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 (04 Mar 2026) 11 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 04, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 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 | 10 | 34 | 34 |
| 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 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 11 | 41 | 41 |
| Observation start time: | 10:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:15:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Greg Fudger, Peter Lloyd, Yvette Fudger |
Visitors:
Only two visitors stopped to chat, and observe the count process.
Weather:
It was a generally warm and calm day with temperatures fluctuating between +5 and +7 C. The ground winds were calm from the SW at generally 1-5 km/hr. Ridge winds were predominantly from the South, and judged as “low” or less than 10 km/hr. The high winds could not be measured as the Nakiska Ridge weather station was out of service for a portion of the day. The cloud cover was cumulus with cover ranging from 40-80 % and the ridgelines were clear all day.
Raptor Observations:
The first Golden Eagle migrant was observed at 1158 hrs. A total of 10 Golden Eagles were counted (Adults x 7, Unaged x 3). The migration path was incredibly high and fast (at least two binocular fields) above the East ridges. One unaged American Goshawk was observed flying steadily North through the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-Raptor sightings were as follows: Canada Goose x 1 Northern Pygmy-Owl x 1 (Heard) Pileated Woodpecker x 2 Canada Jay x 2 Common Raven x 8 Black-capped Chickadee x 3 Mountain Chickadee x 1 Bohemian Waxwing x 4 White-winged Crossbill x 6 Pine Siskin x 11
Long-tailed Weasel 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]
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org – [Project Details]
Mount Lorette (05 Mar 2026) 22 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 05, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 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 | 19 | 53 | 53 |
| 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 | 5 | 5 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 22 | 63 | 63 |
| Observation start time: | 10:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 19:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Caroline Lambert, Greg Fudger, Yvette Fudger |
Visitors:
14 visitors stopped to chat and learn more about what we were doing. Huge thanks to Greg and Yvette Fudger who were very instrumental is seeing so many raptors!
Also thank you to Caroline for also helping spot for a couple of hours.
Weather:
The day at Hay Meadows started out very calm, almost no wind and almost complete cloud cover which became complete cloud cover of Stratus and some cumulonimbus until about 1:00, the the sun broke through and blue sky with cumulus clouds prevailed. There were frequent buildups of stormy clouds on the western horizons and we did have some obscuring of Mt Kidd, a few snow flakes and the Opal range was in and out of cloud all day. The wind gusted from time to time but generally was not more than a Beaufort scale of 1. the temperature started out at plus 1, went as high as plus 6 and was plus 4 at days end. T he eastern ridges were always clear, ridge winds were from the west or west south west and moderate, high winds were moderate to high from the west or north west.
Raptor Observations:
We observed 22 migrating raptors, the first one at 1:16 in the afternoon when the sky had begun to clear and the sun was warming things up. There was 1 unknown raptor sailing very fast overhead, 1 Bald eagle, 1 unknown eagle and 19 Golden eagles, 2unaged, 2 undifferentiated immature and 15 adults. Usually they were very high overhead or over Patrick, but about 4 were closer to the mountain tops, one even dipping below the Smiles on Patrick. The high eagles were not flapping, just sailing along rapidly. Besides the migrants we observed two mature Bald eagles flying low down the valley and later saw one of them flying north up the valley and then appearing to hunt near Patrick. We are guessing these are resident Bald eagles. Almost at the end of the day we observed an adult golden eagle flying south in front of Patrick also appearing to be in hunting mode.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen today were 7 Ravens, 4 Black-capped chickadees, 2 Mountain chickadees, 1 Boreal chickadee, 2 Canada Jays, 3 White-winged crossbills,1 Dipper, 2 Robins, and about 30 Bohemian Waxwings which flew up and down in front of us sometimes cutting it very close to us as if they were daring each other to get closer to the humans! Three Big Horn sheep rams were seen on top of Patrick early in the morning and a very healthy looking coyote ran across 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 (03 Mar 2026) 17 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 03, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 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 | 24 | 24 |
| 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 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 17 | 30 | 30 |
| Observation start time: | 10:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.15 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Glenn Webber |
Visitors:
Four passers-by stopped to enquire about the count, and a couple who had been skiing lingered for a while.
