Mount Lorette (09 Oct 2025) 142 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 09, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 23 | 27 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 78 | 102 | 132 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| American Goshawk | 2 | 9 | 15 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 13 | 35 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 46 | 919 | 1061 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 3 | 8 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 142 | 1103 | 1348 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.02 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
We were lucky to have many enthusiastic visitors stop by to help us count today, from all levels of hawkwatching and birding experience. Approximately 38 people stopped by overall.
Weather:
There was not a cloud to be seen today, as temperatures soared up to 16 degrees from our opening temp of -2. Ridge winds were low once again, and predominantly from the SW. pressure stayed steady throughout the day. Winds at ground level were largely non-existent, but came from the north when they were present.
Raptor Observations:
Once again, very few raptors flew before the early afternoon. At around 14:00, the starter’s gun must have fired, because in the following three or so hours, the vast bulk of our count moved through. This was, surprisingly, comprised primarily of Sharp-shinned Hawks. Today’s total of 78 is the second highest number on record at Lorette, behind only a superb day in 2015 when observers tallied 98 of these tiny raptors.
Most of our 46 Golden Eagles came through in singles or doubles, typically with at least one Sharpie hanging on to their coattails. The eagles almost exclusively used the Eastern ridge, struggling unsuccessfully to gain height. A lot of them popped up over Lorette itself before making their way across to the Fisher Range, where they passed just below or around ridge level.
Other raptors included 3 Merlins, a couple Red-tailed Hawks, 3 Cooper’s Hawk and 2 American Goshawk, and a couple Bald Eagles. Three light morph Rough-legged Hawks came through in the late evening, one of which alit on the top right peak of Patrick and seemed reluctant to continue.
The resident Goshawk and a resident Golden were both seen.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was a very quiet day for passerines, but a pair of Cassin’s Finches mixed in with some Siskins was a nice bonus. The resident Dipper stopped by late on, and a flurry of Golden-crowned Kinglets foraged in the wolf willows near the site. One late Common Yellowthroat was chipping away to itself as it foraged along the river bank.
Report submitted by Ethan Denton (ethan@suechick.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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
