Mount Lorette (16 Oct 2023) 111 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 34 | 36 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 94 | 124 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 25 | 29 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 100 | 1698 | 1855 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 9 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 24 | 42 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 8 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 8 | 13 |
| Total: | 111 | 1935 | 2184 |
| Observation start time: | 07:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Rosemary Power |
Visitors:
15 people stopped to chat about the count. Special thanks to Michael and Sheila for their enthusiastic help spotting eagles during the peak of the day.
Weather:
The morning started out at 5°C, the high was 16°C at 3 p.m., falling to 15°C by sunset. Ground winds were mild throughout the day with a slight increase in gusts towards the evening. A chinook arch hung behind the eastern ridges all day. Continuously shifting cirrus and cumulus clouds made cloud cover estimations an interesting exercise each hour. Ridge winds were predominantly from the SW, moderate in the morning and increasing through the day to over 60 km/h by 4 p.m. with just up to 100 km/h by 6 p.m.
Raptor Observations:
Migrant Eagles 100 Golden Eagles: 21a, 8sa, 6j, 10ui, 55u 3 Bald Eagles: 2a, 1sa 2 Undifferentiated Eagles
The first Golden Eagles of the day appeared after 9 a.m. and both sides of the valley. Most eagles used the east ridges throughout the day, through the west ridges averaged a few eagles per hour until about 4 p.m. Average route height increased along with ridge winds with some eagles flying very high over Patrick. One Golden Eagle appeared to partake in an in-flight meal, passing something from talon to beak while gliding far overhead. After a morning of backlit birds, aging became easier in the afternoon as the sun came around to an agreeable angle. Aging in the evening proved difficult as we lost light and most eagles flew high, fast, and tightly tucked.
Migrant Raptors 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks: all unaged, spotted high over the ridges harassing Golden Eagles 1 Undifferentiated Accipiter flew directly towards the site from over Lorette 1 Unidentified small raptor harassing Golden Eagle
Non-migrant Raptors A resident adult American Goshawk was first noted hunting over Hummingbird Plume at 12:30 p.m. and observed again later over the west side of the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Varied Thrush hopped along the path in front of me as I walked to the site in the morning. A concerning rustling in the underbrush along the path proved to be a puffed up Ruffed Grouse hurrying away at my approach, rather than my initial impression of a mammal with an appetite. 1 Ruffed Grouse 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker 4 Canada Jay 1 Black-billed Magpie 6 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Brown Creeper 1 American Dipper 1 Varied Thrush 13 Bohemian Waxwing 2 Pine Grosbeak 2 Red Crossbill 26 White-winged Crossbill 3 Pine Siskin 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
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 (15 Oct 2023) 262 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 31 | 33 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 5 | 90 | 120 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| American Goshawk | 2 | 25 | 29 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 253 | 1598 | 1755 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 9 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 23 | 41 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 12 |
| Total: | 262 | 1824 | 2073 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.17 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
We had 30 visitors who stopped by to chat, including some children who were very excited to learn about Golden Eagles. Special thanks to the dependable spotting skills of Theresa & James.
Weather:
The weather in the morning was quite humid and cloudy, with scattered light showers, however this did not seem to hinder some early birds excited by some strong ridge winds. Throughout the early morning the winds died down a bit, between 8-18 km/h from the W. By midday, the skies were partly cloudy and the ridge winds stayed consistent at 24-50 km/h SW throughout the afternoon with gusts up to 72 km/h. The temperature started at 7C and reached a high of 13 C.
Raptor Observations:
The days total was 262 migrants, including 253 Golden Eagles (108a, 74sa, 27j, 44u), 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks (4a, 1u), 2 American Goshawk (2j), 1 Merlin (1 a t/m), 1 Northern Harrier (1 brown). The Eagles started moving early, first seen at 7:54 in the morning, and stayed consistent throughout the day. The birds primarily used the eastern ridges, but a number of birds were able to stream across the valley from Mt. Lorette over to Old Baldy, skipping the usual path to Patrick. In the morning, there was significant cloud cover and birds were easy to age, by mid-day the light and partial cloud cover kept it easy, but by evening the aging became much more difficult. One of the challenges of the day was following the many different paths the eagles seemed to be taking. One of the early eagles was able to poach something from the top of Patrick (perhaps a ptarmigan or some other round fluffy object), dropping and catching it once, before finally dropping it and moving on to migrate. We were treated to a visit by the resident Goshawk, flying low through the valley, and a local bald eagle was seen multiple times throughout the day – starting by zooming along the river at first light, and then associating with migrants in various spots throughout the day. There was also a local Golden Eagle that was hanging around Lorette, occasionally escorting other migrants through the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: Ruffed Grouse 1, Canada Jay 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 3, Common Raven 14, American Dipper 1, American Robin 3, Bohemian Waxwing 24, Townsend’s Solitaire 1, Pine Grosbeak 10, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 28, White-winged Crossbill 2, Pine Siskin 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, Common Merganser 3, Common Loon 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, Black-capped Chickadee 3
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 (14 Oct 2023) 178 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 14, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 10 | 31 | 33 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 85 | 115 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 23 | 27 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 160 | 1345 | 1502 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 23 | 41 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 7 | 12 |
| Total: | 178 | 1562 | 1811 |
| Observation start time: | 07:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
15 visitors stopped to talk, and thanks to the 6 who came to watch eagle migration!
