Mount Lorette (20 Sep 2025) 22 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
About 70 people stopped to inquire about the count, and 4 people came with binoculars to watch for migrants.
Weather:
The 2025 fall count began under a clear sky, with light SW wind, and a temperature of 6 C. The temperature increased quickly to a high of 21. Cirrus and altocumulus clouds moved in during the afternoon, variably covering 20-60% of the sky. Afternoon wind was blustery, with some gusts reaching 30 km/h.
Raptor Observations:
The count consisted of 10 Golden Eagles (2 adults, 1 juvenile, 3 sub-adults, 2 undifferentiated immature, 2 unaged), 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Broad-winged Hawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Merlin, 1 unidentified Buteo, and 2 small unidentified raptors. No non-migrant raptors were observed. Movement was mostly on the eastern ridges, though a handful of raptors used the west. Migration peaked later in the day, with a high count of 7 raptors between 5 and 6 PM.
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor highlight was a Steller’s Jay, a species not often seen in this part of the mountains. Some songbird migration was evident during the day. At least 100 American Robins and 30 Pine Siskins flew south over the site in the morning, and 6 Clark’s Nutcrackers were heading conspicuously south in the afternoon.
Other birds included 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 15 Common Ravens, 3 Black Capped Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Barn Swallows, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 5 Red Crossbills, 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 White-throated Sparrow, 2 Savannah Sparrows, 1 Song Sparrow, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 3 Yellow-rumped warblers, and 2 Wilson’s Warblers.
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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 Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
