Mount Lorette (30 Mar 2026) 21 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 61 | 61 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 19 | 1015 | 1015 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 21 | 1111 | 1111 |
| Observation start time: | 10:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 20:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.3 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Neil Denton |
Visitors:
About 15 people stopped by to inquire about the count.
Weather:
The start of the count was delayed due to a snowstorm. We began at 11:00 a.m. with a temperature of -8�C. The sky was completely overcast, and snow fell. None of the ridges were visible at the outset, but as the day progressed, conditions gradually improved. The ridges began to clear, and by 2:00 p.m., they were fully visible. The temperature rose to a high of -3�C and measured -4�C by the end of the count. Ground winds were light, averaging around 5 km/h from the northwest until 3:00 p.m., when they shifted to the west. After 6:00 p.m., the winds returned to a north-northwest direction. The Nakiska weather station was once again not operational, so precise ridge wind measurements were unavailable. However, ridge winds appeared moderate to strong at times, inferred from visible plumes moving from the west. Cloud cover averaged approximately 60% and consisted primarily of cumulus and nimbostratus clouds.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor movement was observed primarily along a flight path that passed nearly straight overhead at times and high over the eastern ridges. Birds were located in the Mount Lorette area as well as over the Fisher Range. Flight behaviour was predominantly gliding. Most birds travelled past Mount Lorette and continued on towards Mount McGillivray. The final count for the day was 21 raptors, including 19 Golden Eagles (9 adults, 4 ui, 6 u), 1 subadult Bald Eagle, and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. A few other non-migrating raptors in the area included a Golden Eagle, a dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, and a Northern Goshawk. We had the pleasure of observing the Goshawk fly a few metres in front of us along the river to the trees near the pumphouse, where it remained in plain sight for approximately 15 minutes.
Non-raptor Observations:
Needless to say, due to the snowstorm, there were not many small birds in the area. An American Dipper made a few flybys, and more than 50 American Robins flew overhead in small groups. One male White-winged Crossbill perched briefly at the top of a tree. A lone Canada Goose braved the snowy skies, and approximately seven Dark-eyed Juncos were observed in the area. In addition, three Mountain Chickadees, two Black-capped Chickadees, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, and a Northern Flicker were seen.
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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]
