Mount Lorette (21 Apr 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 23 | 82 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 14 | 15 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 19 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 198 | 1783 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 0 | 277 | 1950 |
| Observation start time: | 10:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
There were very few people seen today, and two stopped to chat briefly.
Weather:
Upon arrival to the parking lot at 9:30, it was near white-out conditions with snow and fog covering the entire valley (a surprise given the forecast). After an hour, the conditions lifted slightly on the East side of the valley, so the count was started at 11. Snow continued throughout the morning on the west side of the valley and ridges of the east, with incredibly high winds blowing on both sides. The ground winds were quite strong as well with gusts up 60km/hr. The temperature stayed static for the entire duration of the count at 3C. The clouds were thick and towards 2pm the rain clouds moved in which led to the count being ended.
Raptor Observations:
There were no migrating raptors seen today. There was a brief low sighting of a local sub-adult golden.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations were also limited, even the Ravens were grounded and only seen in the parking lot, however there were 7 female common mergansers in a small group on the river, which was a nice treat. The fox sparrow continued today as well for the brief 5 minutes the sun made an appearance.
2 Canada Goose, 9 Common Merganser, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 2 Common Raven, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 2 Boreal Chickadee, 2 Varied Thrush, 1 American Robin, 3 Bohemian Waxwing, 1 Fox Sparrow, 54 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 (19 Apr 2024) 15 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 21 | 80 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 14 | 15 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 19 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 191 | 1776 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 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: | 15 | 264 | 1937 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber, Michael Yeoman |
Visitors:
About 9 people stopped by to chat about the count.
Weather:
The morning started out at -4°C and rose to 1°C by 3:00 pm. Ground wind direction swung between SW and NE throughout the day, usually between 5 and 10 km/h. Ridge winds were difficult to judge, but seemed strong and steady from the north; many birds made headway with a combination of flapping and kiting/gliding into the wind. Scattered cumulus clouds in the morning and patches of cirrus cloud in the afternoon broke up the otherwise clear blue sky.
Raptor Observations:
Migrant Eagles 5 Golden Eagles: 4a, 1u 2 Bald Eagles: 2a
Other Migrant Raptors 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Rough-legged Hawk 2 Merlin
Non-migrant Raptors The resident raptors were quite active, with the Golden Eagle pair keeping us on our toes. Local Red-tailed Hawks, American Goshawk, and Bald Eagle also made repeated appearances.
Non-raptor Observations:
Very few other birds were around. The Fox Sparrow serenading us from across the river was a special treat.
1 Northern Flicker 5 Common Raven 3 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Mountain Chickadee 3 American Robin 3 Bohemian Waxwing 1 Fox Sparrow 3 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 (18 Apr 2024) 3 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 18, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 78 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 3 | 186 | 1771 |
| 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: | 3 | 249 | 1922 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.67 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
A few people walked by, but none stopped to talk.
Weather:
About 10cm fresh snow was on the ground on arrival at the site. The weather had finally cleared up overnight, but then gradually deteriorated as the day wore on. The temperature at the start of the day was -7C. It rose to a high of 1C and had dropped to -2C by departure time. Cumulus clouds gradually built up during the day from almost none to 100% coverage. By noon the higher peaks were coming and going behind clouds and squalls of snow. Ground winds were light from the east, while upper winds were low from a northerly direction. The count was terminated a little early when falling snow obliterated all the ridges.
Raptor Observations:
Only three migrant raptors were seen, all Golden Eagles (2sa, 1u). One subadult dove a few times on the sheep that were grazing high up on Nakiska, startling them, before moving off to the northwest. All three were seen on the west side of the valley.
An American Goshawk was heard calling in the morning. One adult Golden Eagle sat for a while on a rock near the grazing sheep, then took off to the northeast over the valley. Two adult Red-tailed Hawks were seen a couple of times at the north end of the valley. Later, three adult Red-tailed Hawks were seen interacting with each other between us and Mt Kidd. Eventually two moved off to the north of the valley, and the other disappeared to the south. We wondered if there was some territorial dispute going on.
