Mount Lorette (25 Sep 2025) 6 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 11 | 11 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 34 | 34 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Total: | 6 | 87 | 87 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch , Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Bill McKeeman |
Visitors:
Twenty three people stopped to chat. Our last visitor was quite breathless when she arrived to tell us that she had seen a cougar near the pump houses as she was coming towards us. After a bit of questioning we determined that she had not seen a cougar but either a Lynx or a Bobcat.
Weather:
Upon arriving at the parking lot, my car thermometer was sitting at zero, but at the observation site the temperature was plus 2. By mid afternoon the temperature was up to 19 degrees where it stayed until we left. The sky remained cloudless for the duration of the day with one or two small cumulous clouds appearing and then being shredded before disappearing. Fog dominated the Bow Valley on the drive out but in the Kananaskis valley only mist rose from the river, which also melted away once the sun got to the valley bottom. There was very little wind until mid morning when it switched from north to west and then south south west with a Beaufort wind scale of 2-3 and gusts of 4-5 BFT. The ridge top winds were BFT of 5 with gusts to 8 . Smoke appeared in the southern part of the valley and spread up to Lorette but gradually dissipated so only the far south end of the valley was hazy. Genereally visibility was quite good.
Raptor Observations:
It was an exceptionally dismal day for raptor observation. A very beautiful Northern Harrier was seen flying down the west side of the valley. Three Sharp-shinned Hawks were observed flying along Patrick and the east side of the valley and one Merlin was also seen on the east side of the valley. An unknown raptor was seen on the east side over the bumps and along side Old Baldy.
Non-raptor Observations:
There were a lot of small bird sightings, but not the usual antics of of ravens. Only 7 were seen and they were quite distant. Pine Siskins were seen periodically flying up and down and around the valley, sometimes landing in he nearby trees behind us. 30 American Robins, 2 Lincoln Sparrows, 1 Swamp Sparrow,1 Song Sparrow,1 Black-billed Magpie, 2 Canada Jays, 2 Northern Flickers, 2 American Pipits, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 American Dippers made up the avian visitors.
Predictions:
I will be very interested to see what tomorrow brings, weather wise and migration wise!
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (24 Sep 2025) 17 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 24, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 15 | 15 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 34 | 34 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 17 | 81 | 81 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.15 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
Approximately 35 people walked the trail today, and they all stopped to say hello!
Weather:
Temperatures were pleasant, holding between 9 and 13 degrees all day. The sun beat down from a largely cloudless sky until a scattering of small cumulus clouds came in around 16:00. The wind was constant, averaging 3-4 Beaufort.
Raptor Observations:
Almost all of our raptors were seen before 12pm! The 6 Golden Eagles (4a, 1j, 1u) were split between the Eastern and western ridges, and stayed low for the whole time they were in sight. Other raptors included 4 Red-tailed Hawks, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks, a low-flying Cooper’s Hawk, and a distant American Goshawk. A resident subadult Bald Eagle made a few passes, and was dive-bombed by a resident Red-tailed Hawk at one point.
Non-raptor Observations:
Siskins were moving down the river in small groups all morning, and several skeins of Canada Geese crossed over high. There was a White-crowned Sparrow in the bushes, and the resident American Dipper made a brief appearance.
Report submitted by Ethan Denton (ethan@suechick.com)
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (23 Sep 2025) 15 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 13 | 28 | 28 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 15 | 64 | 64 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Neil Denton |
Visitors:
Several groups came by, including one group of school children who were in the area for quite a while. There were plenty of hikers too. About 75 people altogether.
Weather:
The weather was comfortable for humans, but did not seem much of an inducement to migrate for the raptors. The temperature started at 5C, rose to 21C, and ended the day at 18C. Ground winds were mostly light from the SSW with occasional cooling gusts, and ridge winds light to moderate from the southwest. The sky was initially almost completely covered with altocirrus and altostratus clouds, but the clouds gradually drifted to the east until, by 1400, there were no clouds. Some altocirrus clouds were building up to the north at the end of the day.
Raptor Observations:
The first three Golden Eagles were seen around 1000. There were a few every hour until afternoon – after the clouds cleared up, no raptors were seen. All eagles were seen on the east ridge. Early in the day they barely got above ridge level and some needed powered flight to move along. The last few skimmed the ridge. The total was 13 Golden Eagles (1a, 2sa, 4ui, 6u), one Swainson’s Hawk, and one Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Numerous flocks of small birds flew past us all day. Some were identifiable as Pine Siskins and American Robins, but most were just dark silhouettes against a bright sky. A couple of Swamp Sparrows were lurking in the willows in the meadow. Other than those, a good variety of small birds were around: 1 Common Merganser, 2 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 American Three-toed Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Flicker, 10 Common Ravens, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 40 Cedar Waxwings, 1 White-crowned Sparrow, and 1 Song Sparrow.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (22 Sep 2025) 13 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 7 | 11 | 11 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 2 | 15 | 15 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 13 | 49 | 49 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
We had 12 interested visitors today and several who stayed to observe the migration. Thank you to Gabriele, Ed and Sheba for your company and assistance.
