Mount Lorette (17 Oct 2022) 73 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 55 | 68 |
| Northern Harrier | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 17 | 46 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 3 | 12 | 23 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | 18 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 22 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Golden Eagle | 62 | 1411 | 1566 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 11 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 14 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Total: | 73 | 1601 | 1852 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Bill McKeeman |
Visitors:
We had about 40 visitors today (without binoculars), including an enthusiastic local school class of 15. One of the students even spotted a Sharp-shinned Hawk as it flew south over our site.
Weather:
The temperature ranged from -1C to 20C and almost not a cloud in the sky, only that pesky thin layer of haze that the birds use to disappear on us. Ground winds from the SSW were low all day and the SW Ridge winds were moderate averaging about 26Km/h with gusts up to 40.
Raptor Observations:
The first bird of the day was a Northern Harrier flapping and gliding along the eastern ridges at 8:20. Shortly after that, the first Golden Eagle appeared using the same route. Throughout the day a great number of migrants appeared seemingly out of nowhere at the North Fisher range, and many flew in front of the ridges facilitating identification. The big middle bump was the best place to find them. Every hour yielded migrants and after two pm activity picked up. The final count was 62 Golden Eagles (43a, 3sa, 10j, 6u), 1 Bald Eagle, 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 3 Coopers Hawks, 1 Northern Goshawk and 2 Red-tailed Hawks.
Non-raptor Observations:
The first song I heard early in the morning before sunrise was that of a Varied Thrush trying out a few scales and tweets. Then, after sunset, a cute juvenile Northern Dipper performed the last sweet song of the day, as it bobbed on a rock in the river and tugged at some sticks and twigs that swayed back and forth in the water. 12 American Robins, 3 Black-billed Magpies, 7 Common Ravens, 1 Common Merganser, 1 Varied Thrush, 2 Canada Jays, and 1 American Dipper. Lots of Mourning Cloaks. A few red squirrels and a timid Snowshoe Hare.
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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]
