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 (19 Apr 2026) 9 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 25 | 87 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 10 | 12 |
| 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 | 3 | 17 | 25 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 103 | 1129 |
| 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 | 4 | 8 |
| Total: | 9 | 177 | 1301 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.25 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
56 people walked by, of which a dozen stopped to talk. Thanks to Christine for staying and watching for a bit!
Weather:
Beautiful amd balmy! Temperatures rose to 10�C, and ground winds stayed low throughout. A mix of clouds included cumulus, cirrus, stratus and lenticular, but never covered more than half the sky at a time. Ridge winds were mostly around 25km/h.
Raptor Observations:
The eagles that did come through did so singly and well-spaced. Three went over the Eastern ridge, and two moved high across the west. Also migrating were three Red-tailed Hawks, and the season’s first Osprey, which appeared wheeled northwards left of Lorette.
Local birds included two adult Bald Eagles, one Golden, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and a Merlin which spent a lot of breath harassing one of the migrant Red-tails.
Non-raptor Observations:
The bird of the day was probably a flamboyant (loud) Red-naped Sapsucker. Tree Swallows flew up and down the river throughout the afternoon, and a female Mountain Bluebird showed briefly. Three Northern Pintail whistled high over the ridgeline, a Pacific Wren popped by and the usual handful of sparrow species could be heard singing all morning.
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 (18 Apr 2026) 11 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 18, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 25 | 87 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 10 | 12 |
| 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 | 14 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 7 | 98 | 1124 |
| 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 | 4 | 8 |
| Total: | 11 | 168 | 1292 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Sonya Pollock |
Visitors:
20 People stopped to talk, and 1 came with binoculars to watch for migrants.
Weather:
The temperature was 0 C at the start of the count, then it rose to 6 and remained there until the end of observation. Wind was from the W-SW, light in the morning then gusting up to 20 km/h in the afternoon at ground level, and gusting around 30 throughout the day at ridge level. Cloud cover was 10-20% cirrus in the morning, then increased to 80% various cloud types later in the day.
Raptor Observations:
Most of the day’s migrants passed in a short “rush” between 2:40 and 3 PM. The count was 7 Golden Eagles (2 juveniles, 1 subadult, 2 undifferentiated immature, 2 unaged), 3 Bald Eagles (2 adults, 1 subadult), and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. Most of them were moving over or low in front of the west ridges. Local raptors included at least 2 adult Bald Eagles, one Golden Eagle that perched on Olympic Summit for several hours in the afternoon, and 2 Red-tailed Hawk pairs. 1 of those pairs was hunting to the north near Mt. Lorette and Hummingbird Plume Hill, and the other to the east and south along the Fisher Range.
Non-raptor Observations:
2 Canada Geese, 2 Common Mergansers, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Northern Flicker, 12 Ravens, 2 Black-capped, 1 Mountain, and 1 Boreal Chickadees, 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Varied Thrushes, 15 American Robins, 15 Bohemian Waxwings, 2 Pine Siskins, 2 Fox Sparrows, 12 Dark-eyed Juncos. 4 White-tailed Deer and 11 Bighorn Sheep were also 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 (17 Apr 2026) 12 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 17, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 22 | 84 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 9 | 11 |
| 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 | 14 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 10 | 91 | 1117 |
| 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 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Total: | 12 | 157 | 1281 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Tiina Moore |
Visitors:
7 visitors stopped by, Dana did another apprentice AO day, much to our delight.
Weather:
Despite the brilliantly bright sunshine the temperature only went from 0 to 2 degrees. Cumulus clouds with a few stratus clouds around the west and south ridges, floated slowly across the sky from light to moderate high west winds. Ridge winds were west and northwest light 15-18 km/hr., gusting to 25km/hr. Ground winds were also light from 3-6 km/hr. with gusts up to 11km/hr. beginning from the east and switching to the southwest.
