue by day’s end.
Raptor Observations:
Thirty one migrating raptors were seen, 2 Bald Eagles, one immature and one adult, 1 adult Coopers Hawk, 26 Golden eagles( 10A,2sa,1j,13u) 2unknown eagles. Aging was extremely hard to do as many of the birds were materializing over the Bumps and simply silhouettes disappearing into the distance.
The resident golden eagle was seen twice , once near Nakiska and once on the east side of the valley hunting. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was observed hunting near Nakiska ski area
Non-raptor Observations:
Song birds abounded in the area. Well over 100 Robins were counted in flocks but it is hard to know if they were repeats as they flew in all directions.35 Ravens were seen, some of which were harassing the immature Golden eagles. Numerous flocks of Pine Siskins, at least one flock of White -winged Crossbills, 1 flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets and a small flock of Yellow-rumped warblers passed us. Black-capped Chickadees, Mountain Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Swamp Sparrows, Savannah sparrows, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 1 Dipper and 1 Blue Jay were observed through 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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (01 Oct 2025) 40 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 5 | 5 | 35 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 4 | 26 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 25 | 25 | 167 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 40 | 40 | 285 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton, Peter Lloyd |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Approximately 50 people stopped to chat today, with quite a few staying to help spot and learn more about the count!
Weather:
A mild day today, with temperatures rising from 9 to 14 and back down to 9 degrees. The wind at ground level wasn’t bad, and at ridge levels it was slow but not too calm. Ridge wind readings typically settled between 29 and 38, gusting up to 71 at the windiest. The wind dropped slightly, later in the day. Precipitation was a constant threat, and brief spells of misty rain passed through the valley on a couple of occasions. This obscured the ridges somewhat, but rarely enough to really affect the count.
Raptor Observations:
Lots of resident raptors were active today – a Merlin made a pass at an American Pipit before jetting off north, and two local Golden Eagles were seen throughout the day. A Red-tailed Hawk made several appearances between Hummingbird Plume and the river, and an adult American Goshawk hunted the valley repeatedly. One immature Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen in the forest and deemed to be not-currently-migrating.
Golden Eagles made a small push in the morning before a long gap with few birds. After 16:00, it picked up slightly, culminating in a 4 Eagle push right at the end of the day. An adult Bald Eagle accompanied these four high overhead, before drifting across to the eastern ridgeline. The total GOEA count was 25 – 13 adult, 4 subadult, 1 juvenile, and 7 unaged birds.
Other raptors seen today include a migrating Goshawk, a high-flying Harrier, 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 4 Red-tailed Hawks, a pair of Merlin flying together over the western ridgeline, and an adult Peregrine Falcon, which gave comparatively excellent views as it briefly paused to soar while crossing Patrick.
Non-raptor Observations:
The big talking point of today was the simply astounding number of passerines migrating down the valley. Over 1,800 Pine Siskins was a safe count, and the American Robin tally fell just short of 700 birds – insane! Also in active passage along the valley were 40 American Pipits, 3 Mountain Bluebirds, a Varied Thrush, 30 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 15 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 20 Dark-eyed Juncos, and a smattering of other small birds. This represents a truly magnificent day-time migration count for passerines in Alberta, and many visitors were treated to fly-by views of numerous species.
2 Townsend’s Solitaires, 2 Belted Kingfishers, a Hairy Woodpecker, and several Clark’s Nutcrackers represented the highlights of the non-migrating birds.
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]
Mount Lorette (30 Sep 2025) 38 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 36 | 142 | 142 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 38 | 245 | 245 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
As it was a holiday, there were many people on the trail today, and about 40 stopped to help watch for eagles, spread out over the afternoon. We hope that those who came earlier in the day and did not see much will come back some other time later in the day.
Weather:
The temperature started at 8C, rose to 15C, and cooled down to 14C by sunset. The sky was overcast with light drizzle all morning, but at noon the clouds began to break up until by the end of the day there was 50% coverage with cumulus clouds. Ground winds were light all day, and ridge winds were mostly light from the southwest. The cumulus clouds were moving in from the west most of the day.
Raptor Observations:
In spite of the light winds reported at the Nakiska station on the west side of the valley, the eagles were finding enough wind on the east side to glide high above the ridge with no soaring or flapping. As always, the gliding posture made aging a challenge. No eagles showed up until after noon, when the clouds started breaking up. At first it was a steady trickle, but by 1500 the numbers were at a more expected level for this time of year, with 30 between 1500 and 1800, for a total of 36 (17a, 1sa, 18u). In addition there was one Osprey and one immature Bald Eagle heading south.
Other raptors were an American Goshawk hunting at the north end of the valley, and another at the far south of the valley. There was also a Red-tailed Hawk hanging out over Hummingbird Plume.
Non-raptor Observations:
One highlight of the day was seeing a flock of four Varied Thrushes flying south – the orange flash in their wings stood out against the grey backdrop of Patrick. It’s not often that these are identifiable as they fly by. Other than those and various flocks of unidentifiable birds there was 1 Belted Kingfisher, 10 Pine Siskins, 2 Canada Jays, 8 Common Ravens, a couple of Mountain Chickadees, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, two Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Savannah Sparrow, and an American Robin.
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 (29 Sep 2025) 30 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 30 | 30 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 24 | 106 | 106 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 30 | 207 | 207 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Neil Denton |
Visitors:
There were 22 visitors to the site to ask questions and to learn about migration.
Weather:
The weather was exceptional for the end of September. The opening temperature was +3 C with a day time high of +18 C. Ground winds were calm at 1-5 km/hr, and ridge winds were “Low” to “Med”.
Raptor Observations:
The total migratory raptor count was thirty. There were 24 migratory Golden Eagles (11 adults, 1 Subadult, 3 Juveniles, 9 unaged). The unaged birds were due to the extremely fast and high flight pattern during mid to late afternoon. Other raptor migrants were 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Northern Harrier, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 American Goshawk ,and 1 Broad-winged Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor species were quite active: 3 Canada Goose, 16 American Robin, 10 Pine Siskin, 9 Common Raven, 2 American Crow, 15 Cedar Waxwings, 1 Swamp Sparrow, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 4 Northern Flicker, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Canada Jay
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]
