After nine years of persistent observation, he theorizes that the 10,000 migrating eagles crossing the mountains here may be a kind of lost tribe, a population separated from the southern populations by Ice Age glaciation 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. Golden eagles and the first human beings moved into this area 13,000 years ago and what we may be seeing is an annual re-enactment of first penetration. And he's spotted birds that scientists in Mexico have banded with transmitters in order to follow their migration. The discovery has put this quiet mountain valley on the map for bird watchers around the world and spawned an annual fall Golden Eagle Festival in the nearby town of Canmore, drawing more than 1,500 people to the October weekend watching event. In the park, the Delta Kananaskis Hotel hosts eagle-watching weekends, with interpretive guides and naturalists who lead hearty souls to the top of Mount Lady Macdonald where birds pass a few metres overhead.
Golden eagles are massive birds and a group of migrating eagles is an impressive sight to behold.
Perhaps this is why the winged predator known as the lion of the skies has been revered in mythology and lore the world over, from North American Native spirituality to ancient Egyptian myth. Watchers say after one sighting, they're hooked. In Christian mythology it is the symbol of the Resurrection. In the Anglican Church the Bible sits upon a brass golden eagle. The eagle is a pure metaphor for the human psyche.