Vicki Ridge and Steeples October 1

Monday, October 01 Vicki Ridge [Day 10] 0930-1915 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson assisted by Gord Petersen observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of Vicki Ridge). The temperature at 0930 was -2C, the high at 1600 was 7C and it was 0C at 1915. Winds were W-WSW all day 10-15 gusting 20 km/h to 1730 after which they were calm to light, and it was cloudless all day with traces of cumulus cloud at 1500 and 1600. There was a moderate but diverse raptor movement of 55 birds of 11 species between 1133 and 1818 that comprised 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 2j), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1a Cooper’s Hawk, 1 adult male Northern Goshawk, 1a light morph Broad-winged Hawk, 1a “Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk” (B. j borealis var krideri), 1a dark morph Ferruginous Hawk, 39 Golden Eagles (24a, 1sa, 14j), 1 unidentified eagle, 1 male American Kestrel, 2 columbarius Merlins (1 male, 1 female) and 1 female light intermediate morph Gyrfalcon. The Gyrfalcon perched for 6 minutes on the high point of Vicki Ridge before flying to the east, and was the eighteenth raptor species recorded on this season’s count. Movement was generally slow but steady and 37 of the migrants were recorded between 1300 and 1600 with a high hourly count of 14 between 1400 and 1500. Other bird species were 1 Wilson’s Snipe that flew low to the north past the site at 1245, 1 female Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Cassin’s Vireo that was a first October record for the area, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 61 Common Ravens, 24 Mountain Bluebirds, a conservatively estimated 1000 American Robins that perched throughout the valley and filled the sky all day, and 2 Dark-eyed [Oregon] Juncos. It was a most interesting day.

9.75 hours (88.33) BAEA 4 (17), SSHA 1 (227), COHA 1 (37), NOGO 1 (12), BWHA 1 (5), RTHA 1 (74), FEHA 1 (6), GOEA 39 (179), UE 1 (3), AMKE 1 (14), MERL 2 (8), GYRF 1 (1) TOTAL 54 (618)

Monday, October 01 Steeples [Day 4] 1400-1800 (Vance Mattson). It was a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 8C, calm conditions and 40% cumulus cloud cover. A total of 8 migrants of 3 species moved between 1451 and 1736 comprising 6 Bald Eagles (3a, 3j), 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 1 adult Golden Eagle. Five Bald Eagles and the Red-tailed Hawk were seen between 1645 and 1700. The resident Golden Eagle pair was seen for the first time this season with this year’s juvenile bird: one adult and the juvenile soared together between 1650 and 1705.

4 hours (18) BAEA 6 (14), RTHA 1 (10), GOEA 1 (10) TOTAL 8 (52)