Mount Lorette (11 Apr 2024) 9 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 11, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 16 | 75 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 17 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 168 | 1753 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 9 | 219 | 1892 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
We had 7 visitors throughout the day who stopped to talk, but otherwise the trail was quiet. Special thanks to our Observer Caroline for stopping by in the afternoon.
Weather:
The sky was covered by high clouds for the whole day, with some haze over the west ridges. The temperature started at 3C and rose to 8C towards the end of the day. The winds would gust quite a bit on the ground but it was hard to get a sense of the ridge winds with the cloud cover and haze.
Raptor Observations:
Two migrating golden eagles were seen early into the count, with none seen again until 4pm (3a, 3sa). There were a number of Sharp-shinned hawks migrating (2j, 1a). A couple of local bald eagles were seen mid-afternoon (1a, 1sa), and a local merlin was seen as well (1a taiga male).
Non-raptor Observations:
What a wonderful passerine observation day! We were treated to many visitors in the valley this afternoon. Some early male red-winged blackbirds were seen early in the morning, 4 Mountain Bluebirds stopped by to the delight of some visitors, and over 30 juncos were seen at once sitting on the trail in the afternoon. Suddenly, the valley became very quiet and a Northern Shrike made an appearance, perching at various spots along the river. There were also three white-tailed deer seen a number of times throughout the day, in the valley or river. The true highlight were two Mink seen multiple times throughout the afternoon running together through the rocks on the rivers edge, and swimming up and down river. Other observations: 2 Canada Geese, 2 Common Merganser, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Northern Shrike, 4 Common Raven, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 4 Mountain Bluebird, 2 Varied Thrush, 4 American Robin, 31 Bohemian Waxwing, 34 Dark-eyed Junco, 2 Red-winged Blackbird.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (10 Apr 2024) 8 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 10, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 16 | 75 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 17 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 162 | 1747 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 8 | 210 | 1883 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
About 9 people stopped by to chat about the count and a few got to see the resident Golden Eagle. Special thanks to Randy for his help in the afternoon.
Weather:
The morning started out at 1°C, rose to 10°C by 3:00 pm, and fell to 5°C by 5:00 pm. Ground winds were from the SW/SSW throughout the day, usually between 5 and 10 km/h. Bits of spindrift off the east ridges in the later afternoon were our only indication of ridge winds. Scattered cumulus clouds in the morning and patches of cirrus cloud in the afternoon broke up the otherwise clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day and seemed to be good conditions for migration, but the Golden Eagles disagreed.
Raptor Observations:
Observation conditions were good, if bright, all day but few raptors moved through the valley. Even the resident ravens and Golden Eagles were seen sparingly; the resident American Goshawks were seen a little more often.
Migrant Eagles No Migrant Golden Eagles were observed. 3 Bald Eagles: 1a, 1sa, 1j 1 Undifferentiated Eagle
Migrant Raptors 2 Red-tailed Hawk: 2a 1 Cooperâs Hawk: 1a 1 Unidentified Buteo
Non-migrant Raptors One of the local Golden Eagles was observed cruised back and forth in front of Bogart for most of the day. Both resident American Goshawks were seen over the west side of the valley, with one displaying over Hummingbird Plume in the early afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
Three Mountain Bluebirds and a Northern Shrike kept us company throughout the day, though never at the same time. A Ruffed Grouse drummed all day. The song of a Golden-crowned Kinglet and a Violent-green Swallow flying up river were appreciated highlights. 2 Canada Goose 2 Common Merganser 1 Ruffed Grouse 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Northern Shrike 2 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Mountain Chickadee 1 Violet-green Swallow 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Brown Creeper 3 Mountain Bluebird 13 American Robin 4 Dark-eyed Junco
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (09 Apr 2024) 4 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 13 | 72 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 15 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 162 | 1747 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 4 | 202 | 1875 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.45 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
11 people stopped to chat, and two of them stopped to watch for eagles with us for a while.
Weather:
The temperature started out at 4C, rose to 7C, then dropped to 3C by the end. The day was marked by occasional light snow flurries and ridges disappearing and re-appearing in the clouds. The west ridge was partly clear all day, but never free of clouds, and the east ridge was mostly clear, although at the end of the count it was completely obscured by a heavy snow squall. Ground winds gusted up to 30kph from the west, ridge winds were strong from a westerly direction, and upper winds were strong from the west.
Raptor Observations:
Only two Golden Eagles (1sa, 1u) seemed to think it was worth dodging clouds and snow all day, and those were seen in the morning when there were fewer flurries. Two adult Red-tailed Hawks were also seen heading north in the morning.
During the day one of the resident Golden Eagles was seen doing beautiful display dives over the east ridge, and two adult Red-tailed Hawks were seen apparently hunting over Hummingbird Plume, then moving to the south.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Ruffed Grouse was drumming constantly all morning. Other birds were:
Northern Shrike 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Boreal Chickadee 3, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, Varied Thrush 1, American Robin 12
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (08 Apr 2024) 41 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 08, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 13 | 72 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 13 | 16 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 38 | 160 | 1745 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 41 | 198 | 1871 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb |
Visitors:
About 14 people stopped by to chat. There were 2 visitors who helped spot during the afternoon.
Weather:
The temperature was 0 C at the start of observation, it rose to +5 by the middle of the day, then fell to +4 as we were leaving. Ground wind was from the SW and light in the morning, increasing from late morning with gusts around 20 km/h. Ridge wind appeared to be moderate from the W-SW. Cloud cover was around 50% at dawn with a brief light snow flurry, mostly cumulus and stratocumulus, decreasing to 20% cumulus from mid morning to early afternoon, before increasing again to 70% cirrostratus, cumulus and stratocumulus by late afternoon with occasional light snow. Some western ridges were shrouded in cloud from mid afternoon. No eagles were seen after 4p.m. so the count was ended at 6p.m. with heavy looking snow clouds building to the south and west.
