Mount Lorette (21 Oct 2025) 35 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 46 | 50 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 166 | 196 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 13 | 19 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 34 | 1860 | 2002 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 9 | 14 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Total: | 35 | 2159 | 2404 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.57 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
There were fewer visitors than there have been recently – only about 13 stopped to ask about the count.
Weather:
It was a cool and breezy day with the sun hiding behind the clouds most of the time, resulting in the observers layering themselves with all available clothing. The starting temperature was 5C and it reached a high of 10C, although it felt much colder due to the wind and lack of warmth from the sun. The temperature had dropped to 6C at the end. Thick cumulus clouds hung darkly over the sky most of the day. Wind Mountain disappeared into the clouds a few times, but otherwise the ridges were clear. It was clearing up by the end, and some cirrus clouds helped with spotting high flying eagles over the east ridge. Grounds winds were blustery from the southwest most of the time, becoming calm by the end. The Nakiska ridge winds were in the range 30-50kph from west-southwest to southwest all day, while the cumulus clouds were moving steadily from the northwest.
Raptor Observations:
The first Golden Eagles were observed very high (four binocular views up) over the Fisher Range shortly before 1100, and after that there was a steady stream of 3-5 per hour, all the way up to the end of the day, with the last couple spotted a few minutes before sunset. All eagles were seen over the east ridge, most high up and moving fast, and appearing small as if they were flying some distance behind the ridge. This presented challenges in spotting them and ageing them. As has been common in the last few days, many of the eagles were being chased out of the area by ravens. We wondered if there was some food source, like a carcass, that the ravens were protecting from opportunistic scavenging eagles. Besides the Golden Eagles (8a, 1sa, 1j, 5ui, 19u), only one other migrant was seen – a juvenile Bald Eagle.
Non-migrants were a Golden Eagle flying north, and an adult Bald Eagle hunting over the slopes of Patrick.
Non-raptor Observations:
The ravens above the east ridge put on quite a show in the morning, with several pairs sky dancing and looking like they were enjoying life. It is hard to know how many there were, maybe 12 to 15. Their activity died down later in the day, although the harassing of passing eagles continued.
Besides the ravens, very few non-raptors were detected – a Ruffed Grouse, the Belted Kingfisher, two Clark’s Nutcrackers, and a Varied Thrush.
Report submitted by ()
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]
Mount Lorette (20 Oct 2025) 30 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 45 | 49 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 166 | 196 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 13 | 19 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 26 | 1826 | 1968 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 9 | 14 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Total: | 30 | 2124 | 2369 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Neil Denton |
Visitors:
The valley was quiet for hikers, but 15 interested visitors came to the site to learn more about raptor migration.
Weather:
The opening temperature was -2 C increasing to +3 C at 1600 hrs (MDT), and continuing to the closing. The ground winds were from the SW at 1-5 km/hr increasing at noon to 6-10 km/hr with occasional gusts to 25 km/hr. The ridge winds were assessed as from the NW at “medium” which is between (11-40 km/hr). The high winds were initially from the SW switching to WSW in the late afternoon and increasing to 60+ with gusts to 100 km/hr. The sky was only 20 % cloud covered but increasing to 80 % at the end of the count day.
Raptor Observations:
The raptor migration flight consisted of 30 birds, consisting of 26 Golden Eagles (16 Adults, 6 Juveniles, and 4 Unaged), 3 Bald Eagles (2 adult, and 1 Subadult), and 1 Merlin(unaged). One resident adult Bald Eagle flew overhead hunting at 1710 hrs (MDT). Twenty Common Ravens were observed cavorting about above the East ridges of Patrick. Throughout the day the Common Ravens appeared in various numbers, requiring the observers to be alert for any migrating raptors mixed in with the flock. Most of the Golden Eagle migrants were harassed to some degree by the Common Ravens. A large number of the migrants were first observed over the Bumps or Fisher Range, as it appeared as the birds flew behind the East ranges to eventually rise above the Bumps. The remaining migrants flew low across Patrick with some flapping and soaring to gain elevation.
Non-raptor Observations:
Most of the non-raptor species appeared in the morning. The non-raptor species were 1 Ruffed Grouse, 3 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Boreal Chickadee, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 25 Common Raven, 1 American Robin, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 European Starling, 1 Pine Siskin, 2 White-throated Sparrow and one unexpected Pacific Wren.
Report submitted by ()
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]
Mount Lorette (19 Oct 2025) 40 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 42 | 46 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 166 | 196 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 13 | 19 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 37 | 1800 | 1942 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Total: | 40 | 2094 | 2339 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich, Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
About 40 visitors came by and two documentaries were filmed.