Raptor Observations:
We observed a total of 12 migrating raptors. One Bald eagle (a), 11 Golden eagles,(3a,3ua, 2j, 2uimm)and one unknown raptor. The resident Golden eagles were seen hunting several times and one was spotted sitting on a rock at the notch on top of Nakiska with several raven friends. The Red-tail Hawk was seen hunting and surprisingly, a Male Northern Harrier flew past us south down the valley.
Non-raptor Observations:
The Ruffed grouse flew right across the trail on the way in showing off its fine grouse form and later could be heard drumming. Dark-eyed Juncos, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Mountain Chickadees, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln sparrow, Varied thrush, American Robins, Northern Flicker, European Starlings, Common Ravens, Canada Geese, the Kingfisher were all seen or heard. Three White-tailed deer were in the meadow and three Mountain Sheep were grazing on top of Nakiska.
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 Apr 2026) 8 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 15, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 21 | 83 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 9 | 11 |
| 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 | 14 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 81 | 1107 |
| 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 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Total: | 8 | 145 | 1269 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 14:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 5.3 hours |
| Official Counter | Lynette MacCulloch |
| Observers: | Peter Lloyd |
Visitors:
There were no visitors. Thanks to Dana on her AO help
Weather:
Given the forecast for a heavy snowfall warning, I was expecting to have snow all day. However, upon reaching the site, a few flakes were falling, Stratus, nimbostratus and cirrostratus clouds were heavily overshadowing the south valley, and parts of the ridges. The temperature was zero and went up to 2 degrees where it stayed till we left. Ground winds were light 6-11 km /hr. from the west south west but switched to the north east about noon and picked up to 14km/hr. Ridge winds were low 18 km/hr. from the west. High winds were light. Once the wind turned to the east, the snow started to fall heavily. We left the site after 2 pm as visibility was radically diminished and the forecast offered little change.
Raptor Observations:
An adult Bald eagle was the first migrating raptor seen coming in just over the bumps and then behind Patrick. the first two of 5 Golden eagles (3a, 2ua) were seen over Nakiska circling until they could get high enough to head out to the northwest. the last 3 were spotted just left of Lorette also circling till they could get high enough to head out. It was unclear where they came from as we did not see them earlier. One unidentified Raptor was seen disappearing over the Hummingbird plume One of the resident golden eagles was seen hunting as was the resident Red-tailed Hawk. A subadult Bald Eagle was seen flying low and south along the river.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other birds seen and heard were 4 Juncos, 2 Black-capped chickadees, 2 American Robins, 1 Fox Sparrow, 5 Northern Flickers, 5 Mallard Ducks, 6 Canada Geese, 5 ravens 1 Magpie and the Ruffed Grouse was audible in the morning.
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 (14 Apr 2026) 6 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 14, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 19 | 81 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 9 | 11 |
| 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 | 14 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 5 | 76 | 1102 |
| 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 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Total: | 6 | 137 | 1261 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Caroline Lambert |
| Observers: | Alan Hingston, Christina Furtado, Fabian Pradipto |
Visitors:
A few people walked by, but only a couple stopped to talk. We appreciated the company and experienced observation skills of Alan Hingston, and enjoyed a brief visit from Cliff Hansen.
Weather:
It was a mostly cool and breezy day. The temperature oscillated between 5 and 6C, ending the day at 4C, but cumulus and stratus clouds kept the sky more than 3/4 covered, blocking the sun, and the southerly ground wind was consistent and rarely let up, sometimes gusting up to 30kph, so it felt chilly at times. Initially the ridges were clear, but clouds gradually moved in from the west, sending a few flakes of snow our way. By the time we left, Lorette was barely visible, the south of the valley was a wall of cloud, the west ridge was mostly gone, and the east ridge was disappearing. Ridge winds were reported as in the range 20-40kph from the southwest.
