Mount Lorette (01 Nov 2023) 26 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 5 | 5 | 89 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 138 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Golden Eagle | 21 | 21 | 2925 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Total: | 26 | 26 | 3347 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
12 people stopped in to chat about the count, including a lovely family visiting from Tahiti who took full advantage of the excellent snowman-making conditions.
Weather:
The morning started out at -4°C, rose to +3°C by 3:00 pm, and fell to 2°C by 6:00 pm. Cirrus clouds dominated the aerial narrative once again, dissipating and building above the valley rather than transiting as usual. The ridges remained unobscured throughout the day. Light conditions were favourable for aging until we lost light after 5:00 pm. Ground winds were mild all day from a general south-westerly direction. Ridge winds were 20-30 km/h from the SW/WSW with gusts in the afternoon up to 44 km/h. Though some eagles found the lift necessary to soar and glide above ridge level, many used powered flight for supplemental or primary propulsion. Overall, the flight speed of the eagles was notably slow.
Raptor Observations:
Migrant Eagles The first two eagles of the day were observed over the western ridges after 1:00 pm; two of the last were spotted over Mt. Collembola after 5:00 pm. All others used the eastern ridges and the east side of the valley. 21 Golden Eagles: 12a, 1ui, 8u 5 Bald Eagles: 3a, 1sa1/2, 1j
Other Raptors No other migrant raptors were observed.
Non-migrant Raptors An American Goshawk was calling from the western slopes of the valley when I arrived at the parking lot in the morning.
Non-raptor Observations:
I was greeted just out of the parking lot by a chiclet flock (3 chickadee sp. + 1 kinglet sp.). The lone local Common Redpoll made numerous passes over the site through the day calling somewhat frantically. Two Canada Jays stopped in to chat about the count while two others observed the proceedings from a distance. Two American Dippers frequented the riffles next to the site, occasionally chasing each other up and down the channel. Many Common Ravens played in the air currents above the ridges and in many cases drew our attention to the migrating eagles they were harassing up there. 1 American Goshawk 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Shrike 4 Canada Jay 1 Black-billed Magpie 9 Common Raven 3 Black-capped Chickadee 11 Mountain Chickadee 6 Boreal Chickadee 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 2 American Dipper 2 Pine Grosbeak 1 Common Redpoll 1 Red Crossbill 1 Dark-eyed Junco
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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]
