Mount Lorette (26 Oct 2024) 48 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 60 | 71 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 75 | 93 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 16 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 39 | 2259 | 2522 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 48 | 2463 | 2786 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Jennifer Brand |
Visitors:
25 visitors stopped to talk and 14 came to watch migration. Thanks to Joseph, Jim & the Wild Bird Store Group, and everyone else, come back anytime!
Weather:
The temperature was 5 C at the beginning of observation, it rose to 9, and was 8 at the end. Cloud cover was 50-80% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus. The wind was very strong from the southwest, with gusts close to 50 km/h at ground level, which easily could have have blown over spotting scopes if they weren’t tied down to rocks, and would have blown chairs into the river if they weren’t tied to the kiosk. At ridge level sustained wind was almost always over 100 and gusts were much stronger. At 10 AM the ridge wind was at 130 km/h gusting to 171, which is the highest reading I’ve seen from the Nakiska ridgetop weather station.
Raptor Observations:
The extremely strong wind pushed most of the eagles extremely high into the sky. Those birds used the updrafts off Mt. Lorette and peaks farther north to kite so high that they seemed to detach from the ridge systems, flying several binocular fields of view above the mountains and over the valley, often passing above the lowest layers of cumulus cloud. Golden Eagles are very steady fliers in strong wind, but they teetered like Turkey Vultures as they were catapulted upwards from the updrafts off the SW slope of Mt. Lorette, and the few that were down closer to the mountains seemed to encounter more turbulence and struggled to make headway. Most Golden Eagles stayed tucked up kiting and gliding at great height and speed so were impossible to age, and difficult to spot. Movement was steady from 9:30 AM to 2 PM but slowed after. The last migrant was counted at 4:05 PM.
The total count was 39 Golden Eagles (6 adults, 1 Juvenile, 3 undifferentiated immature, 29 unaged), 4 Bald Eagles, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 unidentified accipiter and 2 unidentified eagles. One Golden Eagle and one Bald Eagle flying north were considered non-migrants.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 5 Common Ravens, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 American Dipper, 1 Redpoll, 1 White-wined Crossbill, 4 Pine Siskins, and 1 Lapland Longspur.
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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 (25 Oct 2024) 61 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 56 | 67 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 73 | 91 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 16 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 59 | 2220 | 2483 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 61 | 2415 | 2738 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
Many thanks to Sofia, Jen and Peter for assisting in spotting raptors. There were a total of 12 visitors.
Weather:
The opening observation temperature was -5C and increasing to the high at 1500 hrs (MDT) of +3 C. Early morning conditions were clear blue skies offset by smoke haze in the valley (Presumably from a prescribed burn), which lifted around noon, only to return in the late afternoon hours. Ground winds were predominately SW and calm at 1-5 km/hr. Ridge winds were difficult to determine, but were assessed as SW @ “Low” (<10 kmhr), based upon the ground and upper winds. winds were recorded as calm (which is extremely unusual), and increasing southwesterly to an astounding low value of about 15 hr. the initial blueskies sunshine diminished mid-afternoon grey lenticular clouds.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant was an adult Bald Eagle at 1131 hrs (MDT). The windless conditions were very unfavourable for migration. As a result the first Golden Eagle migrant was not observed until 1305 hrs (MDT). The hourly counts were as follows: 1300-1359 hrs (MDT) – 15 Golden Eagles; 1400-1459 hrs (MDT) – 12 Golden Eagles; 1500-1559 hrs (MDT) – 6 Golden Eagles; 1600-1659 hrs (MDT) – 13 Golden Eagles; 1700-1759 hrs (MDT) – 11 Golden Eagle & 1 Bald Eagle; 1800-1845 hrs (MDT) – 2 Golden Eagles; The total daily count was 59 Golden Eagle (Adult x 51, Subadult x 3, Unaged x 5) and 2 Bald Eagle (Adult x 2) Due to the windless conditions the migrants typically came low across the face of Patrick or the “Bumps” making aging and location straightforward. Also the windless conditions resulted in the migrants engaging in spectacular flight displays of hugging the face of the mountains, circling, soaring, and flapping all in futile attempts to gain significant elevation.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose x 105 (two flocks 40 + 65), Canada Jay x 2, Black-billed Magpie x 1, Common Raven x 2, Boreal Chickadee x 2, American Dipper x 1, Pine Siskin 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 (24 Oct 2024) 182 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 54 | 65 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 73 | 91 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 16 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 179 | 2161 | 2424 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 182 | 2354 | 2677 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.62 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rick Robb |
Visitors:
About 15 visitors stopped to chat, and two with binoculars stayed a short while and helped out.
