Mount Lorette (01 Apr 2024) 47 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 01, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 3 | 62 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Golden Eagle | 35 | 35 | 1620 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 47 | 47 | 1720 |
| Observation start time: | 07:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Cameron Harvey |
Visitors:
23 Visitors stopped to talk. Thanks to Glenn Webber, Mark and Suzanne who came to help spot migrants.
Weather:
A sunny day. The temperature rose to 9C at 1400 from a low of -2C and was 5C at 1930, ground winds were light in the morning becoming S to SW 10-20 gusting 30 km/h in the afternoon and ridge winds were WSW moderate. Clear blue skies until late in the day when a few cumulus clouds appeared. Some lenticular clouds could be seen far to the north and west.
Raptor Observations:
There was a slow but steady raptor movement throughout most of the day apart from a 2 hour period with no raptors seen between 12:15 and 14:15. Eagles used both sides of the valley without the usual morning/afternoon switch and this plus the clear blue skies made locating birds quite challenging. A number of eagles were found soaring over Mt Kidd summit before gliding NW in front of Ribbon Peak/Mt Bogart and disappearing behind Olympic summit. The count consisted of 35 Golden Eagles (23a, 3sa, 1ui, 8u), 2 adult and 1 sa Bald Eagles, 1 unidentified buteo, 6 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Rough-legged Hawk and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. The resident Golden Eagles were seen frequently. The male displayed several times over the east ridges.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 4 Canada Geese, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 4 Black-billed Magpie, 9 Common Ravens, 10 European Starlings, 35 American Robins, 2 Varied Thrushes, 1 Mountain Bluebird, 15 Bohemian Waxwings and 1 Tree Swallow
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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 (31 Mar 2024) 33 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 59 | 59 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 33 | 1585 | 1585 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 33 | 1673 | 1673 |
| Observation start time: | 06:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: | Colin Stallknecht |
Visitors:
There were a couple of visitors who stopped by to do some raptor observations, and about 20 people stopped by to chat.
Weather:
The day started out chilly at -6C but warmed to 4C by the end of the day. The ground winds were quite low from the WSW most of the day but picked up quite a bit in the late afternoon. There were a few clouds scattered, but generally blue skies and sunshine.
Raptor Observations:
When the golden eagles started moving, it seemed as though it might be quite a busy day, however the migrants tapered off around lunchtime, with only a few birds passing after. The total number of goldens was 33 (21sa, 7a, 4j, 1u). They primarily moved on the west ridges with only a couple of birds seen on the east. There were no other migrating raptors during the day. A local subadult golden was seen in the early afternoon, as well as a local Goshawk, and then later in the evening a few local birds were seen soaring: an adult bald eagle, a local subadult golden eagle, and an intermediate/dark-morph Harlan’s red-tail.
Non-raptor Observations:
A nice sign of spring, many Robins were seen moving through the valley. Other observations included: American Three-toed Woodpecker 1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 6, Black-capped Chickadee 3, Mountain Chickadee 1, American Robin 25, Bohemian Waxwing 10
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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 Mar 2024) 129 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 8 | 59 | 59 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 116 | 1552 | 1552 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 13 | 13 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 129 | 1640 | 1640 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Cameron Harvey |
Visitors:
44 Visitors stopped to talk. Thanks to the 5 people who stopped to help spot migrants!
Weather:
The temperature was -13 C at the start of observation, it rose to +3 by the middle of the day, then fell to +1 as we were leaving. Ground wind was from the SW and light in the morning but a bit blustery in the afternoon with gusts around 20 km/h. Ridge wind was moderate to strong from the S-SW. The sky was nearly cloudless until 3 PM, when a sheet of altostratus moved in, covering most of the sky. The cloud cover was very helpful for spotting the high-flying migrants but created backlit conditions which made ageing difficult.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the morning and afternoon was slow, but there was a big rush starting around 4 PM which included 100 of the days 129 migrants. Almost all of them were using the east ridges and the east side of the valley. Migrants late in the day were usually flying very high. The count consisted of 116 Golden Eagles (68a, 3sa, 5ui, 40u), 8 adult Bald Eagles, 1 unidentified eagle, 2 Red-tailed Hawks and 2 Merlins.
Resident raptors included an adult Golden Eagle that was doing display dives near the Fisher Range late in the day. An Adult American Goshawk was soaring over Hummingbird Plume Hill, and an Adult Bald Eagle was flying low along the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included: 1 American Three-toed Woodpecker, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 9 Common Ravens, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 10 European Starlings, 6 American Robins, 50 Bohemian Waxwings, and 1 Common Redpoll. A mink was spotted swimming in the river in the afternoon. One white-tailed deer was 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]
Mount Lorette (29 Mar 2024) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 29, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 51 | 51 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1436 | 1436 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 0 | 1511 | 1511 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
No count was conducted today due to poor migration conditions. The cloud ceiling was below 2000m in the morning; it began to snow at noon.
