Mount Lorette (08 Apr 2023) 28 Raptors

Visitors:
Many people came by the site, and about 20 stopped to ask questions. Four people came by with binoculars and one scope and stayed for a while.

Weather:
Today’s temperature stayed in a narrow range, starting at 3C, rising to 6C, and closing the day out at 4C. The winds were similar to yesterday, with sustained ground winds at about 10kph and gusts up to 30. Ridge winds appeared strong in the morning from the southwest, but moderated as the day wore on. Cumulus clouds under a layer of altostratus moved quickly across the valley from the WSW. There were a few breaks with up to 40% open sky. The west ridge was partly obscured all day, and some sleet reached our location on occasion. The mountains to the south frequently disappeared behind a grey wall, which may have impacted raptor movement.

Raptor Observations:
No eagles were seen on the west side of the valley. The first eagles were spotted going from Patrick to Lorette, but by midday the upper winds were strong enough they were flying overhead, and crossing to the north over Skogan Pass, missing Mt Lorette altogether. It was difficult to get the scope on these, and as they became dark silhouettes against the white clouds as they disappeared to the north, they were practically impossible to age. Later in the day the eagles were coming up from behind Patrick, gaining height rapidly, and then moving off to Lorette. 9 of the eagles appeared between 11:00 and 14:00, then there was a lull as a weather system passed (mostly to the south), and the numbers picked up again after 18:00, with 11 in the last two hours.
The migrant raptors were 25 Golden Eagles (8a, 2sa, 3ui, 12u), 1 adult Bald Eagle, and 2 unidentified eagles.
Non-migrant adult Golden Eagles were spotted several times, one hunting over Skogan Pass, and a couple crossing the valley. Several goshawks were seen – two adults flying together in front of Hummingbird Plume, and an immature heading south. A couple of adult Bald Eagles were seen over the valley, and one immature Bald Eagle flew up the river.

Non-raptor Observations:
A number of small flocks of Canada Geese were seen heading north. A Ruffed Grouse was heard drumming briefly. A male Mountain Bluebird finally made an appearance in the meadow – it took one side for the morning while the Northern Shrike took the other side. Robins were abundant in the meadow in the morning, picking stuff out of the exposed grass. The non-raptor list is: Canada Goose 32, Ruffed Grouse 1, Northern Shrike 1, Canada Jay 2, Common Raven 8, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Mountain Chickadee 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, European Starling 1, Mountain Bluebird 1, Varied Thrush 1, American Robin 8, Pine Siskin 4, Dark-eyed Junco 3

Report submitted by Caroline Lambert (caroline144@gmail.com)
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]