Weather:
The temperature started out at 0C, rose to 4C, and was 2C at the end. Ground wind was mostly calm with occasional gusts up to 20kph. Ridge winds were in the 40-60kph range with gusts up to 77, from the SW. Upper winds appeared to be moderate from WNW. The clouds started out as a mixture of stratus and cumulus, with the south end of the valley completely obscured with apparent snow flurries and the west ridge partly in the clouds all day. The east ridge remained clear, and occasional snowflakes came our way until mid-afternoon. Although the east ridge was clear, there were clouds above it, and with the clouds to the south for much of the day, there was not much sunlight until those clouds broke up.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor movement started out strong with the first Golden Eagles spotted shortly after sunrise. The numbers built up until noon, after which there were 25-32 eagles per hour until 1600 MDT, when things began to slow down. All were spotted along the east ridge, some very high, some below ridge level. With the cloud backdrop, no sunlight until later in the day, and very little soaring, many of the eagles looked like black silhouettes and went unaged. The total was 179 (72a, 16sa, 1j, 11ui, 79u). In addition, three Bald Eagles were seen migrating, and two adults flew down the river that did not appear to be migrating.
Non-raptor Observations:
A swirling mass of 75-100 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches was a delight to observe early in the day. They spent spent some time on the other side of the meadow, but came to the river once for a quick drink. Seven loons, presumably all Common Loons, flew over early in the day. Other birds were: Hairy Woodpecker 1, Canada Jay 2, Common Raven 6, American Dipper 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 (23 Oct 2024) 60 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 51 | 62 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 73 | 91 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 4 | 16 | 16 |
| Golden Eagle | 52 | 1982 | 2245 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 60 | 2172 | 2495 |
| Observation start time: | 07:30:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.08 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
There were 8 visitors. Special thanks to Nathan and Abby for helping to spot birds !
Weather:
The count opened at 0830 (MDT) at a chilly temperature of -7 C and concluded at 1835 (MDT) at + 1 C, with a daytime high of + 4 at 1500 hrs (MDT). The ridges were clear and the skies were cloudless. Ground winds were from the SW, initially at 1-5 km/hr and increasing to SW at 15-20 km/hr at the close. Ridge winds were difficult to determine due to the absence of cloud cover, but were assessed as low increasing to medium after lunch. The high winds were predominantly SW and ranging from 25-50 km/hr.
Raptor Observations:
The flight consisted of a total of 60 raptors. The migrants were as follows: Golden Eagle x 52 (Adult x 44, Juvenile x 2, Unaged x 6), Bald Eagle x 4 (Adult x 4), Rough-legged Hawk x 4 (Adult x 4). The bright blue skies made aging difficult as reflections from the fresh snow lit the migrants like beacons. Once the migrants flew into the mountain face and “normal” lighting conditions prevailed – aging the birds became more routine. The highest hourly count was between 1400-1500 hrs (MDT) with 13 Golden Eagles.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose x 30, Hairy Woodpecker x 1, Canada Jay x 2, Common Raven x 16, Black-capped Chickadee x 2, Mountain Chickadee x 1, Boreal Chickadee x 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet x 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet x 4, American Dipper x 1, American Robin x 15, Pine Grosbeak x 50 (one flock), Gray-crowned Rosy-finch x 90 (one flock feeding by the river below the site), Swamp Sparrow 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 Oct 2024) 51 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 47 | 58 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 73 | 91 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| Golden Eagle | 47 | 1930 | 2193 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 51 | 2112 | 2435 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
With ice fog in Calgary in the morning, and icy conditions on the TransCanada from yesterday’s storm, it was not surprising that very few people came by the site today. Only two stopped to talk.
