The Golden Eagle Migration Count
Every fall Golden Eagles migrate from their breeding grounds north of us to wintering grounds to the south. In the spring they fly back to their breeding grounds. One of the main routes for this migration is along the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. At our watch site on the banks of the Kananaskis River near Mount Lorette, we count the passing eagles, and other raptors, for nearly eight weeks each spring and fall.
The Spring 2026 Migration Count runs from March 1 to April 22 with observers at the Mount Lorette site daily. We welcome visitors, and suggest that if you are interested in visiting the site then come in the mid-afternoon, which is when we typically see the highest number of eagles.
You can follow along with the count by reading the daily blog below, and you can learn more about Golden Eagles and the count by browsing the pages on this website. Got questions? We’ve got answers!
See the Spring Count 2026 Daily Summaries
Mount Lorette (17 Mar 2026) 33 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 17, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 19 | 19 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 30 | 279 | 279 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 33 | 309 | 309 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.87 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber, Lynette MacCulloch |
Visitors:
Three women from Lethbridge stopped by, one with her binoculars and scope to briefly watch and a school group from Canmore came for a short introduction to Eagle counting.
Weather:
Today started out at a temperature of plus 4 and ended at plus 8. Heavy clouds covered the south half of the west ridge all day, nimbostratus, cumulus and high cirrus clouds circulated over the sky in varying degrees of coverage. The northern skies stayed predominantly blue with accompanying cumulus clouds. Grounds winds were 2-3 beaufort wind scale with gusts up to 6. Ridge winds were anywhere from 20km/hr. to 80 km/hr. with lots of snow spinning off the ridgetops. High winds were moderately strong to very strong. Throughout the afternoon a fine mist sprayed us carried by the strong winds.
Raptor Observations:
The raptors just materialized out of nothing, over Patrick, then Lorette, most moving at such a rapid pace that aging them was impossible Later a few came over the giving us a little more time to look at them. There were 30 Golden eagles, 12 adult, 16 unaged, 2 subadults, 2 adult Bald eagles, and 1 unknown eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were 4 Mountain chickadees,2 Black-capped chickadees, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 White-winged crossbills, one American Robin, one European starling,4 Pine Siskins and 9 Ravens flying about, one with nesting material in its beak. The resident Goshawk was seen hunting over Skogan pass, and a Golden eagle was seen touring the valley north to south which we thought was likely the resident. Six white-tailed deer were seen in the meadow.
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 (16 Mar 2026) 55 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 4 | 17 | 17 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 51 | 249 | 249 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 55 | 276 | 276 |
| Observation start time: | 06:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 11.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
We had 28 visitors to the site and another 30 students, with 6 professors.
Weather:
The theme for the day was wind. Although the west ground wind started out a bit lighter at the start of the count, it increased throughout the day and all around the valley the ridges were howling with up to 164 km/h WSW speeds. By the end of the day, ground winds were knocking everything over, reaching over 40 km/h. Cloud covered 60-100% of the sky with mainly Altostratus, Altocumulus, Cumulus and some Cirrostratus. The temperature started out at �5C and reached +5 by 2:00 and remained the same for the rest of the count.
Raptor Observations:
The first Golden Eagle of the day appeared at Lorette at 9:45 and struggled to make its way across the face. The wind pushed it to the east, and eventually it made its way back, travelling down to the valley behind hummingbird plume and along the McGillivray range. This pattern continued for the next few hours, with birds appearing at Lorette or over the northeast valley on their way to Lorette. The high wind forced them to fly low and take cover below the ridges. Later in the day, the tables turned, and many were located very high above the eastern peaks, flying north high over Lorette and McGillivray. The final tally was 51 Golden Eagles 25 adult, 2 undifferentiated subadults and 24 unknown. 4 adult Bald Eagles.
Non-raptor Observations:
There was very little activity in the meadow today: 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, and 4 Ravens.
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 (15 Mar 2026) 44 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 15, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 44 | 198 | 198 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 44 | 221 | 221 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10.8 hours |
| Official Counter | Christina Furtado, Ethan Denton , Michelle Hart |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
At least 35 people came through, many on skis. Of these, half a dozen stopped to talk.
Weather:
Starting out chilly at about -21�C, temps rose quickly after the sun broke over the Eastern ridge. We spent much of the day in and around a relatively pleasent -6�C. There was some wind at ground level, ranging between a 1 and a 3 on the Beaufort scale. The sky was peppered with a mix of cirrus and cumulus clouds until late in the day when a large Altostratus-y blanket dominated.
Pressure dropped steadily throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
No birds passed until the afternoon, when a gradual trickle of Golden Eagles started coming through. In total, we tallied 44 GOEA – 30 adults, 2 undifferentiated subadults, and 12 unknown. All movement occurred on the Eastern ridge, but on varying flightpaths depending on the hour. Few eagles paused to soar or appreciate the scenery.
Also noted were a resident adult Bald Eagle and the faithful American Goshawk, who made a couple of appearances.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was unbelievably quiet today. A couple Juncos and a distant Townsend’s Solitaire were the pick of the passerines.
