Mount Lorette (01 Apr 2026) 3 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 01, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 | 63 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 2 | 1028 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total: | 3 | 3 | 1127 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
34 people walled, skiied, or snowshoed by. About half stopped to chat and 3 stayed to help watch for a period.
Weather:
Opening at -10�C, the day warmed quickly to a balmy 0�C. Ground level winds were largely nonexistent, but unfortunately so were ridge level winds. The day started heavily overcast, and by 13:30 the Western ridge was mostly lost to a low bank of clouds. It did not take long for the rest of the valley to follow, and by 14:30 it started to snow. The forecast suggested nothing was going to change, but we waited for another hour after that, just in case. At15:30, with clouds and falling snow seemingly entrenched, we called it a day.
Raptor Observations:
In the hours before we lost the ridgeline, 4 eagles were seen. One of these was a resident Bald Eagle. Of the other three, two were adult Golden Eagles and one was a very pretty subadult Bald Eagle. All three followed the Eastern ridge, though one of the Goldens ended up coming almost over the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
The highlight of the day was the Spotted Towhee’s continued presence. At least three Northern Flickers were seen, as well as about 30 Robins, a Varied Thrush, pairs each of Mallard and Canada Goose, and a Killdeer calling somewhere downstream.
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 (31 Mar 2026) 13 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 62 | 62 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 11 | 1026 | 1026 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 13 | 1124 | 1124 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.52 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Susan Wilberg |
Visitors:
Of the two dozen or so passers-by, only three people stopped to chat for any length of time.
Weather:
The temperature started out unusually cold for the end of March, at -14C. It rose to 0C and ended the day at -1C. With yesterday’s snow still looking fresh, all signs of spring had disappeared, except for a few intrepid catkins on the willows. The ground wind started out calm and was never very strong. Around the middle of the day it was from the north and northeast, but by midafternoon was from the west to southwest. Initially the sky was overcast with thin stratus clouds, which gradually gave way to a mix of cirrus and cumulus that allowed enough sun through to keep us warm until the sun went behind the west ridge. Judging by the snow blowing off the ridges, the ridge wind was initially calm and stayed that way most of the day. Occasional plumes were seen coming off the ridges by late afternoon, indicating a southwest wind.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant raptor, a Golden Eagle, wasn’t seen until after noon, after that there was a slow trickle of one Golden Eagle per hour, until late in the day when five were seen between 1800 and 1900. A couple were seen on the west ridge, but the rest were mostly coming up from behind the east ridge and then kiting high above the ridge before turning to head towards Mt Lorette. The total was a disappointing 11 (6a, 3sa, 1ui, 1u). Other migrants were an adult Bald Eagle and an adult dark morph Red-tailed Hawk.
Non-migrants spotted were an intermediate morph adult Red-tailed Hawk and a Bald Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were very quiet, not surprising given the unusually cold start to the day. Seen or heard were 3 Canada Geese, 1 Common Goldeneye, 2 Common Mergansers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, about 8 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, and 2 American Robins.
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 (30 Mar 2026) 21 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 61 | 61 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 19 | 1015 | 1015 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 21 | 1111 | 1111 |
| Observation start time: | 10:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 20:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.3 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Neil Denton |
Visitors:
About 15 people stopped by to inquire about the count.
Weather:
The start of the count was delayed due to a snowstorm. We began at 11:00 a.m. with a temperature of -8�C. The sky was completely overcast, and snow fell. None of the ridges were visible at the outset, but as the day progressed, conditions gradually improved. The ridges began to clear, and by 2:00 p.m., they were fully visible. The temperature rose to a high of -3�C and measured -4�C by the end of the count. Ground winds were light, averaging around 5 km/h from the northwest until 3:00 p.m., when they shifted to the west. After 6:00 p.m., the winds returned to a north-northwest direction. The Nakiska weather station was once again not operational, so precise ridge wind measurements were unavailable. However, ridge winds appeared moderate to strong at times, inferred from visible plumes moving from the west. Cloud cover averaged approximately 60% and consisted primarily of cumulus and nimbostratus clouds.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor movement was observed primarily along a flight path that passed nearly straight overhead at times and high over the eastern ridges. Birds were located in the Mount Lorette area as well as over the Fisher Range. Flight behaviour was predominantly gliding. Most birds travelled past Mount Lorette and continued on towards Mount McGillivray. The final count for the day was 21 raptors, including 19 Golden Eagles (9 adults, 4 ui, 6 u), 1 subadult Bald Eagle, and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. A few other non-migrating raptors in the area included a Golden Eagle, a dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, and a Northern Goshawk. We had the pleasure of observing the Goshawk fly a few metres in front of us along the river to the trees near the pumphouse, where it remained in plain sight for approximately 15 minutes.
