RMERF counts, November 10
Friday, November 10 [Day 46] (Blake Weis, assisted by Caroline Lambert) 0830-1700. The temperature at 0830 was -2C, the high was 2C from 1200 to 1600 and it was 1C at 1700. Ground winds were SW 0-5 km/h all day that gusted up to 12 km/h between 1200 and 1600, while ridge winds were light to moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 90% cumulus, altostratus and cirrus to 1000, variable 50-90% cumulus, altocumulus and cirrus to 1400 and then 80-30% cumulus and cirrus for the rest of the day. The ridges were clear all day. A total of 19 migrant raptors of 3 species moved between 0858 and 1632 comprising 5 Bald Eagles (3a, 2j), 1 late unaged Sharp-shinned Hawk and 13 Golden Eagles (12a, 1u). One Bald Eagle flew south on the western route and the rest used the eastern route with 5 of the birds initially located over Mount Lorette and the rest seen at the northern end of the Fisher Range. Movement was slow but steady after 1100 with each hour up to 1600 producing between 2 and 4 migrants. Non-migrant raptors were an adult Northern Goshawk and an adult Bald Eagle. Other birds seen included a Wilson’s Snipe flying low above the river, 1 Northern Shrike, 1 Bohemian Waxwing, 2 Pine Grosbeaks, 6 Common Redpolls and 2 Pine Siskins. A small pack of 4 Grey Wolves crossed the slopes of the ski hill moving to the north between 1030 and 1100. There were 4 visitors at the site today.
8.5 hours (487.8) BAEA 5 (177), SSHA 1 (82), GOEA 13 (3224) TOTAL 19 (3646)
Vicki Ridge [Day 47] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Gord Petersen) 08150-1720 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). The temperature at the start was -1C, the high was 2C at 1200 and it was -2C at the end of observation. Winds were W-WSW all day, 25-30 km/h to 0930 and 30-40 gusting to 50 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 60-80% cumulus and lenticular to 1400 that quickly cleared to 20-10% cumulus, lenticular and altocumulus for the last three hours and provided very welcome sunshine. There was a strong raptor movement for the time of year with 87 migrants of 5 species moving steadily between 0851 and 1716. The count was a season high total of 41 Bald Eagles (18a, 9sa, 6j, 8u), 3 adult Northern Goshawks, 7 light morph Rough-legged Hawks (the last of which at 1634 was the 500th of the season), 33 Golden Eagles (26a, 3sa, 3j, 1u), 2 unidentified eagles and 1 light grey morph Gyrfalcon. Every hour after 0900 saw the passage of at least 6 migrants and peak movement was 14 birds between 1300 and 1400 and again from 1600 to 1700. The last 6 Bald Eagles moved high to the south between 1706 and 1716 when it was almost dark. At 1250 a resident adult Golden Eagle displayed above the northern end of Kyllo Ridge. Other birds seen included a flock of 50 Bohemian Waxwings, 3 Pine Grosbeaks and a single Common Redpoll that fed at the site at 0916.
9.08 hours (376.9) BAEA 41 (352), NOGO 3 (103), RLHA 7 (500), GOEA 33 (1926), UE 2 (17), GYRF 1 (4) TOTAL 87 (4040)
Steeples [Day 38] (Vance Mattson) 1300-1700. The valley was overcast until 1300 when the skies began to clear. Since the ridges remained heavily obscured Vance observed from the Kootenay River Site until 1400 but saw no migrants. Observation from the Bill Nye site between 1415 and 1530 also produced no migrants. The ridges, while initially clearing to some degree, became fully shrouded again by 1530 so Vance returned to the relative clarity of the valley from 1545 to 1700 and counted a single migrant, a light morph Rough-Legged Hawk that flapped low over Wasa Lake at 1606. No non-migrants were seen. It was 2C for most of the day, calm, and mainly sunny as the 50-60% cumulus, altostratus and lenticular cloud cover was concentrated mainly around and in front of the mountain ridges. The Purcell Mountains to the west were also shrouded the entire day.
4 hours (175.3) RLHA 1 (15) TOTAL 1 (620)
MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)
DAYS 46
HOURS 487.8
TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0
OSPREY (OSPR) 2
BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 177
NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 6
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 82
COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18
NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 28
Accipiter sp. (UA) 3
BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1
SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0
RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 29
FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 1
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 28
Buteo sp. (UB) 10
GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 3224
Eagle sp. (UE) 7
AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 3
MERLIN (MERL) 5
GYRFALCON (GYRF) 4
PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 7
PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 6
Falco sp. (UF) 3
Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2
TOTAL 3646