Weather:
It was a beautiful day for the observers with perfect blue skies throughout the day with temperatures increasing from -2C at opening to 18 C at 1500 hrs (MDT). The surface winds were SW at 0-5 increasing to a gentle 5-10 km/hr for the last two hours of the count. Ridge winds were generally from the SW with speeds from 30 to 60 km/hr, and likely unfavourable for migration.
Raptor Observations:
The raptor migration count was 13 birds. Two adult Golden Eagles were observed with the first observation at 1045 (MDT). The flight consisted of 7 adult Red-tail Hawks, dispersed throughout the day, two unaged Osprey, one unaged American Goshawk, and one unaged Northern Harrier.
Non-raptor Observations:
4 Common Merganser, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Northern Flicker, 2 Black-billed Magpie, 12 Common Raven, 2 Barn Swallow, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 34 Pine Siskin, 2 Song Sparrow, 2 Swamp Sparrow, 2 Common Yellowthroat (female)
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (21 Sep 2025) 14 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 3 | 13 | 13 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Total: | 14 | 36 | 36 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Cameron Harvey |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
18 people stopped to ask about the count. Thank you to Caroline Lambert for helping spot for several hours in the afternoon.
Weather:
The day’s count started with a temperature of 6 C and a mostly clear sky. Shortly after 09:00 MST a warm south wind started to blow which rapidly increased the temperature and brought in a significant amount of low level smoke. The sky grew increasingly cloudy through the count with overcast cumulus conditions by mid afternoon. Max temperature was 16 C. Ground level winds were mostly light from the south with the odd gust to 28 km/h. ridgetop winds were generally moderate from the SW.
Raptor Observations:
The count consisted of 3 Golden Eagles (1 sub-adult, 2 unaged), 1 Bald Eagle (sub-adult), 1 Unknown Eagle, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Broad-winged Hawk, 1 Merlin, 2 Unknown Buteo, 1 Unknown Accipiter, 2 Unknown small raptor. No non-migrant raptors were observed. Overcast conditions made raptors easy to spot, but the smoke haze made identification difficult. Early flight path was over Hummingbird Plume to the western ridges and later flight path was generally over the east ridge.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non raptor observations included: 80+ American Robins, 3 Black Capped Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 12 Common Ravens, 2 Barn Swallows, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 4 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 6 Pine Siskin’s, 1 Canada Jay, 6 Common Mergansers, 2 Northern Flickers and 1 Pileated Woodpecker.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (20 Sep 2025) 22 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2025 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.33 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
About 70 people stopped to inquire about the count, and 4 people came with binoculars to watch for migrants.
Weather:
The 2025 fall count began under a clear sky, with light SW wind, and a temperature of 6 C. The temperature increased quickly to a high of 21. Cirrus and altocumulus clouds moved in during the afternoon, variably covering 20-60% of the sky. Afternoon wind was blustery, with some gusts reaching 30 km/h.
Raptor Observations:
The count consisted of 10 Golden Eagles (2 adults, 1 juvenile, 3 sub-adults, 2 undifferentiated immature, 2 unaged), 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Broad-winged Hawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Merlin, 1 unidentified Buteo, and 2 small unidentified raptors. No non-migrant raptors were observed. Movement was mostly on the eastern ridges, though a handful of raptors used the west. Migration peaked later in the day, with a high count of 7 raptors between 5 and 6 PM.
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor highlight was a Steller’s Jay, a species not often seen in this part of the mountains. Some songbird migration was evident during the day. At least 100 American Robins and 30 Pine Siskins flew south over the site in the morning, and 6 Clark’s Nutcrackers were heading conspicuously south in the afternoon.
Other birds included 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 15 Common Ravens, 3 Black Capped Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Barn Swallows, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 5 Red Crossbills, 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 White-throated Sparrow, 2 Savannah Sparrows, 1 Song Sparrow, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 3 Yellow-rumped warblers, and 2 Wilson’s Warblers.
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
2025 Fall Count
The Fall 2025 Migration Count runs from September 20 to November 15 with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily. If interested in visiting the site we suggest that you visit after 3 pm. We see the majority of migrating eagles later in the afternoon. This is the 33rd year of vigilant recording. Thank you to the observers and count coordinators.
