Mount Lorette (01 Oct 2023) 24 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 4 | 34 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 16 | 16 | 171 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Total: | 24 | 24 | 271 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis, Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Blake Weis, Caroline Lambert, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Many families and hikers were out on the trails, but only around 15 stopped to inquire about the count.
Weather:
At the beginning of observation the temperature was -1C, it rose to a high of 9, then fell to 7 at the end of the day. Wind was light at ground and ridge level all day, not even exceeding 20 km/h. Clouds covered 10-30% of the sky, but the western ridges were obscured by low cloud for much of the morning.
Raptor Observations:
The count for the day included 16 Golden Eagles (12a, 1juv, 1sa, 2u), 1 adult Bald Eagle, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Merlin and 1 Peregrine Falcon. Movement was slow but it picked up a bit later in the day. 14 of the Golden Eagles and most of the other migrants were seen after 3 pm. Almost all of the migrants used the eastern ridges. Excellent light conditions made identification and ageing relatively easy. The lack of cloud cover would have hindered spotting if the raptors were flying high, but the light wind kept them low. Local raptors included 2 adult Golden Eagles, 1 juvenile American Goshawk, and 1 Red-tailed Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds in the area, including some seen near the beaver ponds north of the site, were: Canada Goose 70 (Migrating), Ruffed Grouse 3 (2 drumming), Dusky Grouse 4, White-headed Gull sp. 1, Belted Kingfisher 1, Downy Woodpecker 1, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 15, Canada Jay 6, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Mountain Chickadee 3, Boreal Chickadee 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Brown Creeper 2, American Dipper 1, Townsend’s Solitaire 2, Varied Thrush 1, American Robin 12, Bohemian Waxwing 30, Pine Grosbeak 1, Lapland Longspur 4, Dark-eyed Junco 8, White-crowned Sparrow 4, Lincoln’s Sparrow 1, Blackbird sp. 5 (Distant flock in flight), Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
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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]
