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 (20 Mar 2026) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 20, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| 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 | 287 | 287 |
| 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 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 0 | 319 | 319 |
(No count conducted today)
Visitors:
All sensible people stayed inside today, so I had the meadow to myself.
Weather:
No count conducted today due to persistent rain and low clouds obscuring the ridgelines.
Raptor Observations:
N/A
Non-raptor Observations:
A pair of Canada Geese flew along the river, while the forest edge contained at least one Robin, and slight deeper in, a group of Boreal Chickadees accompanied by one Mountain and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. By the time I left the list sat at 9 species, none of them unexpected.
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]
Mount Lorette (19 Mar 2026) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| 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 | 287 | 287 |
| 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 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 0 | 319 | 319 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.63 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: |
Weather:
A day of persistent light to moderate rain. Temperature from 6C to 8C. Ground winds light SW. The count was ended at 15:00 as the rain became heavier.
Raptor Observations:
No raptors were seen
Non-raptor Observations:
I walked through some of the forest trails during periods of lighter rain and there seemed to be a few more small birds around. 3 Common Merganser, 6 Common Raven, 6 Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Mountain Chickadee, 1 Boreal Chickadee, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 1 Varied Thrush, 1 Canada Jay, 2 White-winged Crossbill, 6 Pine Siskin
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 (18 Mar 2026) 10 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 18, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| 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 | 8 | 287 | 287 |
| 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 | 9 | 9 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 10 | 319 | 319 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 15:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Dan Parliament |
| Observers: | Alicia Magwood, Erk Gamboa, Kerry Malakoff, Tyler Magwood |
Visitors:
We appreciated the additional assistance of George H, Dave S, and Yumi H in helping with observation. In addition, eighteen students from the Grade Five elementary school in Banff came to the site to learn more about the migration dynamics. A big thank you to Glenn Webber for providing an excellent interpretative tour, and Banff teachers Tyson and Christy.
Weather:
The temperature was reasonable at +6 C with ground winds from the SW at 6-11 km/hr. The High winds were High or greater than 41 km/hr. The day was characterized by low cloud cover and steady drizzle that ranged from light to heavy and then rain at at 1500 hrs. The count was suspended at 1530 hrs due to the continuing rain, obscured ridges and the promise of more nasty weather moving from the South.
Raptor Observations:
Ten migrant raptors were observed today. The count was eight Golden Eagles (Adults x 3, Unaged x 5), one adult Bald Eagle, and one unidentified Eagle. With the low cloud ceiling there was some haze on the ridges, and the migrants appeared to pop up behind the Big Smile and then catch the Southerly ridge winds and then quickly disappear down the valley. The route seemed to extend down the valley rather than towards Mt Lorette as typical. The brief appearance of the migrants plus the lack of soaring was not conducive to accurate aging of the migrants. In addition, a resident American Goshawk (unaged) and three resident adult Bald Eagles were observed, all of which were hunting low over the valley and proceeding in a Southerly direction.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other observations were as follows: Canada Goose x 4, Common Merganser x 3, Belted Kingfisher x 1, Canada Jay x 1, Common Raven x 1, Black-capped Chickadee x 3, Mountain Chickadee x 3, White-winged Crossbill x 2 and White-tailed Deer x 2
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 (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]