Weather:
Weather was generally quite nice and the wind was favorable for migration. The temperature was 0 C at the beginning of the day, the high was 12 and it fell to 7 as we were leaving. Ground wind was light to calm in the morning and blustery in the afternoon with gusts close to 30 km/h from the SW. Ridge wind was also from the SW, usually 30-40 with gusts up to 60. cloud cover varied from 30 to 60% throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
The days total was 178 migrants, including 160 Golden Eagles (37a, 15sa, 9j, 8ui, 91u), 10 Bad Eagles (7a, 1sa3, 1sa1/2, 1u), 1 Northern Harrier, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 American Goshawk, 1 unidentified small accipiter, 1 unidentified eagle and 1 unidentified small raptor. The strong Golden Eagle movement that started in the previous evening resumed early in the morning. The first one was sighted at 8:15 AM while I was still walking in, and I had counted 9 before reaching the site. Golden Eagles moved through almost continuously until 11 AM, at which point over 90 had been counted. After 11 the pace slowed considerably and became more of a steady trickle. Migrants were mostly on the eastern ridges, though a few used the west. Height was variable, they tended to be low in the morning but often quite high in the afternoon. During the morning rush migrants were backlit by the sunrise, so most were impossible to age. In the afternoon they were flying higher and faster, making spotting difficult in a sky with few clouds. One migrating sub-adult Golden Eagle tried hunting (unsuccessfully) along the way by dive-bombing at a couple bighorn sheep on a steep cliff. It seemed like the eagle was trying to knock a sheep off the mountain or scare it into jumping. A resident Goshawk was heard early in the morning and later seen hunting over Skogan Pass.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: Ruffed Grouse 1, Northern Flicker 1, Canada Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 13, Boreal Chickadee 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet 7, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Bohemian Waxwing 40, Red Crossbill 1, Pine Siskin 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 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 (13 Oct 2023) 99 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 22 | 24 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 82 | 112 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 22 | 26 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 95 | 1185 | 1342 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 3 | 22 | 40 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 11 |
| Total: | 99 | 1385 | 1634 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.67 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
About 10 people stopped to inquire about the count.
Weather:
The start of the count was delayed due to low clouds and fog, remnants of yesterday’s weather system. Apart from a couple of hours of sun in the morning, it was overcast all day, resulting in a narrow range of temperatures, from 3C at the start to 8C at the end, and a high of 9C. Ground winds were light from the northeast. The Nakiska ridgetop station was showing light ridge winds from the southwest, but the clouds, that draped over the east ridge occasionally, appeared to be moving slowly to the north. Neither ridge was completely clear of clouds at any time during the day.
Raptor Observations:
With low clouds and light winds, not much was expected in the way of migrating raptors. After three days of poor migration weather, it seemed at least some were determined to continue their journey south, regardless of the conditions. Most of the afternoon the eagles were flying low and using powered flight – with no sun there were no thermals, and the wind was light and in the wrong direction. The low altitude of flight necessitated constant monitoring of the vast expanse of sky between Lorette and Patrick, since when they got to Patrick, they disappeared into the cliff face and few of them were ever seen above ridge level. In the last couple of hours they managed to find enough lift to get above ridge level, but still needed to use powered flight to maintain their altitude. Those that were above ridge level were impossible to age as there was not much light, and they were flying against a white background. The total was 95 Golden Eagles (37a, 7sa, 5j, 4ui, 42u), 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, and 3 small accipiters.
Non-raptor Observations:
A couple of hikers (or climbers) were seen at the north end of Patrick late in the morning. During the course of the afternoon they were seen progressing along the ridge – first on the right side of the Big Smile, then on the leftmost Bump, then along the right side of the Bumps, and then on Fisher South. They were not seen from the site after that.
As for other birds – the dipper is still missing! There were few ravens flying either – only one was seen flying above the ridge, which is an indication of how poor the flying conditions were. Other birds: Belted Kingfisher 1, Canada Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 4, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Mountain Chickadee 1
Predictions:
Tomorrow’s wind forecast looks very favourable for migration, and Sunday looks even better.
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 (12 Oct 2023) 1 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 22 | 24 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 81 | 111 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 22 | 26 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1090 | 1247 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 19 | 37 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 11 |
| Total: | 1 | 1286 | 1535 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 1 hours |
| Official Counter | |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
None
Weather:
Nakiska ridgetop temperatures started the day at -1C, ended at 0C and peaked (!) at 1C.
Ground-level temperature began at 6C, ended at 9C – which was also the daily high temperature.
Ridgetop winds were primarily between NNE and ENE variable between 3kn/h and 20 km/h
Ground winds primarily N or NNW variable between 13km/h and 20km/h.
Cloud cover and precipitation Solid low cloud (Hummingbird ridge was visible, but nothing consequential higher than that. Rain early.
Visibility was sufficiently degraded to lead to a truncated day.
Raptor Observations:
1 Bald Eagle was seen flying northwards.
Non-raptor Observations:
None
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
