Eagle Count FAQ

Why count migrating eagles?

If you don’t measure something, it is difficult to know if there is a problem. Counting migrating eagles is a simple way of documenting population trends in the species. A significant decline would indicate a serious issue in the environment that would warrant further investigation.

Where are they coming from?

In the fall, Golden Eagles that breed anywhere to the north of us could pass our count site. These could be coming from Alaska, the Yukon, the western Northwest Territories, northern BC, and northern Alberta. Satellite tracking shows that some spend the summer as far north as the Alaska and Yukon Arctic coasts, and as far west as the Bering and Chukchi Sea coasts. In the spring, they return back to their breeding grounds.

Where are they going?

In the fall, while some might overwinter in the far southwest of Alberta, most are going into the western US states such as Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and even into northern Mexico.

How do you know you’re not counting the same eagle twice?

Each season the eagles are heading in one direction – south in fall, north in winter. Once past us, they won’t come back until the next season. We do have eagles that are local to our area, but their behaviour is generally very different from the migrants – such as flying at a lower altitude, and generally not going in the same direction as the migrating eagles.

Why are so many eagles flying past Mt Lorette?

In order to minimize energy, the eagles like to gain altitude without too much flapping of the wings. They can do this in two ways. One is to use thermals to soar up high, then glide down until they find the next thermal and soar up again. While this is efficient, it is time consuming. The other way is to use the updraft from wind to gain altitude. With the prevailing wind coming from the southwest and the trend of the mountain ridges northwest-southeast, a strong southwest wind against a continuous mountain ridge can produce enough uplift that the eagles can simply lock their wings in place and use that updraft to glide effortlessly along the ridge. While the eagles do have choices about which route to take, it appears that the ridge to the east of our count site, and its continuation to the north and south, provides the continuous uplift that the eagles like, and hence a preference for this route.

Are there other places in Alberta to count migrating Golden Eagles?

Yes, there are many places to view migrating eagles, but few are easily accessible. Since many eagles generally follow the front (eastern) ranges of the Rockies, then anywhere along the eastern slopes should allow anyone with a pair of binoculars a chance to see a migrant.

Where can one go to get a better view of the migrating eagles?

Since the eagles are flying, for the most part, above ridge level, getting a better view would involve hiking to a higher elevation. Perhaps the best place for this is at the south end of the Livingstone Range in Crowsnest Pass. A road behind the Frank Slide visitor centre can take you to an elevation of 1550m, from where you can hike up a steep hill to an elevation of 1850m. Since the mountains are not as high at this location, many of the passing eagles can be spotted without using binoculars, but they will still look small.

How long does the eagle migration season typically last? Are there peak times when sightings are most frequent?

Golden Eagles move south from August to December, with the peak of migration occurring around or a little after Canadian Thanksgiving at our count site. In the spring, they start moving in late February and continue into May. The peak occurs around the March equinox. In spring most birds in the first three or so weeks are adults. The non-breeding birds take their time going north.

Why was Hay Meadows chosen as the main observation site?

The eagles fly along the ridges. Hay Meadows is an open area that allows for unobstructed views of the ridges on both sides of the valley. It is not the best observation site – there are other sites that have more eagles flying by, and at a closer distance, but those places can be difficult to get to and are in locations with a lower population density, so it would be hard to find sufficient volunteers to conduct counts there.

Do other bird species migrate at the same time as golden eagles?

Generally, the larger the bird, the earlier they migrate in the spring, and the later they migrate in the fall. As Golden Eagles are one of our largest birds, they start migrating before most other species in the spring, and after most other species in the fall. 80-90% of the birds we see at our site are Golden Eagles, in part because of the timing of their migration, and in part because they like following the mountain ridges. Smaller raptors are more likely to fly east of the mountains, through the foothills. The second most numerous species we see is the Bald Eagle, but their migration is more obviously tied to food availability. Since their preferred food is fish, they respond to freeze-up in the fall and thawing of lakes and rivers in the spring, a process that tends to be unpredictable, with the result that their timing of migration is highly variable from year to year.

Other species that we see, although in small numbers and usually early in the count period in fall and later in spring, are American Goshawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Cooper’s Hawks. In lower numbers we see Merlins, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Prairie Falcons, Ospreys, and Peregrine Falcons. Occasionally, and mostly in the fall, we see Swainson’s Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks. Gyrfalcons, Turkey Vultures, and Ferruginous Hawks are extremely rare.

How can I help or get involved?

Glad you asked! Please take a look at our Volunteer page.

How fast can they fly?

According to this web page, Golden Eagles are the second fastest bird in the world, at least in a dive. Coming in second after Peregrine Falcon, which can hit speeds of 380 kph, a Golden Eagle in a dive can go as fast as 320 kph. Well, that’s when they’re hunting. But during migration they can still move at a significant sustained speed – we reckon they go past us at 100 kph when the conditions are favourable. One satellite tagged eagle was noted to have travelled from Lake Minnewanka to Missouri, Montana, in one day. That’s a straight-line distance of 500 km!

Why are eagles important to the ecosystem?