Weather:
The temperature stayed in a narrow range today, starting at -2C, rising to +2C, and falling to +1 at the end of the day. Yesterday was the first winter storm of the season, and 10cm of fresh snow was on the ground, making the count site look remarkably different from a few days ago. Most of the day was characterized by blue sky, making spotting the migrants quite difficult, and snow blowing off the ridges didn’t help. Peaks on the west ridge were frequently blotted out by blowing snow. The few cumulus clouds were coming from the northwest, but ridge winds were mostly 30-50kph from the southwest, with gusts up to 94. Ground winds were mostly calm.
Raptor Observations:
All of the migrants were seen on the east ridge. Most appeared to come in low, and then kite up rapidly well above the ridge, making it hard to find them in the blue sky if they weren’t spotted when low on the ridge. It was a challenge to get them in the scope in the featureless sky, and when they were low down, the albedo effect made nearly all of them look as if all their flight feathers were pale. That, combined with no soaring, made aging very difficult and many of the eagles went unaged. Movement was slow in the morning, but built up gradually with a third of the eagles seen in the last 90 minutes. The last one was seen several minutes after sunset.
The totals were 47 Golden Eagles (14a, 1sa, 3j, 5ui, 24u), two Bald Eagles (1a, 1j), one Sharp-shinned Hawk, and one Rough-legged Hawk.
Two eagles on the west ridge (one adult Golden Eagle and one adult Bald Eagle) were deemed to be not migrating.
Non-raptor Observations:
One distraction from watching eagles was the water level in the river. Apparently there was a major issue with the power grid, and presumably water was released from the reservoir upstream from the count site to help with generation of electricity from hydropower. This led to the water rising quite rapidly in the river. A couple of photos from the morning and then later in the day can be found on our Instagram account, @_eaglecount, showing the different water levels (and also how much snow melted during the day!). The water level was dropping before we left.
Other birds seen were: Canada Goose 59 (flying south), Common Merganser 1, Canada Jay 3, Common Raven 8, Pine Siskin 3, American Tree Sparrow 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 (21 Oct 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 45 | 56 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 72 | 90 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1883 | 2146 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 0 | 2061 | 2384 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
A snowfall warning was issued with total amounts of 10-15 cm expected. Reduced visibility due to heavy snow was forecast. The local webcams confirmed the forecast. All ridges are covered by snow squalls. Low snow cloud coverage 100% stratocumulus.
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 (20 Oct 2024) 45 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 45 | 56 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 72 | 90 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 14 | 14 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Golden Eagle | 38 | 1883 | 2146 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| Total: | 45 | 2061 | 2384 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
19 people stopped to chat and watch for eagles.
Weather:
The day started out warm at 6 degrees and rose to 14 by the afternoon. As the pressure dropped (6 points throughout the day), a storm system skirted around the valley to the west. Winds at the ground level were mostly between 1 and 3 beaufort, but increased to 5 around 17:30. Cumulus clouds hung low in the sky for much of the day, and moved very fast across the sky.
Raptor Observations:
38 Golden Eagles were counted today, all of which followed the eastern ridgeline. Almost all came through high and very fast. This count was boosted by 3 Bald Eagles, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and a singular American Goshawk. The resident Goshawk was also seen, as was one of the resident Bald Eagles. The busiest hour was between 11:00 and 12:00, when 13 Golden Eagles were seen.
Non-raptor Observations:
A fairly quiet day for other birds. In total the non-raptor bird list reads: 6 Common Mergansers, 7 unidentified waterfowl, 1 unidentified larid, 4 Common Loon, 2 Canada Jay, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 34 Common Raven, 5 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 4 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2 American Dipper.
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
