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.
03/29/2022
Observers: Dan Parliament, Ian Dowson and guest observers, Cindy Parliament, Yumiko Hiraki
07:30 AM
08:30 PM
-6 to +2 C
A pleasant day for the observers with ground winds at 0-5 km/hr and direction variable, but predominately from the SW. Ridge winds were low to moderate and predominately from the NW. All ridges were clear throughout the day, and cloud cover was minimal. In the AM the Eagles flew a variety of different paths on both the East and West ridges, and also popping up behind Lorette on occasion.
In the PM the migratory path was exclusively over the East ridges. The Eagles glided with occasional soaring, and the flight speed was slow which assisted in aging the birds. The first migrant Golden Eagle was at 1055 and the last migrant was at 1925 hrs. Resident birds were Golden Eagle (2 x adult), Bald Eagle (1 x adult) and Northern Goshawk (1 x adult).
Highlights for other species were two flocks of Snow Geese over the East ridges, and a brief appearance of two Mountain Bluebirds in the meadow.
49 (38 adult, 3 juvenile, 8 unaged)
Cooper's Hawk (1 adult), Red-tailed Hawk (3 adult), Rough-legged Hawk (3 Adult) and one undetermined Buteo
1400-1500 (8 GOEA) and 1700-1800 (8 GOEA)
57
4
Snow Goose x 46
Canada Goose x 6
Northern Flicker x 1
Pileated Woodpecker x 2
Canada Jay x 1
Black-billed Magpie x 3
Common Raven x 17
Black-capped Chickadee x 6
Boreal Chickadee x 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch x 1
Mountain Bluebird x 2 (m,f)
Varied Thrush x 5
American Robin x 25
Bohemian Waxwing x 40
Common Redpoll x 4
n/a
36
