Mount Lorette (25 Oct 2022) 58 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2022 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 62 | 75 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 47 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 13 | 24 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 18 | 25 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 55 | 1925 | 2080 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 13 | 15 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 14 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Total: | 58 | 2135 | 2386 |
| Observation start time: | 07:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.42 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rick Robb |
Visitors:
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the day was the paucity of visitors. Of the four people using the trail, only one spoke to us.
Weather:
There was nothing remarkable about today’s weather. The temperature stayed in a narrow range of -1C to +3C, well within “normal” for this time of year. Winds at all levels were from a westerly direction, at a speed (ranging from 24kph to 48kph at ridge level) that was very suitable for migrating eagles. After the first hour when the ridges were partly obscured by low clouds (which didn’t stop the eagles), cloud coverage stayed around 50% cumulus clouds, making it relatively easy to spot the migrants. The sun, however, seemed to be in the wrong place all the time relative to the clouds, hiding behind them most of the day, thus keeping us feeling cold, and not providing enough light to facilitate aging the migrants.
Raptor Observations:
We had high hopes for a substantial movement today, as the first hour yielded 13 Golden Eagles, as if yesterday’s flight was continuing. Right from the start the eagles were gliding fast at a good height over the east ridge, no soaring and no powered flight needed. However, the numbers dwindled after the first hour, with no more than 10 in any hour, and the total of 55 Golden Eagles (24a, 8sa, 2j, 21u), was, like the weather, not remarkable. Besides the Golden Eagles, there were two adult Bald Eagles, and one unidentified buteo that was likely a Rough-legged Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Two skeins of geese were seen flying high over the ridge. Most were Canada Geese, but there were varying sizes, and with the poor light it was hard to tell what the smaller ones were (Snow Geese, Cackling Geese, Lesser Canada Geese, Greater White-front Geese, Ross’s Geese ??? so many choices). The Belted Kingfisher was heard nearby. Other than that, there were the two Canada Jays, about six Common Ravens, two Black-capped Chickadees, three Golden-crowned Kinglets, one Brown Creeper, one (maybe two) Varied Thrush, and one American Robin.
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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]
