Where the Eagles fly

Spent a lovely day in the mountains yesterday, a rare treat for me. This is the location for the Golden Eagle Migration Count, near Mt. Lorette (close to Barrier Lake) in Kananaskis Country. These powerful raptors become mere specks in the sky as they follow each other just above the mountain peaks, flying across this valley from right to left and directly over Mt. Lorette. Very nice to meet new folks (who, believe it or not, happen to be Flickerites, too, LOL - Ian (who was kind enough to give me a ride there and back) and Ian #2 and his wife! Such friendly Scottish people : ) Rather a disappointing batch of photos, even though I was given beautiful scenery and a perfect day! Not sure what happened, LOL.

The following was written by Peter Sherrington:
"The visitors that day were just a few of the 1,500 people who came last year to witness the amazing spectacle. But they would not even have known about the site had it not been for a single bird -- a Golden Eagle -- that soared over the valley on the morning of March 20, 1992, as I was conducting a bird survey in the area with my friend Des Allen. The eagle was followed by another and then another. Quickly we realized that the birds were moving systematically along the ridges of the Fisher Range, crossing the Kananaskis Valley to Mount Lorette, where they'd soar briefly before disappearing to the northwest. At the end of the day, we had counted 103 Goldens, and I was convinced that we had discovered a previously unknown migration route. Two days later I returned to the area with a small group of observers, and in a single afternoon we counted 247 eagles moving along exactly the same route." I have been out to this location twice now and watched a trail of teeny black specks that are Golden Eagles. Fascinating that these birds know exactly where to fly on their migration route. Peter Sherrington does absolutely amazing, dedicated work recording every single one of these Golden Eagles each migration period.