Mount Lorette (25 Mar 2025) 16 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 25, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 16 | 697 | 697 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 16 | 725 | 725 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Besides the school group of about 25 children and adults, about 15 people stopped to talk. Thanks again to Ed for helping to spot.
Weather:
The day started out promising, with some blue sky, and the sun felt warm when it rose over the east ridge. But it didn’t last. The only redeeming feature of the weather was the warm temperature – it started at -1C and rose to 8C before dropping to 7C at the end of the day. As the day progressed, stratus clouds became more widespread and lower. The higher peaks disappeared in the afternoon and were not seen again, and the lower parts of the ridges faded in and out as light rain came and went. There was very little ground wind, and apparently not much wind at ridge level, as any eagles seen were needing to soar in thermals or flap to make any progress. The last migrant eagle was seen at 1615, and the count was terminated in light rain at 1830.
Raptor Observations:
There was hope for a good day of migration as the first Golden Eagle was seen low over Nakiska around 0830. However, by noon only six Golden Eagles had been seen, and only one was in sight when the school group of binocular-wielding children came by. We’re not sure how many of them saw that Golden Eagle, but most of them saw a Bald Eagle, and they seemed excited to see ravens.
The total was 16 Golden Eagles (13a, 3u), and no other migrants were seen. This year’s total to date of 697 Golden Eagles is the second lowest in the same time period (2012 was lower), and only a little more than half the average for this time of year. With snow and rain forecast for the next few days, it does not seem the numbers will improve.
Three non-migrant raptors were spotted – the two resident Golden Eagles, and an American Goshawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
For once there was a bit of variety in the non-raptor species. Thrushes were represented by a single singing Varied Thrush and three American Robins, but we were wondering where the Mountain Bluebirds have got to. Other birds were:
Canada Goose 4, Swan sp. 4, Ruffed Grouse 2, Great Blue Heron 1, Pileated Woodpecker 2, Canada Jay 2, Common Raven 15, Black-capped Chickadee 2, Mountain Chickadee 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, American Dipper 1, European Starling 3, American Robin 3, Bohemian Waxwing 25, Red-winged Blackbird 1
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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 (24 Mar 2025) 27 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 27 | 681 | 681 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 27 | 709 | 709 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Xavier Gorloo |
Visitors:
About 20 people stopped to inquire about our activities and the Lawrence Grassi Middle School brought one lucky class to observe. Many of the children even brought their own binoculars.
Weather:
The weather forecast was not great and called for a 30% chance of rain all day. A persistent squall was kept at bay to the south of the valley and was most likely the cause of the low count today. We were sprinkled with rain droplets and graupel throughout the day. The starting temperature was 3C, rising to 7C and back down to 4C at the end of the count. Moderate SW ground winds with quite a few gusts up to 15 Km/h and moderate ridge winds seemingly from the WNW. The eastern ridges were clear for most of the day except for a period when the southern storm conquered a few of them. The western ridges were compromised all day. The cloud coverage averaged about 80% cumulus, cirrus, and stratus.
Raptor Observations:
The first Eagle came at 12:54, then an hour later came the second. Between 16:00 and 18:00 we had the highest count. Many glided from Patrick to Lorette and others appeared at Lorette then glided in front and flew around to the back at the west edge near the beehive. The final count was 27 Golden Eagles (22 adults, 2 subadults, 3 unaged).
The resident golden eagles were extraordinarily active all day. We were kept on our toes through moments of courtship display and altercations with ravens amid countless flights in every direction. At one point two of them landed on an eastern ridge for a rest. The only other non-migrant seen was an adult bald eagle flying south.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other sightings were numerous ever-present Ravens, 17 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Canada Jay, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Common Mergansers, 2 Canada Geese. 3 White-tailed Deer and 1 Red Squirrel.
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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 (23 Mar 2025) 17 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 23, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 17 | 654 | 654 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 17 | 682 | 682 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Sofia Preece |
Visitors:
There were approximately 20 visitors who stopped to chat. A special thank you to George in the AM and Jessica in the PM who assisted with spotting and aging of the migrant Golden Eagles !
Weather:
The opening temperature was 0 C, rising to a high of +4 C at noon and remaining stable throughout the day. Ground winds were generally SW at 1-5 km/hr with gusts to 10 km/hr. The skies were overcast with Stratocumulus cover, and both ridges were generally clear throughout the day. The ridge winds were estimated to be from the SW at “Medium” ( 11-40 km/hr).
Raptor Observations:
A total of 17 Golden Eagle migrants (13 Adults, 4 Unaged) were observed during the day. The migrants generally flew very high and fast across the East ridges to Lorette. The resident Golden Eagle pair were active throughout the day, hunting over Hummingbird Plume and circling Mt Lorette. Two resident adult Bald Eagles were observed flying South.
Non-raptor Observations:
Pileated Woodpecker x 2, Northern Shrike X 1, Canada Jay x 2, Common Raven x 7, Black-capped Chickadee x 4, American Mink x 1
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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 (22 Mar 2025) 49 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 47 | 637 | 637 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 49 | 665 | 665 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
38 people stopped to talk. Thanks to Joseph, Jessica, Melissa, and Calvin for staying for much of the day to help spot migrants, and to the others who stopped to watch. Come back anytime!
Weather:
The temperature was -4 C at the start of observation, it rose to a high of 5 around 3 PM, and fell to 1 as we were leaving. Ground wind was from the SW, light in the morning, then gusting to 20 km/h in the afternoon. Ridge wind was also from the SW, light to moderate in the morning, and strong in the afternoon. For most of the day, cloud cover was 30-60% cumulus and cirrus. Around 6 PM snow squalls began to move into the valley from the west, and the count was ended at 7 PM as snow reached the site.
