Mount Lorette (09 Mar 2024) 3 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 09, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 3 | 44 | 44 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 3 | 52 | 52 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis, Blake Weis, Lynn Macintosh |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
A power outage at the nearby ski hill brought an influx of visitors to the meadow. About 40 people stopped to talk, none stayed to watch for migrants.
Weather:
The temperature at the beginning of observation was at -1 C, though it quickly warmed up to +6 and remained there until the end. Wind at ground level was blustery with some gusts between 20 and 30 km/h. At ridge level wind was strong to very strong (40-100+ km/h) judging by the amount of snow blowing off the mountains. Cloud cover was usually around 40% cirrus which made good conditions for both spotting and identification.
Raptor Observations:
Despite seemingly good conditions for migration, only three migrants (2 u & 1 a Golden Eagles) were observed. The first was spotted around 9:30 AM flying low near Hummingbird Plume Hill and Mt. Lorette which had likely been roosting nearby. The other two were gliding very high over the Fisher Range to Mt. Lorette. The last migrant was seen around 11:30 AM. At least one of the local Goshawks was heard calling in the morning and seen soaring over Hummingbird Plume Hill later.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included 1 Canada Jay, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 5 Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 8 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch and 1 Brown Creeper. 6 White-tailed Deer passed through the meadow.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
