Mt. Lorette Observations

The main observation site is the Hay Meadow, Mt. Lorette Site. The site is located in Kananaskis on the bank of the Kananaskis River. It has a view of the open valley. which allows excellent (though rather distant) viewing of the Fisher Range to the east. The bulk of the Golden Eagles and other raptors use this ridge as part of their preferred migration route.

See the seasonal count reports and daily summaries for historical observation counts. The following observations started in Fall 2021.

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04/03/2022

Observers: Blake Weis, Annie Finch

Start Time:

07:15 AM

End Time:

08:10 PM

Temperature:

Min -1 C, Max +7 C

Description of the Day:

Cloud cover varied from 50-90% throughout the day. Wind was mostly from the SW and WSW, strong at ridge level and gusting to 40 km/h in the valley. Late in the day the western ridges were obscured up to 50% by low cloud which sent occasional flurries into the valley. Despite good conditions for migration few eagles turned up to take advantage of them. Those that did were usually detected at Mt. Lorette or high over the Fisher Range.

Migrant Golden Eagle Count:

17 (9 adult, 3 juvenile, 5 unaged)

Migrant Other Raptor Count By Species:

Bald Eagle (2 adults, 2 unaged)

Period with Most Migrants:

2-3 pm with 6 migrants

Total Migratory Raptors:

Non-Migrant Raptors:

2 Golden Eagles (adults), 1 Northern Goshawk and 1 Red-tailed Hawk were hover hunting at various locations throughout the afternoon. A sub-adult Golden Eagle also flew south from Mt. Lorette

Other Birds of Note:

Highlights include 1 American Dipper, 3 Mountain Bluebirds, 2 Varied Thrushes, 2 Common Redpolls and 1 Dark-eyed Junco