The Golden Eagle is a top-level predator, and like wolves, cougars and other top-level predators, they serve to maintain a balance in their prey items, such as snowshoe hare, rabbits, ptarmigan, marmot, ground squirrels, and other small mammals and birds. They are opportunistic in their food choices and will scavenge at carcasses, thus also serving as part of nature’s clean-up crew.

What human activities or environmental changes have the greatest impact on eagle populations?

These have the biggest impact: Illegal hunting, habitat loss for nesting and loss of prey species due to human activities (development, resource extraction) and wildfires, lead poisoning (from scavenging at carcasses of animals killed by lead bullets), collisions (with wires, cars, wind turbines), electrocution from power lines.

Have you noticed changes in migration timing due to climate change?

We keep track of the median passage date and have not noticed a significant change. This is an interesting question because the answer depends on what exactly triggers the migration. In the fall this is generally related to the ability to find food on the breeding grounds in the north – once there is snow cover and some of those smaller mammals go into hibernation, and with the loss in daylight hours for hunting, it is harder for the eagles to find food and they must go south. What specifically triggers the northward migration in spring is not known. In songbirds, it is known that short distance migrants like robins respond to changes in temperature that results in greening up of grass and trees and therefore more food availability for birds. However, long distance migrant songbirds, such as the ones that overwinter in South America, move north in response to the length of daylight. Are Golden Eagles responding indirectly to changes in temperature, or food availability, or more daylight? It’s not known yet, but they do have a strong fidelity to their breeding grounds and have the instinct to head back there at some point. In addition, eagles that are resident in the areas where the migrants spend the winter will want to reclaim their territories for breeding and will push out the visitors. We have noted that satellite tagged adult eagles tend to inch northward when the weather is warm in late winter, but even if they have moved some distance north from their wintering grounds, they don’t really do any large movements to the north until mid-March.

Are Golden Eagles currently protected under government wildlife conservation laws?

Yes, they are protected. They are not protected by the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, nor are they protected at the federal level in Canada. However, each province and territory has its own regulations. In Alberta this is the Wildlife Act. In the US eagles are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Basically, killing Golden Eagles is illegal in both countries, with a few limited exceptions.

What are the goals of the organization?

Please see the “Who We Are” page. We fall short on a number of our goals due to a lack of expertise in certain areas and a shortage of personnel to perform some of these tasks. We are always looking for people to join our team; finding an adequate number of observers is a challenge every season.

In what ways does your organization actively contribute to eagle conservation?

Conservation of any species is needed when that species population numbers are in serious decline. Without measuring the population numbers in some way, it is not possible to know if the numbers are increasing, staying steady, or decreasing. Counting migrating Golden Eagles is one way of assessing the population trend. We are by far the largest source of data about migrating Golden Eagles in North America. There are not many hawk watching sites in the west, and no other location has the consistency or number of Golden Eagles passing by as we do. We have also been running the count for many years, which means that the trend in the migrant population is meaningful.

Our data is used in the Hawk Migration Association’s periodical Raptor Population Index Analysis, which is a collaborative effort to understand and share trends and conservation status of migratory raptors in North America, continent-wide and regionally.

What are the best binoculars for eagle watching?

The bottom line is that you get what you pay for with optics. The more expensive, the better the view. However, there are plenty of options that are perfectly adequate and are not too expensive.

Binoculars are measured by magnification and field of view. An 8×42 pair of binoculars means 8x magnification and a 42mm objective (the objective is the wide end of the binoculars, and 42mm means a diameter of 42mm). A 10×42 pair means 10x magnification. The wider the objective, the greater the field of view. However, the greater the magnification, the narrower the field of view. So, with a 10×42 pair you will see more detail than with an 8×42 pair, however, you will not be able to see as much. Also, the greater the magnification, the larger the binoculars will be and therefore heavier to hold. In addition, the greater magnification magnifies any shake in your hands, so the image will be less steady.

So, what does that mean for eagle watching? If you have great eyesight, then the 8x magnification means seeing more of the sky and less strain on your arms due to the lighter weight. However, most of us find that 10x binoculars are better for picking out distant dots in the sky, although it means more scanning to find the dots.

For birding in general, 8x binoculars are better if you’re spending time in, say, a wooded area where you can’t see far and don’t need the magnification. But 10x might be better if you were at a lake looking for waterfowl or shorebirds. It’s all a matter of personal preference. A beginning birder might start out with 8x binoculars because sometimes it can be hard to find the birds and it is easier with the wider field of view that you get with 8x. But as you gain experience you might graduate to a more expensive 10x pair to see more detail so you can ID the bird. Many of the most experienced birders use 8x binoculars, because seeing the detail for someone with a lot of experience is less important than being able to locate the bird.

What kind of clothing and gear do you recommend for staying warm and comfortable while eagle watching?

Think about what you would wear if you were going out for a walk that day, then add at least two more warm layers. Artificial heat for feet and hands (chemical warmers or battery heated socks/gloves) is highly recommended. You can always remove layers if you get too hot, but it is miserable if you are too cold, and the wind in the meadow can be strong, creating significant wind chill. Windproof clothing is good.

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