Raptor Observations:
The count for the day was 47 Golden Eagles (17 adults, 3 sub-adults, 1 juvenile, 26 unaged), 1 adult Bald Eagle, and 1 Merlin. Raptors moved between 11:15 AM and 5:25 PM, with a peak of 20 migrants between 4 and 5 PM. In the afternoon movement was split between the west where migrants moved from Mts. Kidd and Boggart to Olympic Summit, and the east, where they moved from Old Baldy Hill and Mt. McDougall over the east side of the valley. Later in the day, movement was all high over the east ridges. Ageing was often hampered by backlit conditions and eagles staying tucked up while gliding.
The resident Golden Eagle pair was seen numerous times throughout the day, frequently displaying over Mt. Kidd and Mt. Boggart, even flying low above the site and displaying over the east side of the valley. A sub-adult Golden Eagle, an adult Bald Eagle, and another Merlin were not counted as migrants since they were flying south.
Non-raptor Observations:
1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 3 Canada Jays, 25 Common Ravens, 1 American Dipper, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 2 White-tailed Deer, 1 Deer Mouse, and 2 Bighorn Sheep.
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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 (21 Mar 2025) 11 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 21, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 10 | 590 | 590 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 11 | 616 | 616 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Sofia Preece |
Visitors:
10. Thanks to Stephen for helping to scan the ridges in the morning.
Weather:
The temperature ranged from -2C to 4C. Ground winds mainly SW light to moderate. Some fantastic snow plumes streaming from the ridges for most of the day helped guesstimate the speed and direction of the ridge winds. Mostly SW veering to NW by late afternoon. Mainly sunny. Cloud cover and type was variable, ranging from 30% cumulus to 100% stratocumulus. Thicker stratocumulus clouds covered the distant ridges to the south and west all day. We had a few light flurries in the early morning and heavier snow fell from 10:30 to 13:15. No eagles were seen after 13:30 so the count was ended early at 18:00.
Raptor Observations:
Only 10 Golden Eagles were seen (1a, 1sa, 8u). 6 eagles were seen between 10:15 and 10:35, gliding fast just above the eastern ridges ahead of the rapidly approaching snow. The remaining 4 eagles were all seen shortly after the heavy snow ended at 13:15 as the east ridges quickly cleared, gliding high over the east ridges. Only 1 other migrant was seen, 1 adult American Goshawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
A very quiet day for other birds. 7 Common Ravens, 6 Canada Geese, 1 American Dipper, and 5 European Starlings.
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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 (20 Mar 2025) 8 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 20, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 19 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | 6 | 580 | 580 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 8 | 605 | 605 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
About 9 people walked by but only one person stopped to chat.
Weather:
Temperature today was plus 1 when I arrived at the parking lot at 7:30, went as high as plus 4 midafternoon and dropped to 1 degree at 19:00 upon leaving. It was not a very windy day, ground winds were as high as 2 Beaufort wind scale but more often <1 and from the west or southwest. clouds covered sky for majority of day, cumulonimbus, stratus and cumulus clouds. snow flurries appeared every so often but with no accumulation. late afternoon covering broke up into cirrus, cumulus, stratus nimbostratus, patches blue even a little bit of sunshine. ridges were partially obscured most east ridges mostly clear. opal range was cloud day. ridge winds high moderate to light. the switched north later in day.
Raptor Observations:
Today seemed to be a rest day for the migrants. The first raptor to be seen was one of the resident golden eagles hunting over Old Baldy, later seen north of Patrick and then flying south past Mt Kidd. The first migrant was an unidentified Buteo over Hummingbird Plume, who climbed and then disappeared in the cloud. One adult Bald Eagle and 6 Golden Eagles (4a, 2u)came over Patrick flying high and fast.
Non-raptor Observations:
The Ravens were out in good representation,10 in number, three Swans flew towards the Kananaskis Lakes and a Northern shrike visited several times in the meadow and across the river. Five Whitetail deer showed up on the river bank downstream from the observation site. A hiker and two dogs were spotted on top of Patrick.
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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 (19 Mar 2025) 124 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 18 | 18 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | 119 | 574 | 574 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 124 | 597 | 597 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Alan Hingston, Xavier Gorloo |
Visitors:
We were treated to an abundance of excellent help today; thank you to Dave and Joseph for helping out for most of the day. Ten visitors stopped by to chat about the count. A local grade 5 class stopped nearby to learn about the count from their teachers.
Weather:
The morning started out at -2°C, rose to 5°C by 4:00 pm, and fell to 2°C by the end of the day. Ground winds were predominantly from the SW throughout the day, mostly a steady breeze with gusts up to 30 km/h. Cumulus and cirrus clouds made for excellent observation conditions throughout the day; a beautiful lenticular cloud arched over the Fisher Range for much of the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
The steady SW winds made for good migration conditions. Most eagles were seen migration over the east ridges starting low in the morning and getting progressively higher into the afternoon; by 2:00 pm many eagles were flying up the valley directly overhead, much to the delight of the visiting grade 5 school group. A handful of eagles were spotted throughout the day on the west side of the valley in front of Bogart before disappearing behind Olympic Summit.
Migrant Eagles 119 Golden Eagles: 53a, 66u 3 Bald Eagles: 2a, 1sa 2 Undifferentiated Eagles
No other migrant raptors were observed.
Non-migrant Raptors The resident Golden Eagle pair were spotted a number of times flying and displaying between Olympic Summit and Mount Allen.
Non-raptor Observations:
Two ravens played in the winds above Lorette before landing on the tip of the Pyramid. A local American Dipper sang for us in the afternoon. A skein of some two-dozen Canada Geese flew north above Patrick.Two Black-capped and one Boreal chickadees were observed early in the morning. It remains a slow time of year for small birds in the valley.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