Weather:
The starting temperature was 8C, and soon rose to a high of 9C. By the end of the day it was 6C. The initially mostly cloudy sky gave way to more blue sky, but by mid-afternoon altostratus and stratus clouds had moved in from the west, partially obscuring the west ridge, and blocking the sun. The wind was ferocious all day, with grounds winds gusting up to 50kph from the west, making it seem cold in spite of the unusually warm temperature. Ridge winds were very strong from the west, judging by the snow blowing off the ridges. The snow that fell on Friday was disappearing rapidly in the open areas, and in the forest the snow was quite mushy and not deep.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrants were seen soon after arrival, and continued sporadically throughout the day. All 13 of the Golden Eagles (7a, 6u) appeared over the east ridge at least two binocular views above the ridge, with the last few nearly four binocular views up – in other words, they were very, very high. Also going extremely fast. The two Bald Eagles (1a, 1wb) were also high but following the river to the north. A couple of eagles disappeared into the clouds before they could be ID’d.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen were one Hooded Merganser (male), one Downy Woodpecker, four Canada Jays, five or so Common Ravens, two Black-capped Chickadees, two Mountain Chickadees, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, about five White-winged Crossbills and five Pine Siskins.
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 (02 Mar 2026) 11 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 02, 2026 | |||
| 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 | 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 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 11 | 13 | 13 |
| Observation start time: | 11:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Amber Hanscomb, Cindy Swensen |
Visitors:
About 6 visitors, including Margaret and David Meisner (former observers)
Weather:
Today was a good day for everyone, eagles included. The thermometer read 6C at the start of the count, rising only 2 degrees for most part of the day, then falling to 4C at sunset. Wind blew from the west all day with continuous gusting cycles up to 20 Km/h every 15 minutes or so. Ridge winds were very strong from the west, producing constant snow plumes all around. Other than the wind, it was a great day to be out looking for eagles. It was mostly sunny with 10 to 40% coverage of Cumulus and Cirrus. Between 3:00 and 5:00 we had about 70 �90 % coverage when some Altostratus temporarily invaded the skies.
Raptor Observations:
The first Golden Eagle blew in high over Mt. McDougal at 1:35, gliding along Fisher range with wings tucked in until it was a bit farther north. We found about half of the birds at Lorette and the others near Patrick flying very high. When they reached Lorette, they flew behind the peak and on to Mt. McGillivray. Activity continued until the last bird was seen at 17:42. The final count was 10 Golden Eagles: 5a, 4u,1unidentified immature, and 1 unidentified eagle that disappeared miraculously.
Non-raptor Observations:
On the ground, there was limited activity. 1 Brown Creeper, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 100+ Bohemian Waxwings, 5 Ravens, 1 Cedar Waxwing. 3 Whiskey Jack Canada Jays.
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 (01 Mar 2026) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 01, 2026 | |||
| 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 | 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Observation start time: | 11:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Michelle Heart, Tracy Lenoard |
Visitors:
19 visitors stopped to talk, and one family of 4 stayed for a bit to watch for migrants.
Weather:
It was a beautiful late winter day in the valley. The temperate hovered between 4 and 6 C. Wind was from the SW, gusting around 25 km/h at ground level, but often it was almost calm. Ridge wind was between 40 and 80, gusting up to 107. Cloud cover was 10% cumulus and cirrus in the morning, and 20% altocumulus and altostratus in the evening.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant of the 2026 spring count was an adult Golden Eagle gliding and soaring north along the Fisher Range at 1:30 PM. The only other raptor was an unidentified eagle that was briefly seen before it disappeared behind Mt. Lorette.
Non-raptor Observations:
2 Common Mergansers, 6 Common Ravens, 3 Canada Jays, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 80 Bohemian Waxwings, 10 White-winged Crossbills, 2 Pine Siskins, and 3 Dark Eyed Juncos.
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 (01 Mar 2026) 2 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 01, 2026 | |||
| 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 | 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total: | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Observation start time: | 11:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Michelle Heart, Tracy Lenoard |
Visitors:
19 visitors stopped to talk, and one family of 4 stayed for a bit to watch for migrants.
Weather:
It was a beautiful late winter day in the valley. The temperate hovered between 4 and 6 C. Wind was from the SW, gusting around 25 km/h at ground level, but often it was almost calm. Ridge wind was between 40 and 80, gusting up to 107. Cloud cover was 10% cumulus and cirrus in the morning, and 20% altocumulus and altostratus in the evening.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant of the 2026 spring count was an adult Golden Eagle gliding and soaring north along the Fisher Range at 1:30 PM. The only other raptor was an unidentified eagle that was briefly seen before it disappeared behind Mt. Lorette.
Non-raptor Observations:
2 Common Mergansers, 6 Common Ravens, 3 Canada Jays, 3 Boreal Chickadees, 2 Mountain Chickadees, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 80 Bohemian Waxwings, 10 White-winged Crossbills, 2 Pine Siskins, and 3 Dark Eyed Juncos.
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]
