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. Sherrington is at this spot, scanning the skies, every day for 10 to 12 hours during the spring and fall migrations. He is happy to talk with tourists, birders and anyone else who makes the one-kilometre hike along Hay Meadow trail to his viewing site.