Vicki Ridge and Steeples, October 27

Sunday, October 27 Vicki Ridge [Day 35] 0830-1800 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson, observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of Vicki Ridge).  The temperature at 0830 was -10C and there was 8cm of overnight snow on the ground, the high at 1400 was 0C and it was -3C at 1800. Winds were W-WSW all day, 10-15 km/h to 1300 after which they increased to 20-30 occasionally gusting 40-45 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 70-80% cirrostratus, cirrus and altocumulus in the morning but throughout the afternoon there was a uniform grey blanket of stratus against which increasing amounts of altocumulus and lenticular cloud developed after 1500. Despite the gloom, observing conditions were generally good. Raptor movement was fairly strong and persistent with 68 birds of 6 species seen between 0945 and 1749 that comprised 22 Bald Eagles (11a, 2sa1, 1 transitional sa2/3, 1 sa3, 3j and 4u), 1a female Northern Harrier, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 1u), 4 Northern Goshawks (3a, 1u), 18 Rough-legged Hawks (17 light, 1 dark), 20a Golden Eagles and 1 unidentified eagle. The highest single hour count was 13 between 1700 and 1800. Other birds noted were 24 Tundra Swans that flew west at 1002, 402 Canada Geese that flew W or SW in 8 flocks between 0937 and 1123, a flock of 100 Northern Pintails that flew south at 1233, a flock of 40 probable Lesser Scaup that flew west at 1011, 4 merganser sp. that flew west at 1654, 1 female Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 4 Black-billed Magpies, 71 Common Ravens, 82 Bohemian Waxwings, 55 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 7u Pine Grosbeaks and 3 Dark-eyed Juncos (1 male montanus and 1 male and 1 female cismontanus).

9.5 hours (334.2) BAEA 22 (240), NOHA 1 (12), SSHA 2 (506), NOGO 4 (66), RLHA 18 (398), GOEA 20 (2516), UE 1 (18) TOTAL 68 (4072)

Sunday, October 27 Steeples [Day 26] 1300-1730 (Vance Mattson). The temperature reached 3C from a low of 1C and at 1730 was again 1C; it was calm throughout and cloud cover was initially 100% altostratus that reduced to 80% thin altostratus and altocumulus by 1700. Despite the ridges being clear no migrant or resident raptors were seen.

4.5 hours (114.8) TOTAL 0 (435)