Mount Lorette (03 Oct 2025) 77 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 03, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 9 | 39 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| American Goshawk | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 8 | 30 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 58 | 109 | 251 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Total: | 77 | 148 | 393 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Tiina Moore |
Visitors:
30. Thanks to Guy Kerr for joining the count team.
Weather:
A sunny and quite warm day. The temperature at 0800 was 1C, the high at 1500 was 15C and it was 10C at 1815. Ground winds were SW-W all day 0-20 km/h, ridge winds were SW to WSW, light to moderate with strong gusts from 1300 to 1800. It was cloudless to 1000 when cirrus and cirrostratus cloud began to form and then generally increased through the day reaching 100% altostratus, cirrostratus and cumulus by 1730. Observing conditions were good to excellent throughout.
Raptor Observations:
The count was 77 birds of 8 species between 0905 and 1720 that comprised 1 Osprey, 3 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa), 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 2u), 1a Cooperâs Hawk, 3 American Goshawks (1a, 1juv, 1u), 4 Red-tailed Hawks (3a, 1u), 58 Golden Eagles (28a, 3sa, 3juv, 24u), 1u Merlin, 1 unidentified small Falcon and 1 unidentified raptor. The highest hourly count was between 1500 and 1600 with 23 raptors. The first 4 Golden Eagles were seen separately between 0900 and 1000 all soaring in the same spot just to the north of Mt Allan. Most of the subsequent eagles were seen on the Fisher Range, usually gliding across from Mt Lorette but many also seeming to appear above the eastern ridges as though they had approached from the north east. When the ridge winds were strongest through much of the afternoon most of the Golden Eagles were flying quite high, soaring and gliding, making locating the birds quite challenging. A few Golden Eagles were observed slowly gliding into the winds high over Mt Lorette towards Mt Kidd before angling back towards the Fisher Range and flying very high over our heads.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included:- Downy Woodpecker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Clark’s Nutcracker 8, American Crow 13, Common Raven 45, Ruby-crowned Kinglets 4, American Robin 300, Pine Grosbeak 1, White-winged Crossbill 15, Pine Siskin 950
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 (02 Oct 2025) 31 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 5 | 35 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 4 | 26 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 26 | 51 | 193 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 31 | 71 | 316 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.45 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch, Lynette MacCulloch Susan Clarahan |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Thirty three visitors stopped to have a look, while a large group of students from Rundle college came by but did not engage. About eight of the visitors brought binoculars and sat watching for eagles for at least half an hour, through out the afternoon. Huge thanks to Caroline for visiting us and helping us by bumping up our eagle observation numbers up with her expertise!!
Weather:
Arriving at the observation site to witness a beautiful sunrise, the temperature was 3 degrees. the temperature rose to a high of 14 degrees and then dropped to 12 degrees by home time. The wind was at first almost imperceptible, with dark clouds hanging over Nakiska, the rest of the sky covered with cumulus and cirrus clouds. By noon he dark clouds had moved off to the south the southwest wind began to blow about 12km/hr. with gusts, the westerly ridge winds were 30km/hr. with gusts to 50km/hr. High winds were south west at moderate speed. b The wind dropped in the middle of the afternoon and high cirrus clouds moved in again with a few fluffy cumulus clouds floating around. The sky was once mostly blue by day’s end.
Raptor Observations:
Thirty one migrating raptors were seen, 2 Bald Eagles, one immature and one adult, 1 adult Coopers Hawk, 26 Golden eagles( 10A,2sa,1j,13u) 2unknown eagles. Aging was extremely hard to do as many of the birds were materializing over the Bumps and simply silhouettes disappearing into the distance.
The resident golden eagle was seen twice , once near Nakiska and once on the east side of the valley hunting. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was observed hunting near Nakiska ski area
Non-raptor Observations:
Song birds abounded in the area. Well over 100 Robins were counted in flocks but it is hard to know if they were repeats as they flew in all directions.35 Ravens were seen, some of which were harassing the immature Golden eagles. Numerous flocks of Pine Siskins, at least one flock of White -winged Crossbills, 1 flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets and a small flock of Yellow-rumped warblers passed us. Black-capped Chickadees, Mountain Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Swamp Sparrows, Savannah sparrows, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 1 Dipper and 1 Blue Jay were observed through the day.
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 (01 Oct 2025) 40 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 5 | 5 | 35 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 4 | 26 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 25 | 25 | 167 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 40 | 40 | 285 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton, Peter Lloyd |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Approximately 50 people stopped to chat today, with quite a few staying to help spot and learn more about the count!
