Fall Migration Count 2026
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 Fall 2026 Migration Count runs from September 20 to November 15 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!
Mount Lorette (23 Sep 2026) 36 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 14 | 22 | 22 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 36 | 60 | 60 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.82 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
55 people passed by the site with most stopping for a chat
Weather:
A sunny and quite warm day. The temperature at 0830 was 5C, the high at 1500 was 14C and it was 13C at 1715. Ground winds were S to W all day 0-20 km/h, ridge winds were S to WSW, light to moderate with strong gusts from 40 to 60kmh. Cloud cover was between 50 to 70%, mostly stratocumulus, cirrostratus and cumulus. Observing conditions were excellent.
Raptor Observations:
The count was 36 birds of 7 species between 0925 and 1620 that comprised 1 Osprey, 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a,1 juv, 6u), 1u Cooper’s Hawk, 3 American Goshawks (1a, 1juv, 1u), 3 distant un-aged Broad-winged Hawks all flying together, 5 Red-tailed Hawks (4a, 1u), 14 Golden Eagles (3a, 1juv, 10u), and 1 unidentified small accipiter. The highest hourly counts were between 1100 to 1200 and 1500 to 1600 with 8 raptors each. The first Golden Eagle was seen circling over Mt Allan at 0925. Most of the subsequent eagles were seen gliding well above the ridges of the Fisher Range, usually after gliding high across the river valley from Mt Lorette.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds included 2 Common Mergansers, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 8 Clark�s Nutcrackers, 15 Common Ravens, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Marsh Wren, 75 American Robins, 6 Pine Siskins (probably a lot more but many flying passerines were too distant to identify), 2 Dark-eyed Junco, 2 White-crowned Sparrows, 1 White-throated Sparrow and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
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 2026) 9 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 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 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Total: | 9 | 24 | 24 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Alan Hingston, Linda Hickey, Peter Christensen |
Visitors:
About 25 people stopped by. Thank you to veteran observer Alan Hingston for helping out all day.
Weather:
It was an unusually warm day for the season. A Chinook arch hung over the valley and gradually dissipated as the day wore on. The temperature started out at 9C, rose to a high of 16C and was 14C when we left. Ground wind was mostly calm in the morning and gradually built up, but was never very strong. Later in the day the ground wind was coming from the northeast. Ridge winds were mostly from the south at 20-30 kph. The Chinook arch was replaced by cumulus clouds that moved slowly from the west across the valley.
Raptor Observations:
The first Golden Eagle was not seen until 17:50! Two more immediately followed the first, and a fourth one was spotted around 18:20, for a total of four (2a, 1sa, 1u). All flew along the east ridge, the last one needing to flap to make progress.
Other migrants were an adult Bald Eagle, two Northern Harriers, one American Goshawk, and one small unidentified raptor slipped by on the east ridge. One of the harriers and the goshawk flew high over our heads; all the others were on the east ridge.
Several local birds were spotted – an adult American Goshawk and later an immature goshawk, two Red-tailed Hawks, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds were two Ruffed Grouse (one was drumming), a Northern Flicker, the usual abundant Common Ravens, at least 18 American Crows, three Black-capped Chickadees, three Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a few Pine Siskins, and a Common Yellowthroat. A Common Merganser floated down the river, the dipper passed by once, and a Belted Kingfisher flew past a couple of times. Several American Robins were spotted, and, possibly the highlight of the day – a Barred Owl was seen capturing a vole.
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 2026) 9 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goshawk | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 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 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 9 | 15 | 15 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Lori Anderson |
| Observers: | Sandy Graham |
Visitors:
About 40 people came to the area, and 15 or so stopped to query. A special thanks to Oliver and Steph Hobbs from Leeds Yorkshire UK, who came at just the right moment and helped us spot an Eagle.
Weather:
It was a beautiful summer day, beginning at a chilly 5�C in the morning and gradually warming to a high of 20�C around 4:00 p.m., before dropping to 18�C by the end of the day. Despite the cool start, later it became quite hot in the sunshine and felt like summer finally. The sky remained almost completely clear throughout the day. In the morning, there was only a minuscule amount of lenticular cloud visible to the north of the valley, which quickly disappeared. The ridges remained completely unobscured all day. There was a slight haze, possibly from smoke from a distant wildfire. The morning was calm, but SW winds picked up later in the day, averaging around 6 km/h with occasional gusts reaching 20 km/h. Ridge winds were predominantly from the south-southwest for most of the day, generally at moderate speeds.
