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.
10/15/2021
Observers: Caroline Lambert, Rick Robb
08:00 AM
07:00 PM
3C to 9C
The day was dominated by strong winds - on the ground, at ridge level, and high up. Other than all migrants showing up somewhere along the east ridge, there was no consistency to flight path. Some eagles came in low and stayed low, some came in high above Patrick, and some came from high overhead and reached the ridge well beyond Patrick. The first eagle was seen at 9am, and there was a steady flow of around 10 per hour until 3pm, when the flow stopped abruptly, and only one per hour was seen after that. There were few other migrant raptors, and few of the smaller birds.
67
Bald Eagle - 1, Northern Goshawk - 3, Rough-legged Hawk - 1
1pm to 2pm
72
0
Downy Woodpecker - 1, Canada Jay - 2, Black-billed Magpie - 2, Common Raven - 11, Mountain Chickadee - 1, American Dipper - 2, White-winged Crossbill - 2, Pine Siskin - 2, White-crowned Sparrow - 1
0
