Mount Lorette (13 Oct 2022) 112 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 39 | 52 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 12 | 41 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 8 | 19 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 9 | 16 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 27 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 106 | 1123 | 1278 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 11 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 14 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Total: | 112 | 1268 | 1519 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Cliff Hansen, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Roughly 30 people stopped by to chat and learn about the count. Sadly, a few people with binoculars showed up around lunch hour, and left just before 2pm when we had the hour with the highest count of eagles.
Weather:
It was yet another day that started with blue skies and light winds. It’s getting a little cooler too, with a starting temperature of -3C. However, it rose to 19C during the day, so it was quite comfortable temperature-wise after the sun rose over the east ridge. Cirrus clouds gradually built up, and while there was never more than 60% coverage of the sky, those clouds did help with spotting the migrants in the afternoon. The ridge winds also gradually built up from almost nothing to a more migration-friendly speed and direction.
Raptor Observations:
The first eagles were seen soon after arriving at the site, and there was a slow but steady movement until 2pm when the ridge winds starting picking up. Initially the migrants were coming in low on the east ridge and having to use powered flight. As thermals formed, less energy was needed for the eagles to move, but progress was slow. After 2pm most eagles were coming in at or above ridge level, soaring to gain height, and then gliding quickly to the south. The count was 106 Golden Eagles (79a, 8sa, 7j, 12u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 3 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa3), 1 unid. eagle, and 1 unid. accipiter.
Non-raptor Observations:
Early in the morning a Northern Goshawk, the presumed local resident, was sitting in the trees by the pump houses. We don’t normally see them either perched or so close, so that was a treat. Other birds were: Common Loon 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Canada Jay 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 25, Black-capped Chickadee 3, American Dipper 1, Red Crossbill 11, 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 (12 Oct 2022) 176 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 36 | 49 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 12 | 41 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 8 | 19 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 18 | 27 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 151 | 1017 | 1172 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 13 | 17 |
| Unknown Raptor | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Total: | 176 | 1156 | 1407 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 12 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
The cooler temperatures seemed to keep more people at home, 19 people visited today.
Weather:
The morning started off at a frosty -2C, warming quickly once the sun hit the valley floor, eventually reaching 12C. The predominant weather feature of the day was blue sky. We celebrated a small cumulus cloud, hoping it would divide and multiply, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Raptor Observations:
The clear skies, blessedly free from haze, provided extraordinarily bright light conditionsâMt. Patrick was practically glowingâwhich illuminated the underside of raptors like snow. The flow of migrants picked up after 11:00am, maintaining the steady but not relentless pace of raptor numbers in the 20s per hour for the remainder of the day. Eagles moved along the east ridges until sunset.
151 Golden Eagles: 69 adult, 16 subadult, 10 juvenile, 4 undifferentiated immature, 51 unknown age.
Resident/Non-migratory Raptors: none observed
Non-raptor Observations:
The Red Crossbills were out in full force today, and Tom the American Dipper serenaded us in the evening.
Also ran: 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 2 Canada Jay 3 Black-billed Magpie 11 Common Raven 3 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Boreal Chickadee 5 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 1 American Dipper 2 Varied Thrush 21 American Robin 9 Bohemian/Cedar Waxwing 21 Red Crossbill 20 Pine Siskin 2 American Tree Sparrow 5 Dark-eyed Junco 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 (11 Oct 2022) 140 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 11, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 33 | 46 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 10 | 39 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 8 | 19 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 128 | 866 | 1021 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 4 | 12 | 16 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Total: | 140 | 980 | 1231 |
| Observation start time: | 07:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rick Robb |
Visitors:
There were fewer visitors today than previous days, only about a dozen. Four brought binoculars and helped with spotting birds. We are particularly grateful to James Bannon and Theresa Gawron for their expertise in helping out for most of the afternoon.
Weather:
The day’s weather started out looking like last week’s, with no ground wind, frost on the ground, and cloudless blue skies. The temperature started at -2C, rose to a high of 15C, and dropped to 11C at the end. However, while ridge winds varied throughout the day, they were strong and mostly from the southwest, making for good migration conditions. Cumulus clouds built up during the day which aided in spotting the migrants. The clouds showed much turbulence in the air as they were constantly forming and dissipating, and twisting and twirling, generally going rapidly in a south-southeast direction but often appearing to go backwards and sideways.
