Mount Lorette (07 Oct 2024) 35 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 8 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 29 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 5 | 13 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 30 | 341 | 604 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Total: | 35 | 406 | 729 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
43 We had visitors, some from Australia, Holland and, South Africa.
Weather:
A calm golden morning with gradually increasing ground winds from the south. At ridge level moderate to strong winds from the SW with gusts up to 75 at times. Cloud coverage ranged from 10-30% and comprised of cirrus, cirrocumulus, and later lenticular clouds took over. Ridges were clear all day. The sun kept us warm all day with temperatures starting at 1C, rising to 16C.
Raptor Observations:
At 9:00 on the dot the Eagles started appearing over the eastern ridges. By 12:00 we had counted over half of the eagles that would appear today. The final count was 30 Golden Eagles (13 adults, 6 subadults, 5 juveniles, 6 unaged). Bald Eagle 2 (1 adult, 1 subadult), Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Rough-legged Hawk 1, Unidentified Buteo 1. The flight pattern was lower glides, and the birds often dipped below ridge level. Non-migrant raptors: 1 Golden Eagle and 1 Bald Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
Two Ruffed Grouse hung out on the path on the way in. A very happy high-tailed Song Sparrow delighted us with itâs chitter chatter by the river in the morning. Other sightings included: Belted Kingfisher 1, Canada Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 1, Robins 12, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Pine Siskin 1, Common Ravens 6, Mourning Cloak Butterfly 1, Midges- too many.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (06 Oct 2024) 119 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 06, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 6 | 17 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 16 | 28 | 46 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 5 | 13 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Eagle | 94 | 311 | 574 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Total: | 119 | 371 | 694 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich, Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
19
Weather:
Temperatures of between 5 and 15 degrees made for a pleasant day, while ground winds stayed between 7-9km/h. Ridge winds were a little low to start at 22km/h, but rose to 43km/h with gusts of up to 57km/h. Cloud coverage was 90% for the majority of the day, falling to 50 by the end of the count.
Raptor Observations:
We finished with 94 Golden Eagles. It was a slow start with only 2 eagles before 12pm, but what it lacked in eagles the morning made up for with a flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks which made for a total of 16 for the day. The majority of Golden Eagles came between 16:00 and 17:00 with 26 birds. The vast majority of eagles drifted across low or at ridge level towards Patrick, soaring and gliding but without much exertion required. Late in the day, the flight path rose well above Patrick and passing eagles glided over effortlessly. Our resident Goshawk, a resident Golden Eagle, and two resident Bald Eagles all made appearances.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was a big day for Robins, with 286 migrating along the valley in scattered groups throughout the morning. The Canada Jays are getting very bold and managed to steal some of Allison’s sandwich while we were distracted. In total, other observations were: 1 Ruffed Grouse, 5 Ring-billed Gull, 2 California Gull, 1 Larus sp., 1 Common Loon, 1 Great Horned Owl, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 3 Canada Jay, 16 Common Raven, 5 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 Brown Creeper, 286 American Robin, 4 American Pipit, 12 Pine Siskin, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (05 Oct 2024) 38 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 5 | 12 | 30 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 28 | 217 | 480 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Total: | 38 | 252 | 575 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
63 visitors stopped to talk. Thanks to Tina, Aleksandra, Alan and Lorna for helping to spot eagles!
Weather:
Ground wind was strongest in the first few hours of the day with gusts close to 30 km/h, but the gusts decreased slightly to 20 after. The wind was strong at ridge level all day, with gusts up to 88. Cloud cover was 20-75% cumulus and cirrus. The actual temperature stayed in a narrow range between 7 and 11 C, but the apparent temperature varied greatly depending on whether the sun was out or behind clouds and if wind was gusting or not.
