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.
03/11/2022
Observers: Blake Weis, Ruth Morrow
07:20 AM
06:30 PM
Min: -17 C, Max: -2 C
The morning was chilly but with almost no wind. Wind speed in the afternoon was wildly inconstant, with some gusts over 60 km/h but there were also calm periods. Judging by the snow coming off the mountains, wind at ridge level was often very strong but also inconsistent. Cloud cover increased from 10% at the start to 100% as a sheet of altostratus passed over around noon, then varied from 60% to 80% for the rest of the day.
It was fairly slow with 13 eagles passing by between 12:17 pm and 5:20 pm. 9 Golden Eagles used the eastern ridges and were detected near Mount Lorette or high over Patrick, 3 Bald Eagles moved north along the river valley and 1 unidentified eagle was briefly seen before it disappeared behind Hummingbird Plume Hill.
9 (8 ad, 1 u)
3 Bald Eagles (ad), 1 unidentified eagle
4 migrants between 1 and 2 pm
13
n/a
1 Pine Grosbeak, 1 Red Crossbill
n/a
18