Weather:
A mild day today, with temperatures rising from 9 to 14 and back down to 9 degrees. The wind at ground level wasn’t bad, and at ridge levels it was slow but not too calm. Ridge wind readings typically settled between 29 and 38, gusting up to 71 at the windiest. The wind dropped slightly, later in the day. Precipitation was a constant threat, and brief spells of misty rain passed through the valley on a couple of occasions. This obscured the ridges somewhat, but rarely enough to really affect the count.
Raptor Observations:
Lots of resident raptors were active today – a Merlin made a pass at an American Pipit before jetting off north, and two local Golden Eagles were seen throughout the day. A Red-tailed Hawk made several appearances between Hummingbird Plume and the river, and an adult American Goshawk hunted the valley repeatedly. One immature Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen in the forest and deemed to be not-currently-migrating.
Golden Eagles made a small push in the morning before a long gap with few birds. After 16:00, it picked up slightly, culminating in a 4 Eagle push right at the end of the day. An adult Bald Eagle accompanied these four high overhead, before drifting across to the eastern ridgeline. The total GOEA count was 25 – 13 adult, 4 subadult, 1 juvenile, and 7 unaged birds.
Other raptors seen today include a migrating Goshawk, a high-flying Harrier, 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 4 Red-tailed Hawks, a pair of Merlin flying together over the western ridgeline, and an adult Peregrine Falcon, which gave comparatively excellent views as it briefly paused to soar while crossing Patrick.
Non-raptor Observations:
The big talking point of today was the simply astounding number of passerines migrating down the valley. Over 1,800 Pine Siskins was a safe count, and the American Robin tally fell just short of 700 birds – insane! Also in active passage along the valley were 40 American Pipits, 3 Mountain Bluebirds, a Varied Thrush, 30 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 15 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 20 Dark-eyed Juncos, and a smattering of other small birds. This represents a truly magnificent day-time migration count for passerines in Alberta, and many visitors were treated to fly-by views of numerous species.
2 Townsend’s Solitaires, 2 Belted Kingfishers, a Hairy Woodpecker, and several Clark’s Nutcrackers represented the highlights of the non-migrating birds.
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 (30 Sep 2025) 38 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 30 | 30 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 36 | 142 | 142 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 38 | 245 | 245 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
As it was a holiday, there were many people on the trail today, and about 40 stopped to help watch for eagles, spread out over the afternoon. We hope that those who came earlier in the day and did not see much will come back some other time later in the day.
Weather:
The temperature started at 8C, rose to 15C, and cooled down to 14C by sunset. The sky was overcast with light drizzle all morning, but at noon the clouds began to break up until by the end of the day there was 50% coverage with cumulus clouds. Ground winds were light all day, and ridge winds were mostly light from the southwest. The cumulus clouds were moving in from the west most of the day.
Raptor Observations:
In spite of the light winds reported at the Nakiska station on the west side of the valley, the eagles were finding enough wind on the east side to glide high above the ridge with no soaring or flapping. As always, the gliding posture made aging a challenge. No eagles showed up until after noon, when the clouds started breaking up. At first it was a steady trickle, but by 1500 the numbers were at a more expected level for this time of year, with 30 between 1500 and 1800, for a total of 36 (17a, 1sa, 18u). In addition there was one Osprey and one immature Bald Eagle heading south.
Other raptors were an American Goshawk hunting at the north end of the valley, and another at the far south of the valley. There was also a Red-tailed Hawk hanging out over Hummingbird Plume.
Non-raptor Observations:
One highlight of the day was seeing a flock of four Varied Thrushes flying south – the orange flash in their wings stood out against the grey backdrop of Patrick. It’s not often that these are identifiable as they fly by. Other than those and various flocks of unidentifiable birds there was 1 Belted Kingfisher, 10 Pine Siskins, 2 Canada Jays, 8 Common Ravens, a couple of Mountain Chickadees, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, two Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Savannah Sparrow, and an American Robin.
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 (29 Sep 2025) 30 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 30 | 30 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 22 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 24 | 106 | 106 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 30 | 207 | 207 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Neil Denton |
Visitors:
There were 22 visitors to the site to ask questions and to learn about migration.
Weather:
The weather was exceptional for the end of September. The opening temperature was +3 C with a day time high of +18 C. Ground winds were calm at 1-5 km/hr, and ridge winds were “Low” to “Med”.
