Mount Lorette (09 Mar 2024) 3 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 09, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| 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 | 3 | 44 | 44 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 3 | 52 | 52 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis, Blake Weis, Lynn Macintosh |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
A power outage at the nearby ski hill brought an influx of visitors to the meadow. About 40 people stopped to talk, none stayed to watch for migrants.
Weather:
The temperature at the beginning of observation was at -1 C, though it quickly warmed up to +6 and remained there until the end. Wind at ground level was blustery with some gusts between 20 and 30 km/h. At ridge level wind was strong to very strong (40-100+ km/h) judging by the amount of snow blowing off the mountains. Cloud cover was usually around 40% cirrus which made good conditions for both spotting and identification.
Raptor Observations:
Despite seemingly good conditions for migration, only three migrants (2 u & 1 a Golden Eagles) were observed. The first was spotted around 9:30 AM flying low near Hummingbird Plume Hill and Mt. Lorette which had likely been roosting nearby. The other two were gliding very high over the Fisher Range to Mt. Lorette. The last migrant was seen around 11:30 AM. At least one of the local Goshawks was heard calling in the morning and seen soaring over Hummingbird Plume Hill later.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included 1 Canada Jay, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 5 Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 8 Boreal Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch and 1 Brown Creeper. 6 White-tailed Deer passed through the meadow.
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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 Mar 2024) 28 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 08, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 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 | 24 | 41 | 41 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 28 | 49 | 49 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Annie Finch |
| Observers: | Bill McKeeman |
Visitors:
9 people stopped in to chat about the count.
Weather:
The morning started out at -3°C, rose to 3°C by 3:00 pm, and stayed there until we left at 5:30 pm. Ground winds were moderate throughout the day with some gusts up to 20 km/h. Ridge winds were strong from the WSW and high winds were strong out of the west, until around 3:00 pm when the wind shifted to the NW. The day started out with an almost clear blue sky. High cirrus and low cumulus clouds, and a beautiful Chinook Arch, combined to provide significant cloud cover for the rest of the day. No precipitation was observed.
Raptor Observations:
All the eagles observed today used the east ridges. The strong chinook winds from the SW until the early afternoon provided a steady stream of migrants tucked up and gliding fast and many Golden Eagles remained unaged. Light conditions were good, but the eagles kept us guessing by using a variety of flight path heights throughout the day. Many flew behind Patrick and across the front of Lorette.
Golden Eagles: 11a, sa, j, 2ui, 11u Bald Eagles: 1a, 2sa, j, u Undifferentiated Eagles: 1
No other raptors, migrant or resident, were observed.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was a slow day for songbirds with only Common Ravens, Boreal Chickadees, and a solitary Black-billed Magpie observed.
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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 Mar 2024) 4 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 07, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 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 | 4 | 17 | 17 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 4 | 21 | 21 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
The beautiful weather and the newly groomed ski trail brought out a number of people. About 10 stopped to talk.
Weather:
It was a beautiful sunny day out at the site. There were no clouds, little wind, and for more than half the day, no birds either, not even ravens. It wasn’t until afternoon that a few ravens appeared above the ridges. The temperature started out at -17C, rose to a high of -3C, and was -4C when we left. Ridge winds were light. Some snow was blowing off the higher peaks on the west ridge by the end of the day, but not on the east ridge.
Raptor Observations:
The only migrants were four adult Golden Eagles that appeared at Mt Lorette in mid-afternoon. The first two were seen low over the right side of Lorette, then quickly disappeared behind the mountain. The other two were first spotted low on the left side. They soared until they were about the height of the summit, then disappeared behind.
A local American Goshawk was heard early in the morning.
Non-raptor Observations:
There were few birds – no dippers or jays, just a few chickadees (two Mountain and one Boreal), a distant fly-by Red Crossbill, and about 10 Common 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 (06 Mar 2024) 17 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 06, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 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 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Kathleen O’Connor, Susan Wilberg |
Visitors:
4
Weather:
A beautiful blue sky day made for a great start for the observers for the opening day of the Spring, 2024 Golden Eagle migration monitoring program. The opening temperature was minus 17C, but quickly warmed to a high of minus 4, and dropping to minus 5 at 1700 hrs. The ground winds were SW at 0-5 km/hr for the entire day. Ridge winds were assessed as low to moderate, with only occasional spindrifts seen along the ridges.
Raptor Observations:
The raptor migration was entirely restricted to the East ridges, with the raptors generally gliding low over the ridges. Thirteen adult Golden Eagles and four adult Bald Eagles were observed for the day. The main group of 14 migrating raptors occurred between 1236 and 1255 hrs (Golden Eagle x 12; Bald Eagle x 2).
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-Raptor Species: Canada Jay x 1, Common Raven x 5, American Dipper x 1
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
2024 Spring Count
The Spring 2024 Migration Count runs from March 6 to April 22 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 32rd year of vigilant recording. Observation map. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.
See the Spring Count 2024 Daily Summaries
Fall Count 2023
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 vigilant recording. Observation map. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.
See the Fall Count 2023 Daily Summaries
Spring Count 2023
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
