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.
09/26/2021
Observers: Caroline Lambert, Glenn Webber
07:30 AM
07:30 PM
5ºC - 20ºC
Although at ground level it was calm (and unseasonably warm again) to start with, ridge winds told a different story. By 8am the ridge winds were over 70 kph and gusting up to 100 kph, and stayed around that level all day. Ground winds picked up as well, threatening to topple unprotected chairs and scopes, and cause any loose object to disappear over the river. The few eagles that were seen were flying very high and very fast over the east ridge.
12 (7 adults, 1 juvenile, 4 unknown age)
5 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 Northern Goshawk, 1 Red-tailed Hawk
The few migrants were evenly distributed throughout the afternoon, from 2pm to 7pm.
19
1 Golden Eagle, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Northern Goshawk
Ruffed Grouse 1, Northern Flicker 1, Common Raven 4, Black-capped Chickadee 7, Mountain Chickadee 2, Boreal Chickadee 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5, Red-breasted Nuthatch 3, American Dipper 1, Varied Thrush 2, American Robin 35, White-winged Crossbill 30, Pine Siskin 5
Several butterflies, mostly Mourning Cloaks
3