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.
Mt. Lorette Observations
See the seasonal count reports and daily summaries for historical observation counts. The following observations started in Fall 2021.
04/09/2022
Observers: Caroline Lambert, Miles Tindal, Lynn MacIntosh
07:00 AM
08:15 PM
Min: 0, Max: 5, End of day: 1
The day started out overcast with the ridges almost completely obscured, and then gradually cleared so that by noon the ridges were clear, and there was 50% cloud cover of mostly cumulus clouds. Ridge winds appeared to be strong from the west, which gave optimism for sighting at least some migrants. The ridges stayed clear most of the afternoon with moderate to strong ridge winds from the west. In spite of the excellent conditions, no migrating Golden Eagles were seen.
0
1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult Red-tailed Hawk
Only two migrants, one early afternoon, one late afternoon.
2
1 Golden Eagle, 1 Northern Goshawk
Canada Goose 6
Ruffed Grouse 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
woodpecker sp. 2
Northern Shrike 2
Common Raven 10
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Mountain Chickadee 1
Boreal Chickadee 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
European Starling 3
Mountain Bluebird 4
Varied Thrush 6
American Robin 25
Dark-eyed Junco 3
None
12
