Mount Lorette (04 Oct 2024) 34 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 04, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 5 | 16 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 7 | 25 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 26 | 189 | 452 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 34 | 214 | 537 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.8 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Carol McTavish, Caroline Lambert |
Visitors:
22 visitors stopped to chat.
Weather:
The temperature was mildly above average, between 2 and 13 degrees. A warm ground wind blew throughout the day at between 1 and 5 Beaufort. Ridge winds were high throughout the day, rising to gusts of over 120 km/h. Cloud cover was typically significant – mostly Altocumulus and Cirrostratus. Unfortunately, a rain storm blew in at around 14:30 and we were forced to end the count early.
Raptor Observations:
26 Golden Eagle were observed, and movement peaked between 11am and 12pm with 11 birds. Most followed the eastern ridge, fairly low. The resident Bald Eagle was seen hunting the river. Early on, several small raptors came through the valley, including an adult Peregrine Falcon which flew over the count site.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Pacific Wren greeted us as we walked in, but during the morning there wasn’t a ton of activity around the count site itself. A hard pf Big Horned Sheep fed in a ski run on Nakiska. In total, other observations tallied: 2 unidentified ducks, 2 Canada Jay, 21 Common Raven, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4 Brown Creeper, 1 Pacific Wren, 1 American Dipper, 28 American Robin, 4 American Pipit, 12 Pine Siskin, 2 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler.
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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 (03 Oct 2024) 64 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 03, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 3 | 21 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 57 | 163 | 426 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 64 | 180 | 503 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Ruth Morrow |
Visitors:
About 20 people stopped to ask about the count. Many thanks to Hazel for staying for a few hours and helping spot the eagles!
Weather:
The temperature started at 2C, rose quickly to 10C, and was 7C at the end of the count. Ground winds were light and mostly from the southwest. Ridge winds were from the southwest at 20-40kph, gusting to 50, and upper winds were moderate from the northwest. The sky was almost completely covered with cumulus clouds to start with, but those gradually disappeared, and were replaced by cirrus clouds. Overall a very pleasant day, accentuated by glorious fall colours.
Raptor Observations:
Golden Eagle movement was light in the morning but gradually picked up as the day went by, with the highest hourly number occurring from 1700 to 1800 (18). All migrants were seen on the east ridge, most coming in low to Patrick, and most not going too high. There was enough wind that they could gain altitude without flapping or soaring, but not so much that they moved quickly. There were 57 altogether (29a, 6sa, 8j, 11ui, 3u). In addition there was one American Goshawk, one juvenile Bald Eagle, three Red-tailed Hawks, and a couple of small, high-flying accipiters.
One of the resident Golden Eagles was spotted on the west ridge, and at various times during the day an American Goshawk was seen hunting over the forest on the east ridge. One Merlin was seen heading north.
Non-raptor Observations:
At the start of the day a couple of skeins of Canada Geese flew over (totalling 50), then a couple of flocks of loons, presumably Common Loons. Seeing five loons flying together seemed odd, but that paled in comparison to the 20 that flew by together a bit later. Another one flying solo brought the total to 26.
Other birds were: Belted Kingfisher 1, Canada Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 2 Boreal Chickadee 1, Mountain Chickadee 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3, Pine Siskin 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 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 (02 Oct 2024) 100 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 93 | 106 | 369 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 100 | 116 | 439 |
| Observation start time: | 07:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Rick Robb |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
60+ Visitors today 30 Students from Brooks H.S. 2 From Florida 2 From Germany 3 came with Binoculars more with cameras
Weather:
A fairly cool day . 3c to start and 8c as a high Ground winds ,totally calm until 1400 then picked up some from SSW 5-10 kph. Ridge winds light
Raptor Observations:
93 GOEA 3 BAEA 1 SSHA 1 AMKE hunting in the meadow 2 Unidentified Eagles All Eagles seen on the east ridges , a lot traveling in front or going behind the ridges at times.
Non-raptor Observations:
3 BC Chickadee – 5 RC Kinglet – 1 Belted Kingfisher 10 Robins – 6 Com. Mergansers – 3 Canada Jays 1 Downey – 1 Nor. Flicker – 1 M Chickadee 15 Ravens
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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 (01 Oct 2024) 16 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 13 | 13 | 276 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total: | 16 | 16 | 339 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
In spite of the cool, damp weather, about 8 people stopped to ask questions.
Weather:
Strong, tree-felling winds started the day. Ridge winds at sunrise were over 100kph and continued at that level until 10:00am. The temperature started at 9C, rose to 12C, and was down to 8C at the end of the day. Ground winds were strong to start with, in the 30-40kph range, but gradually diminished throughout the day. The ridge winds, from the southwest, also died down as the day progressed. As the winds died down, the clouds thickened. From the start of the day there were clouds with rain and snow over the west ridge, which ranged from being 40% obscured to 80%. The east ridge remained clear until late in the day, when MacGillivray and McDougall started disappearing into the clouds. Raindrops from the west side of the valley were blown over to our location, and we were never completely free of them. Towards the end of the day the rain clouds encroached and by the time we left at 1800, the rain was coming down harder.
