RMERF counts September 26 and 27

Tuesday, September 26 [Day 6] (Cliff Hansen) 0720-1940. It was pleasant day with the temperature reaching 16C at 1600 and 1700 from a morning low of 2C, and it was 13C at the end of observation. Ground winds were generally less than 5 km/h except between 1200 and 1600 when they were SW 5-15 gusting 20 km/h, while ridge winds were SW light to moderate all day. Cloud cover was 20-60% variable altocumulus, altostratus, cumulus and cirrus giving generally excellent observing conditions. Despite this the day only produced 11 migrant raptors with all but one bird moving along the Fisher Range between 1026 and 1800. The count was 2 Bald Eagles (1sa, 1j), 8 Golden Eagles (1a, 1sa, 5j, 1u) and 1 large unidentified raptor. Non-migratory raptors were 1 Northern Goshawk calling near the parking area early in the morning, a Red-tailed Hawk and an adult Bald Eagle that flew to the north, and non-raptors included 1 Blue Jay, 6 American Robins and 11 American Pipits. The 51 visitors to the site included 35 students and staff from Western Canada High school in Calgary.

12.33 hours (73.34) BAEA 2 (13), GOEA 8 (91), UU 1 (1) TOTAL 11 (145)

Vicki Ridge (Peter Sherrington) [Day 7] 0900-1800. The temperature was 9C at 0900 reached a season high of 17C at 1700 and was 14C at 1800. Winds were moderate W-SW all day 10-20 km/h in the morning but of variable velocity in the afternoon that ranged from almost calm periods to 35-40 km/h around 1600. Cloud cover was initially 100% stratocumulus that produced light drizzle, but it gradually cleared from the west and by 1200 it was 30% cumulus; between 1300 and 1500 it became 70-80% dark and often towering cumulus that gave way after 1600 to 20-60% light cumulus and cirrus. During the dark cloud periods it was impossible to age the high flying smaller raptors, but observing conditions improved considerably by late afternoon. A total of 64 migrants of 10 species flew south between 1048 and 1740, although by noon only 2 birds had been seen. The count comprised 1 Osprey, 1 juvenile Bald Eagle, 39 Sharp-shinned Hawks (14a, 1j, 24u), 6 Cooper’s Hawks (3a, 1j, 2u), 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1j), 4 adult Red-tailed Hawks (3 light morph calurus and 1 dark harlani), the season’s first Rough-legged Hawk, a light morph juvenile female at 1416, 5 Golden Eagles (1a, 4j), 2 male columbarius Merlins (1a, 1u) and 2 Peregrine Falcons (1j male and 1u). Passerines on the ridge were relatively scarce but included 8 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 23 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 8 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire and 3 American Robins, and the warm weather produced single Clouded Sulphur and Mourning Cloak butterflies.

9 hours (53.83) OSPR 1 (4), BAEA 1 (7), SSHA 39 (190), COHA 6 (32), NOGO 3 (22), RTHA 4 (40), RLHA 1 (1), GOEA 5 (33), MERL 2 (8), PEFA 2 (5) TOTAL 64 (365)

Steeples [Day 4] (Vance Mattson) 1230-1700. The temperature was 16C at 1230 and reached a high of 20C before dipping to 18C at 1700. It was calm all day and cloud cover was 50-100% altostratus and altocumulus. The day produced only 3 migrants: a Turkey Vulture at 1437, an adult Bald Eagle at 1410 and a juvenile Northern Goshawk at 1305. Non migrants were two sightings of single Turkey Vultures, an adult Bald Eagle and an adult Red-tailed Hawk.

4.5 hours (20) TUVU 1 (1), BAEA 1 (21), NOGO 1 (4) TOTAL 3 (146)

Wednesday, September 27 [Day 7] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Caroline Lambert) 0800-1930. The temperature reached a season-high 19C at 1700 from a low of 0C and was 13C at the end of observation. Ground winds were light SW and ridge winds moderate SW. and cloud cover was 10-20% cirrus except at 1800 when it was 30% cirrus and cumulus which dwindled to 10% by 1900. Migration conditions were good and produced a season-high count of 50 raptors of 6 species between 1158 and 1827, all but 2 of which moved above to Fisher Range although none were seen over Mount Lorette. The count comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 6u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Cooper’s Hawks (1j, 1u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 1 unidentified dark morph Buteo, 35 Golden Eagles (13a, 2sa, 9j, 10u) and 2 unidentified eagles. Thirty-five birds moved between 1200 and 1500 and the busiest hour was 14 between 1300 and 1400. Non-raptor migrants were 3 American Robins, 5 Lapland Longspurs, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 Wilson’s Warbler and 10 Pine Siskins. Butterflies were 1 Clouded Sulphur, 1 Polygonia sp. and 2 Mourning Cloaks. There was a record 208 visitors to the site today including 178 students and staff from Notre Dame High school in Calgary and 17 from George McDougal School in Calgary.

11.5 hours (84.84) BAEA 1 (14), SSHA 6 (21), COHA 2 (4), NOGO 1 (8), RTHA 2 (11), UB 1 (1), GOEA 35 (126), UE 2 (2) TOTAL 50 (195)

Vicki Ridge [Day 8] (Denise Cocciolone-Amatto, Raymond Toal and Pat Lucas; Peter Sherrington after 1530) 0830-1830. The initial temperature was 10C and reached a season high 18C at 1400 that held to 1800. Winds were W generally 7-15 km/h to 1400 when they switched to light E-NE and the last 3 hours were E 2-8 km/h. It was essentially cloudless to 1500 after which 10-30% cirrus and cumulus developed which facilitated the location of very high flying birds in the late afternoon. A total of 31 migrant raptors of 9 species moved between 1003 and 1750 with 19 of the birds recorded before 1145. The count was 1 Osprey, 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 10 Sharp-shinned Hawks (9a, 1u), 4 Cooper’s Hawks (3a, 1u), 2 adult Northern Goshawks, 1 adult dark morph Broad-winged Hawk, 3 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 8 Golden Eagles (4a, 4j), and 1u male columbarius Merlin. There was a good variety of non-raptors including 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 5 Northern Flicker (including 1 “Yellow-shafted” bird), 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 2 Grey Jays, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 9 Mountain Chickadees, 6 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 43 Mountain Bluebirds, 42 American Robins, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Red Crossbills and 1 Pine Siskin.

10 hours (63.83) OSPR 1 (5), NOHA 1 (3), SSHA 10 (200), COHA 4 (36), NOGO 2 (24), BWHA 1 (10), RTHA 3 (43), GOEA 8 (41), MERL 1 (9) TOTAL 31 (396)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) NO OBSERVATION

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 7

HOURS 84.84

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 14

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 21

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 4

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 8

Accipiter sp. (UA) 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 11

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 0

Buteo sp. (UB) 1

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 126

Eagle sp. (UE) 2

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 1

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 2

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 195