Non-raptor Observations:
Needless to say, due to the snowstorm, there were not many small birds in the area. An American Dipper made a few flybys, and more than 50 American Robins flew overhead in small groups. One male White-winged Crossbill perched briefly at the top of a tree. A lone Canada Goose braved the snowy skies, and approximately seven Dark-eyed Juncos were observed in the area. In addition, three Mountain Chickadees, two Black-capped Chickadees, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, and a Northern Flicker were seen.
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 Mar 2026) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 29, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 60 | 60 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 1 | 996 | 996 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 15 | 15 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 2 | 1090 | 1090 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.02 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
17 visitors came by but only one couple stopped to visit.
Weather:
Temperature this morning was minus 9 Celsius and rose to minus 4. Cloud covered most of the sky for the day with some blue areas in the east. Cumulus and Stratus clouds filled the western ridges and spilled heavily into the south. There were scattered snow flurries during the morning and by 2 pm the whole sky was covered and it began to snow in earnest. The wind was light from the north, northeast. Ridge winds were moderate ,spinning columns of snow off the ridge tops and when visible the high clouds were moving quickly to the east. Once the heavier clouds socked in, there was no obvious movement.
Raptor Observations:
The first eagle was seen high over the eastern ridges sailing very fast. There was no time to identify it as more than an eagle. The only other eagle was seen flying low in front of Patrick and over to Lorette. As it dipped over the ridge, the base of it s tail showed white, indicating undifferentiated subadult.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen or heard were 4 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 Varied Thrushes, 12 American Robins, 6 European Starlings, 4 Common Ravens, 4 Mountain chickadees, 2 Northern Flickers, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 American Dipper 1 Belted Kingfisher and three flocks of silent, little brown birds 30-40 in each group.
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 (28 Mar 2026) 27 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 28, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 60 | 60 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 21 | 995 | 995 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 3 | 14 | 14 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 27 | 1088 | 1088 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Erin Gilbert |
Visitors:
31 People stopped to talk. 4 came with binoculars to watch for eagles.
Weather:
The temperate was -3 C at the start of observation, it rose to a high of 2, then fell to 0 as we were leaving. Ground wind was from the N-NW, 5-10 km/h in the morning and gusting up to 20 in the afternoon. Ridge wind was light from the NE, up to 13. High wind was moderate to strong from the SW. The collision of weather systems created a haze that made identification of distant raptors very difficult, and ageing impossible in most cases. Cloud cover was 20-30% cumulus and cirrus in the morning, but increased in the afternoon as the storm approached. Around 4 PM low cloud and snow began to envelop the west ridges, then started creeping into the valley to the north and south of the site. The count was concluded at 4:45 PM as snow reached the meadow and the east ridges began to disappear.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was slowish and somewhat sporadic between 12:45 and 4 PM. The count for the day was 27 raptors including 21 Golden Eagles (2 adults, 1 subadult, 18 u), 2 Bald Eagles (1 adult, 1 subadult), 1 Red-tailed Hawk, and 3 unidentified eagles. Movement was split between east and west ridges, and migrants were relatively low (often passing behind or in front of the mountains) given the poor flying conditions. Resident raptors included the Golden Eagle pair, one of which was displaying over Olympic Summit, an adult Goshawk that flew over the meadow carrying unidentified prey, and a Red-tailed Hawk that was displaying and harassing the migrating Red-tail.
Non-raptor Observations:
The most unusual bird of the day was a Spotted Towhee foraging with a group of Juncos. Other birds were 2 Canada Geese, 1 Common Merganser, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 8 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped, 1 Mountain, and 2 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Golden Crowned Kinglets, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 4 European Starlings, 2 Varied Thrushes, 6 American Robins, 15 Bohemain Waxwings, 3 Pine Siskins, and 7 Dark-eyed Juncos (3 Oregon, 4 u). 3 White-tailed Deer were also seen.
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]