Raptor Observations:
Migrants were using the strong wind to glide high over the Fisher Range and the east side of the valley. Only a few eagles passed below ridge level, though some of the sharpies were closer in over the river. Movement was sporadic throughout the day, with short bursts of activity between slow periods. Most of the migrating eagles resisted ageing by staying tucked in a glide, flying in front of higher clouds where they were backlit, and occasionally disappearing above lower clouds. The count for the day was 28 Golden Eagles (2 adults, 2 juveniles, 4 undifferentiated immature, and 20 unaged), 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Merlin, 2 unidentified eagles and 1 small unidentified raptor.
Local raptors included an adult American Goshawk hunting over Hummingbird Plume Hill in the morning and an Adult Bald Eagle flying north in the evening.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were: 1 Common Merganser, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Northern Shrike, 3 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 17 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 14 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 8 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Pacific Wren, 1 American Dipper, 25 American Robins, 1 American Pipit, 22 Pine Siskins, 2 American Tree Sparrows, 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 White-crowned Sparrows, and 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler. 1 White-tailed deer was also seen.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (04 Oct 2024) 34 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 04, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 5 | 16 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 7 | 25 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 26 | 189 | 452 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 34 | 214 | 537 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.8 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Carol McTavish, Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
22 visitors stopped to chat.
Weather:
The temperature was mildly above average, between 2 and 13 degrees. A warm ground wind blew throughout the day at between 1 and 5 Beaufort. Ridge winds were high throughout the day, rising to gusts of over 120 km/h. Cloud cover was typically significant – mostly Altocumulus and Cirrostratus. Unfortunately, a rain storm blew in at around 14:30 and we were forced to end the count early.
Raptor Observations:
26 Golden Eagle were observed, and movement peaked between 11am and 12pm with 11 birds. Most followed the eastern ridge, fairly low. The resident Bald Eagle was seen hunting the river. Early on, several small raptors came through the valley, including an adult Peregrine Falcon which flew over the count site.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Pacific Wren greeted us as we walked in, but during the morning there wasn’t a ton of activity around the count site itself. A hard pf Big Horned Sheep fed in a ski run on Nakiska. In total, other observations tallied: 2 unidentified ducks, 2 Canada Jay, 21 Common Raven, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4 Brown Creeper, 1 Pacific Wren, 1 American Dipper, 28 American Robin, 4 American Pipit, 12 Pine Siskin, 2 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (03 Oct 2024) 64 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 03, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 3 | 21 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 57 | 163 | 426 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 64 | 180 | 503 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
About 20 people stopped to ask about the count. Many thanks to Hazel for staying for a few hours and helping spot the eagles!
Weather:
The temperature started at 2C, rose quickly to 10C, and was 7C at the end of the count. Ground winds were light and mostly from the southwest. Ridge winds were from the southwest at 20-40kph, gusting to 50, and upper winds were moderate from the northwest. The sky was almost completely covered with cumulus clouds to start with, but those gradually disappeared, and were replaced by cirrus clouds. Overall a very pleasant day, accentuated by glorious fall colours.
Raptor Observations:
Golden Eagle movement was light in the morning but gradually picked up as the day went by, with the highest hourly number occurring from 1700 to 1800 (18). All migrants were seen on the east ridge, most coming in low to Patrick, and most not going too high. There was enough wind that they could gain altitude without flapping or soaring, but not so much that they moved quickly. There were 57 altogether (29a, 6sa, 8j, 11ui, 3u). In addition there was one American Goshawk, one juvenile Bald Eagle, three Red-tailed Hawks, and a couple of small, high-flying accipiters.
One of the resident Golden Eagles was spotted on the west ridge, and at various times during the day an American Goshawk was seen hunting over the forest on the east ridge. One Merlin was seen heading north.
Non-raptor Observations:
At the start of the day a couple of skeins of Canada Geese flew over (totalling 50), then a couple of flocks of loons, presumably Common Loons. Seeing five loons flying together seemed odd, but that paled in comparison to the 20 that flew by together a bit later. Another one flying solo brought the total to 26.
Other birds were: Belted Kingfisher 1, Canada Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 2 Boreal Chickadee 1, Mountain Chickadee 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3, Pine Siskin 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
