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.
03/26/2022
Observers: Caroline Lambert, Lynn Macintosh, Mustafa önder Ersin, Miles Tindal, Rosemary Power
07:40 AM
08:30 PM
The temperature ranged from -3 to +6
While a chilly northeast wind blew gently at ground level most of the day, ridge winds and upper winds were from a more migration friendly westerly direction. Weather forecasts had a high probability of some sort of precipitation - no rain or snow materialized, but the mostly cumulus clouds looked threatening and, particularly at the end of the day, blocked a lot of light, making ID challenging. This was particularly true after the sun had disappeared behind the clouds on the west ridge in the last couple of hours, right when a surge of eagles came through, resulting in a high number that were not possible to age. Early in the day eagles were seen on both ridges, but by late afternoon all were flying on the east side of the valley.
148 (67 adults, 11 subadults, 70 unknown)
6 Bald Eagles (3 adult, 2 subadult, 1 unknown), 2 unidentified eagles
Over 40 migrants streamed through in the last hour, from 19:00 to sunset just after 20:00.
156
Two resident Golden Eagles
It was a good day for spring migrants. Varied Thrushes were singing from several spots early on, robins were abundant, Bohemian Waxwings serenaded us late in the day, and a pair of Canada Geese appear to have set up territory along our stretch of the river. Brief glimpses of an American Tree Sparrow and Song Sparrow were pleasing, and the Canada Jays were their usual charming selves. The biggest surprise was a Say's Phoebe, very early for the season. A number of flocks of small birds flew by, unfortunately and frustratingly silhouetted and impossible to ID. The count was: 50 Canada Geese, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Say's Phoebe, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 7 Common Ravens, 1 European Starling, 3 Varied Thrushes, 20 American Robins, 15 Bohemian Waxwings, 12 Common Redpolls, w White-winged Crossbills, 1 American Tree Sparrow, 1 Song Sparrow.
30