Raptor Observations:
The total migratory raptor count was thirty. There were 24 migratory Golden Eagles (11 adults, 1 Subadult, 3 Juveniles, 9 unaged). The unaged birds were due to the extremely fast and high flight pattern during mid to late afternoon. Other raptor migrants were 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Northern Harrier, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 American Goshawk ,and 1 Broad-winged Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor species were quite active: 3 Canada Goose, 16 American Robin, 10 Pine Siskin, 9 Common Raven, 2 American Crow, 15 Cedar Waxwings, 1 Swamp Sparrow, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 4 Northern Flicker, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Canada Jay
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 (28 Sep 2025) 23 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 5 | 28 | 28 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 22 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 82 | 82 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 23 | 177 | 177 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Brett McGrath, Tina Moore |
Visitors:
The site was busy with people all day. About 25 stopped to express interest in what we were doing. One highlight was meeting a young couple with two very young children. They were so enthusiastic that they spread out a picnic blanket, pulled out a bird book and binoculars, and eagerly tried to learn all they could about birds and nature. A big shout-out to them – Louis, Kelly, Alex, and Flora Jackson. Margaret and David Meisner also stopped by the site to help out. They used to volunteer to help Peter Sherrington many years ago.
Weather:
It was a beautiful fall morning with low-lying cumulus clouds covering all of the surrounding ridges. After 10:00 the cloud coverage slowly dissipated, and the peaks were revealed. For the rest of the day cloud coverage averaged about 30% cumulus, cirrus, cirrostratus, and a thin layer of haze, filling the sky all day. The temperature at the start of the count was 8°C and slowly rose to 14°C by 16:00. At the end of the count it was 13.5°C. Ground winds blew from the north all day, averaging about 8 km/h with recurrent gusts up to 15 km/h. Ridge winds averaged 13 km/h from the SW and started picking up at the end of the day with gusts to 40 km/h.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was slow today. The majority of the birds were found over Hummingbird plume, and flew over the west side of the valley. There were more accipiters and falcons than eagles. Visibility today was not optimal, to say the least, with thin fog in the air which affected our ability to find, identify and age the migrants. At the end of the day when the Ridge winds picked up, more birds were found over the eastern ridges. In total, we had 5 adult Golden Eagles, 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Cooperâs Hawk, 3 American Goshawks, 3 Red-tailed Hawks. 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 2 unidentified accipiters and 1 unidentified falcon. In addition to the migrants, we had a few resident appearances of Golden Eagles and American Goshawks. There was a Merlin seen hunting around the meadow and a Sharp-shinned Hawk located in a tree nearby.
Non-raptor Observations:
12 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Common Goldeneye, 4 Clarkâs Nutcrackers, 1 Blue Jay, Mountain Chickadees, Boreal Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Robins, multiple flocks of Pine Siskins, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-crowned Sparrows, Lincolnâs Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Northern Flicker, A large flock of geese and continuous flocks of small birds throughout the day.
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 (27 Sep 2025) 42 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 27, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 8 | 23 | 23 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 19 | 19 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 24 | 77 | 77 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 42 | 154 | 154 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.27 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
40 People stopped to ask about the count. 11 stayed to watch for migrating raptors. Thanks to everyone who did, feel free to come back anytime!
Weather:
The temperature was 12 C upon arrival, it rose quickly to a high of 16, then fell slightly to 15 as we were leaving. Wind was gusty from the SW all day, reaching 20 km/h in the morning and approaching 40 at times in the afternoon at ground level. Ridge wind was similarly strong. The Nakiska Ridgetop weather station recorded gusts between 67 and 110. Cloud cover varied from 20 to 50% cumulus, altocumulus , and cirrus.
Raptor Observations:
Most migrants were taking advantage of the updrafts from strong SW wind to move very high and fast over the Fisher Range, usually 2-3 binocular fields of view above the mountains. A few Golden Eagles were high enough to disappear between the lowest layers of cumulus cloud. A couple hawks used to west ridges, and some Sharp-shinned Hawks were migrating low over the valley and hunting along the way. Identification and ageing the migrants was very difficult because of backlit conditions, wind shaking the scope, and migrants kiting and gliding high and fast without slowing to soar. Spotting conditions were improved greatly by clouds that persisted over the Fisher Range. Many of the migrants would have been nearly impossible to spot in a blue sky. The count for the day was 24 Golden Eagles (6 a, 2 j, 4 ui, 12 u), 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Cooper’s Hawk, 4 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 unidentified Acciprine Hawks, 1 unidentified Buteo, and 1 small unidentified raptor. Local raptors included a Red-tailed Hawk hunting between Hummingbird Plume Hill and Mt. Lorette, and a Golden Eagle that briefly harassed a migrating Red-tailed Hawk near Old Baldy Hill before flying north.
Non-raptor Observations:
1 American Three-toed Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 17 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Boreal Chickadee, 5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 9 Golden Crowned Kinglets, 130 American Robins, 260 Pine Siskins, 8 Dark eyed-Juncos, 5 White-crowned Sparrows, 3 White-throated Sparrows, 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow, 2 Savannah Sparrows, 1 Swamp Sparrow and 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler.
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]