Raptor Observations:
Today we found 4 Golden Eagles: 1a, 2sa and 1u. The first one of the day was spotted gliding near Mt. Lorette at 12:20. It took the typical Eastern route over to Patrick, then wove through the “bumps” on Fisher North and on southward. The other 3 Goldens followed suit. A Juvenile Goshawk flew close, right over our heads and crossed the river to perch on a tree for a few minutes. Other raptors seen were: 1 Broad-winged Hawk and 3 Falcon sp. A resident Golden Eagle flew into the face of Mt. Patrick, stopping briefly at one location before continuing to a second, where it remained.
Non-raptor Observations:
1 Northern Flicker, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 1 American Robin, 2 Tree Swallows, 1 Barn Swallow, 9 Ravens, 1 Common Merganser. Apart from the birds, a smorgasbord of flying insects filled the air. A white-spotted sawyer beetle spent some time investigating a backpack, and a Mourning cloak Moth decided that I was to be a great source of minerals and who knows what else. It sat on my hand and proceeded to “lick” me with its proboscis for about 20 minutes. It felt like little ice cubes were being deposited with every probe.
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 2026) 5 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 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 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total: | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 18:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
There was a large number of people who went by, 82, but less than 10 stopped to talk. We did get some assistance in searching for raptors from Justin, Tatiana and Wen who spent a good half hour with us and then later Malcolm and Lacie joined us for some sky searching.
Christa Clifford was the Official Assistant Observer for the day.
Weather:
Today was a beautiful one, sunshine, cloudless blue sky, light winds and trees wearing their brilliant fall colours.
The temperature was 8 degrees upon arrival got up to 17 by 4 pm and then back to 16 at home time.By 4 pm there also was a collection of thin cirrus clouds in the western sky. Ground winds were non-existent but did pick up to 10 km /hr before dropping away in the evening. Ridge winds were light, the strongest gust 40km/hr With no clouds it was hard to judge the high winds, but mid afternoon we observed a Buteo sailing quite quickly almost over head indicating high winds of at least moderate speed.
Raptor Observations:
No eagles were observed but a Shar-shinned Hawk,2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 unidentified Falcon and 1 unidentified Buteo were seen migrating. A Red-tailed hawk and separately a Sharp-shinned hawk were seen hunting several times around Hummingbird and Nakiska.
Non-raptor Observations:
The day was quiet birdwise. The Dipper was in the pond early in the morning, 2 Common Yellowthroats, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 3 Black capped Chickadees, 13 American robins, 2 Barn Swallows, 7 Ravens, 1 common Merganser, and several flocks of Little Brown Birds were seen flying around the valley. Two rocky Mountain rams were seen on top of Patrick in the Big Smile. People were spotted on both Patrick and Mt Lorette
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 Apr 2026) Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 22, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 30 | 92 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 11 | 13 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 24 | 32 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 111 | 1137 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Total: | 0 | 199 | 1323 |
(No count conducted today)
Weather:
No observation due to low clouds and rain.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by Caroline Lambert (caroline144@gmail.com)
Mount Lorette information may be found at: eaglewatch.ca
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Mount Lorette (21 Apr 2026) 15 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 30 | 92 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 11 | 13 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swainson’s Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 6 | 24 | 32 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 111 | 1137 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlin | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Gyrfalcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Total: | 15 | 199 | 1323 |
| Observation start time: | 08:45:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Graeme Dunlop |
| Observers: | Allison Zukewich |
Visitors:
3 people stopped to ask about the eagles.
Weather:
The last day of the Spring count was sunny and warm. The temperature at 0945 was 10C and the high at 1400 was 16C. Ground winds were light SE-W all day. The skies were mainly blue with 10 to 30% cumulus and cirrus.
Raptor Observations:
Despite the generally good viewing conditions only 15 migrant raptors of 4 species were seen, comprising 3 adult Bald Eagles, 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 6 Red-tailed Hawks and 5 Golden Eagles (4a, 1u). Non-migrants were 3a Bald Eagles, 1a American Goshawk, 1 pair of Red-tailed Hawks and 1 Golden Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
The highlight was a pair of Sandhill Cranes circling noisily overhead. Other birds were: 2 Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, 2 Common Mergansers, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 2 Northern Flickers, 2 American Crows, about 20 Common Ravens, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee, 7 Tree Swallows, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 6 American Robins, 2 Fox Sparrows, 2 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]