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 Mar 2024) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 28, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 51 | 51 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 1436 | 1436 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 2 | 1511 | 1511 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 10:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 2.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Jessica Banas |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
There were no visitors, and no one passed by during the count time.
Weather:
The temperature started around -1C and was 0C when the count was completed. The ground winds were low from the NE, but the ridge winds appeared to be strong. It was very cloudy with nimbostratus clouds and light snow – however the ridges remained clear until 10:15 am when the sky quickly became very dark and the mountains and ridges were completely obscured by dark cloud and the snowfall increased. The ground winds also increased significantly.
Raptor Observations:
Before the ridges were obscured, there were two brave adult golden eagles seen struggling along the western ridge – in and out of clouds. Before the weather took a turn, there was a local sub-adult golden eagle seen flying low through the valley. No other raptors were seen.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations included: 1 Norther Flicker, 6 Common Raven, 2 Black-Capped Chickadee, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 American Robin
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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 (27 Mar 2024) 44 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 27, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 51 | 51 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 41 | 1434 | 1434 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 44 | 1509 | 1509 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.83 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Rosemary Power, Susan Wilberg |
Visitors:
About 12 people stopped to chat, and three came with binoculars to help spot.
Weather:
The starting temperature was -3C. It warmed up to 4C, and dropped to 1C by the end of the day. Initially the sky was half filled with fluffy white clouds drifting across the sky from west to east, with a layer of cirrus above, but the clouds gradually thickened and lowered and, while never completely covering the sky, dropped some snowflakes on us, and partially obscured the west ridge. Snow plumes on the east ridge indicated strong winds at that level from the west to southwest that continued all day. Ground winds were mostly light from a westerly direction with occasional gusts.
Raptor Observations:
The first two Golden Eagles were spotted before 0900. With the strong ridge winds, there was hope for substantial migration movement for the rest of the day, but there were few birds until late in the day. There were thick grey clouds blotting out the mountains to the south, which may have impacted the migration. 25 of the 41 Golden Eagles (26a, 1sa, 14u) were seen in the last three hours after the clouds had thinned and lifted a bit. Most were gliding high over the east ridge, but a few showed up on the west ridge. Three adult Bald Eagles were deemed to be migrants.
Non-migrant eagles were a bit problematic, as we needed to follow them to see if they would head north or not. One Golden Eagle crossed from west to east, and three were seen going from east to west, one of which did a display dive. The pair of Bald Eagles that have been hanging out in the area were seen again.
Non-raptor Observations:
The beautiful, sweet song of a Brown Creeper was heard while walking in to the site in the morning. In the evening there was a chorus of robins singing in trees along the river. Other birds were: Canada Goose 6, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 3, Mountain Chickadee 2, Boreal Chickadee 4, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, Brown Creeper 1, American Robin 8, Red Crossbill 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 (26 Mar 2024) 57 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 26, 2024 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 48 | 48 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 54 | 1393 | 1393 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipiter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 57 | 1465 | 1465 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:45:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Many thanks to Yumi and Cindy for visiting the site and assisting with spotting and location raptors.
Weather:
The day started at minus 8 C and increasing to a high of +3 C at 1700 hrs. The predominant ground winds were from the SW at 0-5 km/hr with occasional periods of 5-10 km/hr. The ridge winds were assessed as NE with speeds varying from low to medium. Cloud cover was 50 – 80 % cumulus, and both ridges were generally clear during the day
Raptor Observations:
Migration activity started slowly with the first migrant Golden Eagle at 0958 hrs and two in the next hour. After 1100 hrs, the hourly counts ranged from 5-10 Golden Eagles per hour. Aging was extremely difficult as most of the migrants flew very high and fast over Patrick. The monochrome gray sky made location detection extremely difficult. The count for the day was 54 Golden Eagles (28 Adult, 26 unaged), 2 Bald Eagle (Adult) and one undifferentiated Eagle. The resident Golden Eagle was observed over Nakiska ridge several times, and once made a circuit of the West to East ridges and back across the valley to the West ridges. At the end of the day, the resident Northern Goshawk flew through the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
California Gull x 40 Canada Goose x 75 Downy Woodpecker x 3 Hairy Woodpecker x 2 Northern Flicker x 1 Common Raven x 8 Black-capped Chickadee x 2 American Dipper x 1 European Starling x 1 American Robin x 10
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Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
