subscribe: Posts | Comments

Mount Lorette (20 Sep 2023) 13 Raptors

Mount Lorette
Alberta, Canada

Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2023
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 7 7 7
Cooper’s Hawk 0 0 0
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Swainson’s Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 0
Ferruginous Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 1 1 1
American Kestrel 0 0 0
Merlin 0 0 0
Gyrfalcon 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 1 1 1
Prairie Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 4 4 4
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 13 13 13
Observation start time: 07:15:00
Observation end time: 16:45:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter Caroline Lambert
Observers: Lynette MacCulloch

Visitors:
In spite of the inclement weather, nine people came by.

Weather:
The temperature started out chilly – the coldest day of the fall season so far – at 0C. Fortunately the sun appeared occasionally through the clouds and heated the air up to 8C, before falling to 6C at the end of the day. Also fortunately the weather wasn’t bad as forecast (which was rain all day), and there were only intermittent sprinkles of raindrops between sunny breaks. The ridges appeared and disappeared in the ever changing clouds – never completely clear, but never completed occluded until the end of the day. There was no wind in the morning, but it gradually built up during the day, coming and going with the clouds and showers. At one point we had a gorgeous rainbow over the river to the northeast, enhanced by the beautiful fall colours. Ridge winds were light in the morning from the SW, but swung around to the NE by noon and stayed from that direction, and light, to the end of the day. The count was terminated slightly early due to the clouds closing in and nothing but rain showing on the radar map.

Raptor Observations:
The day started out with a Peregrine Falcon powering its way along the east ridge. From 2pm to 4pm there was a burst of accipiter activity over the east side of the valley, with as many as six in the sky at once. The ones that were scoped and identified were Sharp-shinned Hawks – likely all were Sharp-shinned, but it was not possible to ID them all. Four Sharp-shinned Hawks were positively identified, and four remain as “Accipiter sp.”. Only one migrant Golden Eagle was seen, late in the afternoon, soaring over the Bumps and then gliding to the south.
Two raptors were deemed to be non-migrating – one Bald Eagle was seen heading north, and an American Goshawk flew low over the nearby forest. The recent name change will be hard to adjust to!

Non-raptor Observations:
There were several flocks of migrating birds – mostly robins and waxwings. The only identified waxwings were Bohemian. It was good to see the American Dipper again, and a Belted Kingfisher put in a brief appearance. Ravens gathered in the sky in groups, playing and doing barrel rolls and generally seeming to enjoy life, as usual. There was a minimum of 13 of those. Other birds were:
Canada Jay 3 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 American Robin 31 Bohemian Waxwing 9 Bohemian/Cedar Waxwing 30 American Pipit 1 White-winged Crossbill 2 Dark-eyed Junco 1 White-crowned Sparrow 1


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 Dunkadoo – [Project Details]



Fall Count 2023

migration-sites-ab_(1)

The Fall 2023 Migration Count runs from Sep 20th until Nov 15th with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily. If interested in visiting the site we suggest that you visit after 3pm. We see the majority of migrating eagles later in the afternoon. This is the 32nd year of vigilante recording. Observation map. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.

See the Fall Count 2023 Daily Summaries


Spring Count 2023

migration-sites-ab_(1)

The Spring 2023 Migration Count has commenced and runs from Mar 1st to Apr 22nd with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily — including viewing equipment available to the public. If interested in visiting the site, we suggest that you visit after 3pm. We see the majority of the migrating eagles in the later afternoon. This is the 31st consecutive year of vigilant recording. Mount Lorette site, Observation map.

See the Spring Count 2023 Daily Summaries


Fall Count 2022

migration-sites-ab_(1)

The Fall 2022 Migration Count was completed from Sep 20th until Nov 15th with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily — including viewing equipment available to the public.  This is the 30th consecutive year of vigilant recording. Mount Lorette site, Observation map. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.

See the Fall Count 2022 Daily Summaries


Spring Count 2022 Complete

The Spring 2022 Migration Count has commenced and runs from Mar 1st to Apr 22nd with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily — including viewing equipment available to the public. If interested in visiting the site, we suggest that you visit after 3pm. We see the majority of the migrating eagles in the later afternoon. This is the 30th consecutive year of vigilant recording. Mount Lorette site, Observation map.

See the daily count reports.


RMERF in the News

Alberta’s Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation reaches milestone in annual eagle count (March 17, 2022)

Dozens of volunteers spend their spring and fall in Kananaskis Country peering through binoculars and other telescopic lenses, searching the sky for migrating eagles.

The migration route runs north from the United States along the Rocky Mountains, all the way up to the Yukon. It was discovered by chance in 1992 by Des Allen and Peter Sherrington. It became known as the ‘Eagle Highway.’

Strong updrafts are created in the area by the mountains and prevailing wind that mean the eagles don’t have to expend much energy to travel vast distances.

Read more

 

Golden eagle migration count (Calgary Eyeopener, March 18, 2022)

Interview on the Calgary Eyeopener with David Gray and Angela Knight.

Listen to the interview


RMERF Daily Spring Count Starting Soon

migration-sites-ab_(1)

Please join RMERF for the 2022 Spring Count, from Mar 1st to Apr 22nd with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily! This will be the 30th consecutive year of vigilant recording! Mount Lorette site, Observation map.

For past count details and reports, please refer to the Daily Count Resources page.


« Previous Entries Next Entries »