A handful of Big Horn Sheep foraged on top of Olympic ridge.
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 (14 Mar 2026) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 14, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 0 | 154 | 154 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 0 | 177 | 177 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
No count was conducted because low cloud obscured the ridges, and snow fell on and off throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by ()
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (13 Mar 2026) 15 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 13, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 15 | 154 | 154 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 15 | 177 | 177 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Tiina Moore |
Visitors:
The trail had been groomed for skiing, and at least a dozen skiers zoomed by, but only 5 stopped to ask about the count.
Weather:
The day started out cold, at -11C, but the sun soon rose over the ridge to warm things up. It didn’t last long, though, as clouds drifted in from the west, gradually obscuring first the west ridge and then the east ridge, and dropping graupel on us. By the time we left, the south of the valley was not visible, and Mt Lorette was fading in and out of sight. Ground winds were light, which made the high of -4C a bit more tolerable after the sun was swallowed by the clouds. Ridge winds were probably light too. Occasionally snow plumes were seen, but most of the time there were none, and the migrating eagles clearly were not getting much help from the little wind there was.
Raptor Observations:
The only raptors seen today were Golden Eagles (9a, 6u). The first four, seen around noon, were located gliding low over Patrick. After this, any ridge wind must have died down, because the couple seen on the east ridge after that were well below ridge level. The rest of the eagles were picked up at Mt Lorette, where they came in low and mostly remained low – some disappeared behind Hummingbird Plume. We suspect there may have been more eagles passing by, but it was just not possible to detect them given the lack of wind to bring them above ridge level and into sight, and poor visibility in the afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
There were few other birds detected – about nine ravens, a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, a Downy Woodpecker, a distant drumming Pileated Woodpecker, and the Northern Pygmy-Owl who may have found a mate – two very distant pygmy-owl shaped, backlit lumps were seen perched on the tops of conifers far away across the river.
Predictions:
More of same, though worse. Typical March weather. A forecast of light wind from the east, clouds down below ridge level and occasional snow flurries does not make for good conditions for spotting any migrants that are moving.
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 (12 Mar 2026) 6 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 12, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 13 | 13 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 5 | 139 | 139 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 6 | 162 | 162 |
| Observation start time: | 11:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.58 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
None
Weather:
The start of the count was delayed until late-morning due to falling snow and low clouds. After clearing, the east ridges remained largely cloud-free for the count duration but thicker, darker clouds remained to the S and SW which likely limited raptor movement through the valley. Ridge winds were strong SW to W causing some spectacular snow plumes after the 22cm of snowfall overnight. The temperature was -2.0C. Cloud cover was 70-90% cumulus and stratocumulus. Intermittent light snow fell several times during the day.
Raptor Observations:
Only 6 migrants were observed, 1 adult Bald Eagle and 5 Golden Eagles (4a, 1u), all seen flying above the eastern ridges before gliding over to Mt Lorette.
Non-raptor Observations:
A very quiet day. Only 4 Common Ravens and 2 Black-capped Chickadees were seen.
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 (11 Mar 2026) 5 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 11, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 12 | 12 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 2 | 134 | 134 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 5 | 156 | 156 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Erk Gamboa, Neil Denton |
Visitors:
There were four visitors to the site today
Weather:
It was a spectacular day driving to the observation site in the morning as the mountains and clouds were bathed in a deep pink/red hue. It brought to mind the mariner�s wisdom �red sky in the morning is a sailor�s warning� which as events unfolded turned out to be an accurate prophecy! The opening temperature was -4 C with a daytime high of -1 C. Ground winds were from the SW at 1-5 km/ hr throughout the day with some periods of 6-10 km/ hr. The high winds were from the South at Medium (11-40 km/hr). At the start, the West ridges were slightly obscured at 20 % and the East ridges were completely clear, but the valley to the South appeared ominous. At 1100 hrs (MDT) the clouds lowered and the West ridges were obscured for the remainder of the day. The East ridges became intermittently obscured throughout the rest of the day playing �peekaboo� with the observers. Light snow commenced at 1100 hrs (MDT) and varied in intensity throughout the day. Tracking of the raptor flight was difficult as they appeared and disappeared in the clouds. The count was terminated at 1630 hrs (MDT) as the cloud cover lowered significantly and heavy snow commenced highlighting the arrival of the forecast storm front.
Raptor Observations:
A total of five raptors were observed during the day. The count was two Golden Eagles (one unaged and one subadult), two Bald Eagles (one adult and one subadult interpreted as a 4th year bird), and one unidentified eagle. The first Golden Eagle was observed at 1305 hrs (MDT). Two of the raptors were briefly observed low off the North flank of Patrick, two came from behind Patrick and were briefly observed over the �big smile�, and one over the bumps. Due to the low cloud, all of the observations were brief, as the birds flew in and out of the low cloud.
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor species were as follows: Canada Goose x 2, Hairy Woodpecker x 1, Pileated Woodpecker x 1, Canada Jay x 1, Black-billed Magpie x 1, Common Raven x 12, Mountain Chickadee x 1, Pine Siskin x 19
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]