Weather:
At the start of the count the temperature was 2.6C gradually rising to 8C by 14:00 and dropping to 4C by the end of the day. Winds averaged between 8- 15 Km/h from the SW for most of the day with intermittent gusts up to 26 Km/h. The ridge winds from the SW/WSW averaged 40 km/h with gusts up to 92. Cloud coverage began at 100% then averaged about 60 â 80% for most of the day and cleared to 30% by the end of the count. Clouds consisted of cumulus, cirrus, nimbostratus, and stratocumulus. Scant windblown snow reached the site at intervals throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
The final count of 40 migrants was less than we expected and possibly due to snowstorms north of the area. The golden eagles seemed to be coming from the east on the other side of âPatrickâ and the majority suddenly appeared above the North Fisher Range. Only a handful were located to the north, and a couple found over the west peaks that interacted as they migrated south. The final count of 40 migrants was less than we expected and possibly due to snowstorms north of the area. The golden eagles seemed to be coming from the east on the other side of âPatrickâ and the majority suddenly appeared above the North Fisher Range. Only a handful were located to the north, and a couple found over the west peaks that interacted as they migrated south. Golden Eagles 37: 12a, 1sa, 4j, 19u, 1 ui, Bald Eagles 2, Falcon 1. The first Eagle passed at 9:42 and the last at 18:40.The most abundant hour was from 16:00 17:00 with 10 goldens. All times referred to are DST
Non-raptor Observations:
A group of ravens consistently harassed the migrants as they passed through the area, escorting the eagles from âPatrickâ to the south end of the âBumpsâ. Other birds seen or heard were a juvenile Northern Shrike hover hunting, a chickadee and 2 Common Loons.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (18 Oct 2025) 82 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 18, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 40 | 44 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 166 | 196 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 2 | 13 | 19 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 77 | 1763 | 1905 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Total: | 82 | 2054 | 2299 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Jennifer Brand, Tiina Moore |
Visitors:
40 People stopped to talk, and 8 stopped to watch migration.
Weather:
The temperature was -3 C at the start of the count, it rose to 5 in the afternoon, then fell slightly to 4 by the end. Ground wind was from the S-WSW, gusting around 20 km/h. Ridge wind was strong from the SW with gusts between 49 and 93. Cloud cover increased from nearly zero in the morning to nearly 100% by the evening.
Raptor Observations:
The count for the day was 77 Golden Eagles (30 a, 3 j, 4 sa, 1 ui, 39 u), 1 adult Bald Eagle, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and 2 American Goshawks. All the migrants used the eastern ridges and the east side of the valley, though height of flight varied. The highest hourly count was 19 migrants between 1 and 2 PM, but movement was steady through most of the day. The first Golden Eagle was seen at 9:10 AM, and the last at 6:45 PM. Local raptors included 3 Bald Eagles flying north over the valley, and 2 American Goshawks.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen were 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Northern Shrike, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 8 Clark’s Nutcrackers flying high up, 20 Common Ravens including a group of 7 which were hanging around the south side of Mt. Patrick and harassing many of the migrating Golden Eagles, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Brown Creeper, 3 European Starlings, and 1 Varied Thrush.
Report submitted by ()
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]
Mount Lorette (17 Oct 2025) 70 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 39 | 43 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 164 | 194 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 11 | 17 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 68 | 1686 | 1828 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| Total: | 70 | 1972 | 2217 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.97 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
10 visitors stopped to chat, Jamie, Gabriella and Michele helped to look for eagles and did spot some for us. A big thank you to Caroline for coming out and doing the CBC interview!
Weather:
Weather wise today was quite a fine show of changeability. Upon arrival at the site, the sky was completely covered in cloud. Lorette, the top of Patrick and Mt Kidd and Mt Allen were obscured. Dark clouds hung over Nakiska. A fine drizzle began which quickly turned into a complete whiteout throwing graupel and some snow flakes. The temperature was 3 degrees which stayed this way till the clouds started to lift at 11:00 and blue sky slowly began to creep in from the northwest. Both ridges had their share of being completely covered to lifting around 1 pm when the temperature was at its highest 6 degrees. The sun came out and was quite pleasant for a short time before the clouds rushed in and once again a whiteout and more snow fall. the temperature dropped slowly to 3 degrees where it stayed till the end of the day. Ground winds were light, mostly from the southwest. Ridge winds moved around from SW at 31km/hr. with gusts of up to 64 km /hr. to NNE at 19 km/hr back to SW or WSW, with gusts.
