Mount Lorette (09 Oct 2023) 182 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 09, 2023 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 22 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 6 | 77 | 107 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 20 | 24 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 14 | 19 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 170 | 980 | 1137 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 19 | 37 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 11 |
| Total: | 182 | 1167 | 1416 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich, Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
There were about 40 visitors throughout the day stopping by to chat about the watch, 8 who had scopes or binoculars. Many thanks to James & Theresa for helping with spotting for most of the day, and to Matt and Caroline for their support in the afternoon.
Weather:
The temperature was 4C upon arrival to the site, reached a high of 19C in the afternoon, and dropped to 12C at the end of the day. Wind was light at ground level, primarily from the SW. Ridge winds were also from the SW with sustained wind usually over 25 and gusts over 50. The sky was mostly clear with a smattering of cirrus clouds throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
The count consisted of 182 migrants including 170 Golden Eagles (68a, 15juv, 42sa, 1ui, 44u), 6 Sharp-shinned hawks, (1j, 5u), 1 Goshawk (1a), 2 Red-Tailed Hawk (2a), 2 Rough-legged Hawk (2jdm), 1 Merlin (1t f/i). Most of the migrants stuck to the eastern ridge, often gliding high and quickly through the sky. Towards the end of the day, the eagles lost some of the height but continued to move along the ridge even after sunset. Movement was steady throughout the day with very few breaks. The high cirrus clouds helped provide a good backdrop for spotting migrants at height and distance. The daylight also supported easy aging of the birds, until the last hour of the day when it became much more challenging with sunset. There was a single adult bald eagle that was seen multiple times through the day in various spots along the ridge or in the valley. At the very end of the day, we were treated to lovely views of a Northern Pygmy Owl before it moved on through the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was pretty quiet for other species: Mallard 1, Common Merganser 3, Canada Jay 2, Clark’s Nutcracker 1, Common Raven 12, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, American Robin 6, Bohemian Waxwing 30, American Pipit 1 Mountain Chickadee 1, Black-Capped Chickadee 1
Report submitted by ()
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]