Raptor Observations:
After a promising early start with 12 Golden Eagles seen between 08:00 and 08:30, movement was a steady trickle of 1 to 3 eagles per hour until about 14:00 when movement picked up slightly until the last eagles were seen at 15:50. Birds in the morning and early afternoon were using both east and west ridges, soaring and gliding. Later birds were seen mostly gliding quite high and fast over the eastern ridges and across to Mt Lorette. Days total was 41 migrants including 38 Golden Eagles (15a, 2sa, 1juv, 20u) and 3 Red-tailed Hawks (1 adult intermediate, 2u). Non-migrants included the resident Golden Eagles, 1 Red-tailed Hawk and 1 American Goshawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
8 Canada Geese, 15 Gulls (sp), 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 15 Common Ravens, 4 Chickadee sp., 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Varied Thrushes, 100+ American Robins, 2 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Northern Shrike, 5 Dark-eyed Junco
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (07 Apr 2024) 73 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 07, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 13 | 72 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 10 | 13 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 66 | 122 | 1707 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 73 | 157 | 1830 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
There were 4 visitors to the site, two that helped with the count for a short while. Overall the meadow was very quiet, despite the nice weather.
Weather:
It was a beautiful day, with partial cloud cover, but lots of bright sun and blue sky. For the first few hours the west ridges were entirely obscured by low cumulus clouds, but as the day went on they lifted – however there was snowfall on and off throughout the day on the west ridges only. The temperature started at 2C and rose to 6C in the late afternoon. The ground winds were quite low from W to SW throughout the day. The ridge winds were challenging to judge, but at the very end of the day blowing snow was seen on the West Ridges. In all, the weather was very unique each hour.
Raptor Observations:
With the interesting weather came an interesting selection of raptors. Many of the birds were soaring high, choosing paths down both the East and West Ridges. The local Golden Eagle was seen multiple times throughout the day harassing migrants on the West ridges. The largest challenge in aging was that when the ridge winds seemed low, many of the birds were seen just popping out briefly over the west ridge. In total for migrating goldens there were: 18a, 20sa, 8j, and 18u. Other migrating raptors included 1 Red-tailed hawk (western lm), 2 Northern Goshawks (2a), 1 Bald Eagle (2nd Year), 2 Sharp-Shinned Hawks (1a, 1j) and 1 Merlin (Taiga a). There were many local raptors seen today as well, two Golden Eagles (1a, 1sa), two adult Bald Eagles, and an adult Male Taiga Merlin that was seen sitting in a tree for over an hour close to the site. He kept the valley quiet of passerines for the duration of his visit.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations included: 1 American Crow, 4 Common Raven, 6 Black-Capped Chickadee, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Golden-Crowned Kinglet, 4 American Robin, 3 Bohemian Waxwing, 2 Dark-eyed Junco.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (06 Apr 2024) 17 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 06, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 7 | 12 | 71 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 9 | 12 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 56 | 1641 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 17 | 84 | 1757 |
| Observation start time: | 11:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.08 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
16 visitors stopped to talk. None came to watch raptors.
Weather:
The start of the count was delayed because snow fell throughout the morning which obscured all ridges. It commenced at 12:40 PM as the snow stopped and the sky partially cleared. It was mostly cloudy but there were some sunny breaks in the afternoon. The west ridges remained 80% obscured by low cloud and the east 20-40% until the last hour of observation, when they almost fully cleared. Ground wind was light from variable directions, and ridge wind was light to moderate from the SSW. The temperature was 3 C at the start, the high was 5, and the low was 2.
Raptor Observations:
The count consisted of 6 Golden Eagles (5 adults, 1 unaged), 7 Bald Eagles (3 adults, 4 sub-adults), 2 Red-tailed Hawks and 2 Rough-legged Hawks. Migrants moved through in a slow trickle between 1:30 and 5:50 PM. They were flying low over the center and west side of the valley. Most of them stayed below the level of the clouds, but a few soared up higher between cloud layers, disappearing from view. Local raptors included an adult Golden Eagle that flew south down the west side of the valley, a Red-tailed Hawk hunting over Hummingbird Plume Hill, and a Merlin that was seen twice hunting in the meadow.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 18 Snow Geese migrating over the Fisher Range, 2 Canada Geese, 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 American Crow, 5 Common Ravens, 8 Chickadee sp., 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Brown Creeper, 2 Varied Thrushes singing in the evening, 20 American Robins, 65 Bohemian Waxwings, and 1 Dark-eyed Junco (Male Oregon) A mink made an appearance swimming in the river near the site. 2 distant bighorn sheep were spotted. Some adult stoneflies have emerged.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (05 Apr 2024) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 05, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 5 | 64 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 50 | 1635 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 2 | 67 | 1740 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | |
| Observers: | Michael Yeoman |
Visitors:
Five people stopped to chat about the count.
Weather:
The morning started out at -5°C and rose to 1°C by 3:00 pm when the count attempt was concluded. Ground winds were low and out of the NE all day. Falling snow delayed the start of the count. Cloud cover was significant throughout the day with the could ceiling below ridge level; the summit of Patrick made a few appearances but no birds seemed to notice. The count was concluded early due to low cloud obscuring the ridges and obstructing access to the valley.
Raptor Observations:
Migrant Eagles Two migrant Golden Eagles were observed, both along the east side of the valley below the low clouds.
Non-migrant Raptors The resident Golden Eagle pair made a few appearances to the west of the site around Olympic Summit. The resident American Goshawk pair were also spotted in the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