Raptor Observations:
The turbulence in the air was reflected in the flight paths of the migrants, which were all over the place. Some Golden Eagles were spotted going down the west ridge, which is unusual for fall migration. The count was 1 Osprey (harassed by a Golden Eagle), 128 Golden Eagles (79a, 13sa, 9j, 27u), 3 adult Bald Eagles, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 unid. accipiters and 4 unid. eagles. One adult Bald Eagle was seen heading north on a mission, as if it had just been informed that a large flock of ducks had landed at Barrier Lake.
Non-raptor Observations:
A large flock of about 60 Snow Geese was flying south early in the day. Later a small flock of 3 was seen being chased by a Golden Eagle. They headed north only to find themselves in the path of another Golden Eagle, at which point they descended rapidly and out of sight. A lone loon, presumably a Common Loon, was seen heading south. 14 ravens appeared to be enjoying the turbulent air above the east ridge at one point. Other birds were one Belted Kingfisher, one Northern Shrike, two Canada Jays, two Black-billed Magpies, two Black-capped Chickadees, one Golden-crowned Kinglet, two Red-breasted Nuthatches, two American Dippers, at least two Red Crossbills, a Pine Siskin or more, and two Dark-eyed Juncos.
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 (10 Oct 2022) 198 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 10, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 30 | 43 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 8 | 37 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 8 | 19 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 189 | 738 | 893 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Total: | 198 | 840 | 1091 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 12 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich, Caroline Lambert, Mustafa Onder Ersin |
Visitors:
About 25 visitors stopped to inquire about our activity and a few observers came specifically to help out in sighting the migrants. Thank you for your assistance Jim St. Laurent, Theresa Gawron, and James Bannon.
Weather:
We had a gorgeous fall morning with yellow leaves and a pink and blue sky filled with alluring lenticular cloud formations, making for an immersive experience in color and shapes, and scent. The temperature started at 1C and rose to 17C. The ground winds started out light but picked up after 10:00 and became strong enough to tumble the chairs. After 16:00 the weather turned and some intermittent light rain set in. Ridge winds were strong all day from the SW with gusts reaching 106 Km/h. Lenticular, Cumulous, and Cirrus cloud coverage averaged about 70% Conditions were favorable for migration and produced 198 Raptors.
Raptor Observations:
Todayâs migration started early and was steady all day until 16:00 when the bad weather set in and it slowed down. The first bird was found at 8:05 above the North Fisher Range and the last flew by at 18:41 above Patrick. The early birds seemed to come up from Wasootch to Patrick and then ventured on along the Eastern Ridges. At 09:42 they started appearing at Lorette and for most of the day, they were mainly found extremely high above the Valley Center north. The final count was 189 Golden Eagles (64a, 9sa, 18j, 98u), 3 Bald Eagles, 1 Coopers Hawk, 4 unidentified Buteos, and 1 unidentified Eagle. The majority of todayâs birds were flying very high and the white clouds and haze made ID difficult to impossible.
Non-raptor Observations:
7 Ravens playing on a thermal above Patrick. 12 Crows migrating from Alberta to B.C. 9 American Robins, 25 Canada Geese, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 2 more Common Ravens,1 Clarkâs Nutcracker, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 American Dippers. 1 American Tree Sparrow, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 60 Crossbills sp.
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 (09 Oct 2022) 135 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 09, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 7 | 27 | 40 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 8 | 37 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 7 | 18 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 15 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 123 | 549 | 704 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 7 | 11 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Total: | 135 | 642 | 893 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | David Musto |
Weather:
In typical fashion for this fall count it was warm with a high of 18C and the sky was nearly cloudless. The low in the morning was 0C. The wind was almost non-existent and ground level. At ridge level it was generally light and the direction switched back and forth between NE and SW. There was some haze in the sky to the south but it hardly affected observing conditions. The clear sky did make it difficult to spot the higher and more distant raptors.
Raptor Observations:
Despite poor wind conditions for migration there was a good movement of golden eagles today. It peaked in the early afternoon with 52 migrants between 12:00 and 14:00. There was also a decent late day rush in the last couple hours. The usual pattern in the afternoon was for migrants to show up to the north near Mt. Lorette where they soared and gained plenty of height. They usually lost that height gliding over the valley and disappeared low behind Patrick. Some emerged farther south over the Fisher Range and some didn’t. Other migrants apparently couldn’t find thermals and had to resort to flapping across the valley. Later in the day they were spotted over Patrick and the south portion of the Fisher Range but rarely at Lorette.
Non-raptor Observations:
Mourning cloak butterflies were still out
Other bird observations on eBird: ebird.org/checklist/S120359661
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]
