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.
03/27/2022
Observers: Blake Weis, Annie Finch
07:30 AM
08:20 PM
Min: 0 C, Max: 11 C
It was a beautiful day and conditions for migration and observing were generally very good. Cloud cover started at 60%, slowly increased to 90% by 4 pm then decreased to 30% by the end of the day. Wind gusted to 25 km/h at ground level and were usually moderate to strong at ridge level.
Migrants moved steadily between 10:44 am and 7:38 pm. Despite good viewing conditions they were determined to make things difficult for us. Eagles moved over both mountain ranges. To the west they used the other side of the ridges, flying from Mt. Kidd and Mt. Bogart then passing behind Olympic Summit and Mt. Allan. Birds on the east side were sometimes detected high over the Fisher Range, but most were only picked up farther north near Mt. Lorette. Some also flew up the center of the valley, passing directly overhead. Distance, brief views and bad angles often hampered ageing.
122 (74 adults, 1 subadult, 1 juvenile, 46 unaged)
14 Bald Eagles (10 adults, 3 immature, 1 juvenile), 1 Cooper's Hawk, 2 Prairie Falcons, 4 unidentified eagles
21 migrants from 2-3 pm
143
1 columbarius Merlin hunting in the meadow, 1 Northern Goshawk heard calling, 1 Golden Eagle and 1 Bald Eagle
Highlights include 1 Varied Thrush, 1 Northern Shrike (adult), 35 American Robins, 50 Bohemian Waxwings, 2 Common Redpolls, 26 White-winged Crossbills, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Song Sparrow and 1 Western Meadowlark
n/a
37
