Mount Lorette (07 Oct 2022) 123 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 6 | 20 | 33 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 5 | 34 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 17 |
| Northern Goshawk | 3 | 8 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 8 | 14 | 23 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 104 | 343 | 498 |
| 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 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Total: | 123 | 421 | 672 |
| Observation start time: | 06:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
32. Thanks to Dave Stewart for his excellent assistance.
Weather:
Another warm, clear day. A very slight haze but not as noticeable as the previous day. Some high cirrus clouds appeared in the afternoon. Observing conditions were quite good. Temperatures from 0 degC in the morning to a high of 19 degC. Both ground and ridge winds were calm to light all day.
Raptor Observations:
Eagles first appeared just after midday, soaring over Mt. Lorette before gliding across to the Fisher Range. Decent movement of eagles continued for the rest of the day, apart from a bit of a mid afternoon lull. Many birds were seen soaring high on thermals above Mt Lorette before gliding across the valley where they were able to regain height, soaring on thermals over the east ridge. By later afternoon, they were often able to maintain those heights during the glide across the river valley, traveling at quite high speed south along the Fisher Range without the need for additional soaring. It’s possible there were some high level winds assisting them. At one point a kettle of 10 Golden Eagles formed over N end of Fisher Range (Patrick). 104 Golden Eagles total (47a, 10 juv, 47 u). Other migrants were 3 Northern Goshawk, 8 Red-tailed Hawks, 6 Bald Eagles, 1 unidentified large falcon.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included a Belted Kingfisher, Northern Shrike, Ruffed Grouse.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