Raptor Observations:
About half the Golden Eagles seen were spotted in the first two hours of observation, unfortunately silhouetted against clouds and impossible to age. In spite of the ridge winds that were over 100kph, these first birds were initially seen low over the east ridge – so possibly eagles that had spent the night on the ridge and were continuing their journey. After that the Golden Eagles were few and far between, but that was not surprising given the wet weather system. Besides the Golden Eagles (3a, 1ui, 9u) there were two Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 1j) and one intermediate Red-tailed Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were: Belted Kingfisher 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Canada Jay 3, Common Raven 6, Black-capped Chickadee 3, Mountain Chickadee 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4, American Robin 11, Pine Siskin 3, White-throated Sparrow 1, and two white-headed gulls
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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 (30 Sep 2024) 116 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 11 | 11 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 110 | 263 | 263 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Total: | 116 | 323 | 323 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
Thanks to the well over 60 people who came by to observe our activities. One couple even came with chairs and binoculars to help.
Weather:
The temperature at the onset of the count was 2C with 75% humidity. (Brrr) By 16:00 it reached 9C and lowered to 7C when we abandoned the site. The cloud coverage started with 40% Cumulus but soon cleared to about 10% coverage and remained so throughout the day until 16:00 when some Cirrus and a bit of Stratus formed. Later some Lenticular deformation and Cirrocumulus appeared. Southern ground winds started light but quickly intensified with strong gusts throughout the day. Ridge winds were moderate from the West for the most part.
Raptor Observations:
The morning was very quiet until 11:00 when the ridge winds changed from E to W and the birds started trickling in. Oh, what a day! We sighted between 6 â 22 raptors per hour for the rest of the day with virtually no lulls in activity. Between 14:00 and 17:00 we found about half of the days total. The chosen flight route for the day was high, high, very high and even higher! Most came from the valley centre and followed the Eastern route.
Final Count: 110 Golden Eagles (46 adults, 10 sub-adults, 26 juveniles, 28 unaged), 3 Bald Eagles, 1 Peregrin Falcon, 1 unidentified Accipiter (large), 1 unidentified raptor (small). The local raptors made a few appearances throughout the day. A Goshawk called out from the forest in the morning and later one was sighted hunting over the north side of the valley. A local Golden Eagle got into a clawing fight with a Bald Eagle over the right flank of Lorette. The outcome is unknown because they quickly went down out of sight. A resident Golden was seen perusing the land later in the day, so maybe it was the winner.
Non-raptor Observations:
For most of the day, not a croak was to be heard from the Ravens and then it happened! A raven party was sighted over Lorette. At least 12 Ravens caught a thermal and danced over the mountain. Other birds sighted, when we werenât straining our necks to age the eagles were: Black-capped Chickadee 2, Mountain Chickadee 3, Robin 3, Savannah Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 3, American Dipper 1, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 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 (29 Sep 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 153 | 153 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Total: | 0 | 207 | 207 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 10:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 2 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: |
Weather:
Count was terminated early due to thunderstorms.
Raptor Observations:
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]
Mount Lorette (28 Sep 2024) 55 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Northern Harrier | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 9 | 18 | 18 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 36 | 153 | 153 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Total: | 55 | 207 | 207 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Lynn Macintosh |
Visitors:
The beautiful weather and scenery brought lots of visitors to the meadow today. 80 people stopped to talk, including a group of at least 27, and 8 stayed for a while to look for migrants. Special thanks to Nancy & Christa who hung around long enough to catch the peak of migration and helped to spot some eagles, come back anytime!
Weather:
The temperature was 2C at the start of observation, it rose to a high of 14, then fell to 11 as we were leaving. Cloud cover was 25-50% cirrus, altocumulus and cumulus. Ground wind was light in the morning and gusting around 20 km/h in the afternoon, mostly from the N-NE, but occasionally from the NW. Until 1 PM the ridge wind was also light and varied from S, to SE, to NE. The ridge wind changed to SW and increased around 1 PM, reaching 50 km/h later in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
The day started off slow. There was a short bust of activity between 11:30 AM and 12:00 PM, but not much was moving in the morning or early afternoon. Then the change to SW wind seemed to produce an influx of migrants, culminating in an evening rush of 30 raptors between 4 and 6 PM. Almost all the movement was low on the west ridges or over the valley before 4 PM, between 4 and 5 migrants were gaining height and using both ridges, then after 5 they had fully transitioned the east. The last Golden Eagle landed high on the South Fisher Range near Mount McDougall just after 6 PM.
The total count for the day was 55 raptors including 36 Golden Eagles (10 adults, 6 sub-adults, 7 juveniles, 5 undifferentiated immature, 8 unaged), 2 Bald Eagles, 2 Northern Harriers, 9 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Red-tailed Hawks, and 3 small unidentified raptors. Local raptors included one Golden Eagle flying north over Olympic Summit, and an American Goshawk hunting above the Nakiska Ski Area.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 3 Common Mergansers, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 11 Northern Flickers (10 flew south past the site within about a minute, 1 was by itself), 3 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 13 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 5 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 8 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 American Dipper, 26 American Robins, 17 Pine Siskins, 7 Dark-Eyed Juncos, 5 White-crowned Sparrows, 1 Palm Warbler, 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 1 Wilson’s Warbler. A Mourning Cloak butterfly and a Nearctic Bumble Bee were also seen.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
