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.
03/10/2022
Observers: Caroline Lambert, Ian Dowson
06:50 AM
06:35 PM
Started at -19, reached a high of -4, and ended at -7.
The day looked promising to start, with clear skies, and snow blowing off the ridges, indicating some ridge winds were present. The ridge winds appeared to be coming from the northwest early in the day, and as the day progressed, the winds veered around to the more migration-favourable southwest. High level winds, however, were from the north to start with, and changed slowly to the northwest as the day went by. A few clouds came and went, but it was clear and sunny for the most part, with the sun compensating a bit for the cold temperatures. However, in spite of these conditions, no migrating raptors were seen.
0
0
None
0
One adult Bald Eagle
Five Common Ravens seen playing in the wind above the ridges early in the day gave hope for raptor movement, but that did not come to pass. Three more ravens were seen down in the valley. The best bird was an unexpected visit by a Belted Kingfisher late in the day. Other than those, there were two Canada Jays, one Black-capped Chickadee, one Pine Grosbeak, and one Red Crossbill.
19