Raptor Observations:
The raptors started coming quite early while the clouds were still covering Patrick, making aging impossible. The Golden eagles consistently came in behind Patrick or just to the right of Patrick, with only one appearing just to the right of Lorette. Most of them were very high and moving fast, however we did have a few lower ones that turned nicely offering better observation for us. We did see a juvenile eagle flying playfully with an adult. The two did an aerial tumble and continued on their way. In all we saw 68 Golden eagles (23 adults, 40 unaged, 3 juvenile, 2 subadults) One Sharp-shinned hawk and One unknow raptor. As well as the migrating birds a juvenile Bald eagle flew north up the valley, the Goshawk flew across the Valley and a Merlin flew near the Goshawk then landed in the meadow before relanding in a tree by the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
There were not a lot of other birds seen, some Dark eyed Juncos and an American Robin on the walk in. Three Ruffed grouse were seen by Caroline. 6 Brown-headed cowbirds, 8 Raven, 1 Canada Jay, the male Kingfisher who spent some time fishing and a Northern Shrike were our visiting avian friends.
Report submitted by ()
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]
Mount Lorette (16 Oct 2025) 227 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 39 | 43 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 163 | 193 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 11 | 17 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 223 | 1618 | 1760 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| Total: | 227 | 1902 | 2147 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.9 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
We didn’t have many visitors today aside from the Adaptive group, who stopped in for 45 minutes or so midday. Perhaps 8 in all.
Weather:
After many days of slow ridge winds, things finally picked up today. We started out slow at 8km/h SW, but rose to 53 gusting 68km/h SSW, which was much needed. There were no clouds all day up until approximately 16:45 when they swept in and blanketed the sky in a cumulus and lenticular mix. Temps were warm, rising to 12 degrees at the highest, and high winds blew gently from the west.
Raptor Observations:
There were plenty of Golden Eagles today, but very few other raptors. The Goldens (94a, 21s, 12j, 96u) flew a variety of flight paths, but the vast majority followed a jetstream quite high over the Eastern ridge. They were cruising, rarely stopping to bank, and offering very little aid on the ageing front. A handful chose a more reasonable height, and an even smaller number opted to go along the Western ridge. Very few were picked up before reaching Patrick, usually materialising from in behind.
3 Sharp-shinned Hawks and a young Goshawk rounded out the count. The resident Gos flew by and two resident Bald Eagles spent some time along the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was a fairly slow day for other birds – a Varied Thrush foraged on the path in, and a female Common Merganser made a brief stop on the river. At one point a Canada Jay made an appearance on a distant treetop.
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]
Mount Lorette (15 Oct 2025) 66 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 39 | 43 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 160 | 190 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Golden Eagle | 63 | 1395 | 1537 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 8 | 13 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 6 | 12 |
| Total: | 66 | 1675 | 1920 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert, Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
Besides the Adaptive group, about 12 people came by and chatted or stopped to look for birds. Huge thanks to Julie and Eric who spent several hours helping us to spot eagles and were very successful at it!
Weather:
Today was a clear cold sunny day. Starting temperature upon arrival at Hay Meadows was minus 7.By noon, the temperature was up to plus 1 for a high of plus 6 and dropped to plus 4 at end of day. The whole day was quite calm with wind barely perceptible , but switching from west to south and back. There no clouds with the exception of some high cirrus cloud beginning to form mid afternoon which then blew away and were replaced by bits and pieces of cirrus cloud through the afternoon. Ridge winds were south west to begin with and switched around to north north east anywhere from 3 – 23 km/hr. High winds were not predictable as there were no clouds to see. Later in the day, the wind seem to be strong as the eagles were seen high over Lorette and 5 minutes later over Patrick.
Raptor Observations:
The birds were slow in starting only two eagles seen before noon, then picked up at 1 pm. The early afternoon ones were seen over the bumps but then the majority were spotted over Hummingbird, Skogan pass and Mt Lorette. They were also travelling in pairs or 3s and 4s which made it very difficult to age them as the moving targets that they are, hard to keep track of and going out of sight when they turned. We did get a second chance with some of them as they came over Patrick. Some were very low , sometimes going in front of Patrick. One even landed on Patrick for a short rest. Then as the high winds seemed to pick up late in the afternoon, they flew high above Patrick. All told we saw 63 Golden eagles (34 adults,6 juvenile, 4 subadults and 19 unaged). We also saw an Unidentified Raptor, 1 sharp-shinned Hawk and 1 Bald Eagle (adult). The resident Goshawk came and sat in a tree in front of us, so we were able to point it out to a group of Adaptive birdwatchers who came specifically to see Golden eagles. As they were packing up, 3 eagles came over Skogan pass so they were able to see Golden eagles too.
Non-raptor Observations:
AS well as the raptors, we did see a Clark’s Nutcracker, 20 Ravens, several Boreal Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadees and the female Belted Kingfisher sat in a tree upstream for a few minutes. A small herd of Big Horn Mountain Sheep were seen on the ridge leading up to Nakiska.
Report submitted by ()
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]