Raptor Observations:
The first migrant Golden Eagle wasn’t seen until after 1400 hours. In the next couple of hours we tallied only four more for a total of five (2a, 2ui, 1u), all gliding along the east ridge at varying heights. Late in the day a small falcon was seen briefly before it disappeared in the face of Patrick.
Earlier in the day the local pair of Golden Eagles was seen over the west ridge, both perching on Nakiska for a while. Other non-migrants were a Red-tailed Hawk, an American Goshawk, and a Merlin.
Non-raptor Observations:
There was a normal assortment of other birds: 2 Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, 2 Common Mergansers, 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 or more Northern Flickers, an American Crow, about 6 Common Ravens, a Black-capped Chickadee, 3 Mountain Chickadees, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, some number of American Robins (5-10), 2 Fox Sparrows, 3 Dark-eyed Juncos, and a Red-winged Blackbird.
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 (13 Apr 2026) 14 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 13, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 19 | 81 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| 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 | 3 | 14 | 22 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 71 | 1097 |
| 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 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Total: | 14 | 131 | 1255 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 17:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8.45 hours |
| Official Counter | Ethan Denton |
| Observers: | Erin Gilbert, Susan Clarahan |
Visitors:
A small number of people walked by today. Thanks to Alan who stayed and counted with us for a few hours in the afternoon!
Weather:
Another pleasant day with temperatures between 0�C and 8�C. The day started sunny before rafts of cumulus clouds started drifting in, which lasted the entire afternoon but never obscured the sun for too long at a time. Pressure dropped throughout, and ground winds stayed relatively low. Ridge winds appeared to be low also, from what we could infer.
Raptor Observations:
6 Golden Eagles came through today – 2 adults and 4 unknown. Only one was seen over the Eastern ridgeline, with 5 mysteriously appearing at the summit of Lorette.
Other raptors seen migrating were 2 Bald Eagles (1ad, 1sub) 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and 3 Red-tailed Hawks.
Bizarrely, a male Northern Harrier flew rapidly southwards along the entirety of the visible Western ridge. We also saw either 3 or 4 resident Bald Eagles, 2 resident Red-tailed Hawks, and the faithful resident Goshawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
Outside of raptors, it was a fairly average day. The Belted Kingfisher showed briefly, a mixed flock of Robins and Varied Thrushes stopped by, and two Fox Sparrows sang throughout the morning. In the afternoon, a flock of Bohemian Waxwings settled around our countries and foraged in the area for several hours.
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 (11 Apr 2026) 13 Raptors
Alberta, Canada
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 11, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day’s Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Turkey Vulture | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bald Eagle | 3 | 17 | 79 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| 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 | 1 | 11 | 19 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Golden Eagle | 6 | 65 | 1091 |
| 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 | 1 | 2 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Total: | 13 | 117 | 1241 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 4.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Blake Weis |
| Observers: | Christina Furtado, Sonya Pollock |
Visitors:
32 people stopped to talk about the count.
Weather:
The temperature was 2 C at the start of the count. It reached a high of 8 and stayed there until the end of observation. Ridge wind was estimated to be light from the SW in the morning but likely reaching moderate in the afternoon. Ground wind was also from the SW, light in the morning but gusting up to 20 km/h after 1 PM. Cloud cover was 80-100%. Around 2 PM the western ridges quickly became enveloped in cloud, and by 2:30 rain reached the site and the east ridges began to disappear. Since the weather radar showed nothing but more rain on the way, the count was then concluded.
Raptor Observations:
Migrant raptors included 6 Golden Eagles (4 sa, 2 u), 3 Bald Eagles (2 a, 1 u), 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 1 Red-tailed Hawk. Migrants were soaring and flapping below mountain top height because of the lack of wind, and were split between both ridge systems. Local raptors seen were 1 Golden Eagle, 1 or 2 Red-tailed Hawks and a Bald Eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor bird of the day was another (or the same?) Spotted Towhee seen along the creek near the site.
Full list on eBird: ebird.org/checklist/S320294742
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]