Non-raptor Observations:
Compared with other days, there were not many non-raptor birds around: Canada Goose 2, Ruffed Grouse 1, Northern Flicker 1, Northern Shrike 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Mountain Chickadee 4, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, Brown Creeper 1, European Starling 1, Varied Thrush 2, American Robin 1, Fox Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2
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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 (17 Apr 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 17, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 78 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 183 | 1768 |
| 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: | 0 | 246 | 1919 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
Continuation of poor weather conditions from yesterday resulted in no observation today.
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 (16 Apr 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 16, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 78 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 183 | 1768 |
| 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: | 0 | 246 | 1919 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
Low clouds and snow all day prevented observation again.
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 (15 Apr 2024) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 15, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 78 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 18 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 183 | 1768 |
| 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: | 2 | 246 | 1919 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.23 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
A number of people walked by, but only four stopped to talk to us.
Weather:
The weather was warm and breezy, with no indication of the incoming storm. The temperature started at 6C, rose to 12C and was 11C when we left. The roughly 50% to 75% cloud cover consisted mostly of cumulus clouds moving quickly from the west. Ground winds were calm from the west to southwest in the morning and moderate in the afternoon, but few gusts were above 20kph. The ridges stayed clear all day. Ridge winds were probably not strong, but it was hard to tell with only two migrants spotted and no blowing snow.
Raptor Observations:
Only two migrant raptors were observed, both Golden Eagles (1a, 1j). The adult was seen soaring over Nakiska and then disappearing to the northeast. The juvenile was low on the east ridge, but nice to see as juveniles have been so scarce recently.
The usual crew of non-migrant raptors were seen periodically throughout the day – two adult Golden Eagles, two adult Red-tailed Hawks, at least one adult Bald Eagle, and one subadult Bald Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Fox Sparrow singing from the other side of the river was a nice start to the day. A Savannah Sparrow was another first-of-season bird. The non-raptor list:
Mallard 2, Ruffed Grouse 2 (Drumming), American Three-toed Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 1, American Crow 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Mountain Chickadee 1, Boreal Chickadee 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, American Robin 11, Fox Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 8, Dark-eyed Junco (cismontanus) 4, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 8, Savannah Sparrow 1
Predictions:
A snowfall warning for the area is a good indication there will be no observation tomorrow!
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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 (14 Apr 2024) 15 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 14, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 19 | 78 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 11 | 12 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Goshawk | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 18 | 21 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 181 | 1766 |
| 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: | 15 | 244 | 1917 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
There were about 22 visitors to the site who stopped by to chat throughout the day, with 3 who took some time to spot with us.
Weather:
Overall the weather was quite sunny and warm with a light clouds slowly covering more and more sky throughout the day – which made it challenging to find birds as they were often in and out of the cloud cover. The temperature started at 3C and rose to 13C. The winds on the ground were light and grew stronger throughout the day, primarily from the SW.
Raptor Observations:
It was a slow start for eagle migration today, not a single golden was seen until 1pm, when a local bird was seen on the west ridges. The first golden eagle migrants were seen just before 3pm, with a few more moving through in the same hour – but no further movement. For Golden Eagles there were 6 total (3sa, 1a, 2u). There were a number of Sharp-Shinned Hawks moving through the valley (1a, 1j, 1u), 2 Bald Eagles (1 sa3, 1 sa4), 1 Swainsons Hawk (1a), 1 Red-Tailed Hawk (1a), and 2 Goshawks (a). There were a few local Bald Eagles seen multiple times through the day, as well as a local Golden Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was very exciting to see two Comma Butterflies today! There was also another small, dark gray, unidentified butterfly seen. It was a lovely day for passerines, although the valley was quiet for most of the afternoon, the morning was fruitful: 2 Canada Goose, 2 Common Merganser, 1 Say’s Phoebe, 9 Common Raven, 5 Black-Capped Chickadee, 5 Mountain Chickadee, 3 Boreal Raven, 3 Tree Swallow, 3 Golden-Crowned Kinglet, 1 Red-Breasted Nuthatch, 6 American Robin, 15 Bohemian Waxwing, 5 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Red-winged Blackbird, 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]
