Vicki Ridge and Steeples, November 15 and final counts and variances for all 3 RMERF counts
Friday, November 15 Vicki Ridge [Day 54] 0720-1720 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of Vicki Ridge). The temperature at 0720 was 4C, the high at 1300 was 8.5C and it was 4C at 1720. Winds were strong W all day 40-50 gusting 60 and occasionally 70 km/h, and cloud cover was Chinook types initially comprising 100% altostratus, altocumulus and cirrostratus that gradually reduced to 70% at 1300 as the arch moved slowly to the east. At 1400 80% dark cumulus cloud moved from the west and brought periods of light rain and showers to 1540 after which cloud cover was 60-70% cumulus and altocumulus for the rest of the day. Observing conditions were very good throughout but there was only a slow and sporadic raptor movement of 14 birds of 4 species between 0752 and 1457 that comprised 5a Bald Eagles, 3a Northern Goshawks, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk and 5 Golden Eagles (3a, 1sa, 1j). The highest hourly count was only 3 birds between 1400 and 1500, and 5 other hourly counts had 2 birds each. Other birds seen were 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 4 Black-billed Magpies, 63 Common Ravens and 20 Bohemian Waxwings.
10 hours (482.1) BAEA 5 (427), NOGO 3 (102), RLHA 1 (458), GOEA 5 (2778) TOTAL 14 (4642)
Friday, November 15 Steeples (Vance Mattson). No observation: the clouds did not lift until 1630 and even then the mountains remained 60% obscured.
| FINAL SUMMARY COUNTS, FALL 2019 | |||
| (NOTE: all numbers provisional pending final reports) | |||
| MOUNT LORETTE September 20-November 15
Variance cf. average 83-96, 98-01, 03-05, 09-18 (21 years) |
VICKI RIDGE September 20-November 15
Variance cf. average 2017-2018 (2 years of complete counts) |
STEEPLES September 20-November 15
Variance cf. average 2009-2018 (10 years partial counts) |
|
| DAYS | 54 (-0.7%) | 54 (+5.9%) | 34 (+4.3) |
| HOURS | 537 (-4.1%) | 482.1 (+12.9%) | 143.5 (+14.3) |
| TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) | 0 (-100%) | 3 | 1 (+66.7%) |
| OSPREY (OSPR) | 1 (-63.2%) | 4 (-57.9%) | 2 (-20%) |
| BALD EAGLE (BAEA) | 148 (-37.2%) | 427 (+7.4%) | 155 (+1.04%) |
| NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) | 7 (-31%) | 14 (-17.6%) | 13 (+141%) |
| SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) | 56 (-57.5%) | 513 (-25.5%) | 38 (-5.9%) |
| COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) | 8 (-63.2%) | 80 (-4.8%) | 0 (-100%) |
| NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) | 41 (5.4%) | 102 (-3.8%) | 4 (-20%) |
| Accipiter sp. (UA) | 8 (+18.3%) | 5 (-38.5%) | 1 |
| BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) | 0 (-100%) | 20 (-29.8%) | 0 (-100%) |
| SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) | 0 (-100%) | 2 (+33.3%) | 0 |
| RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) | 11 (-66.7%) | 137 (-33.2%) | 25 (-5.7%) |
| FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) | 1 (+162.5%) | 7 (=) | 0 |
| ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) | 14 (-71.9%) | 458 (-3.7%) | 3 (-53.1%) |
| Buteo sp. (UB) | 4 (+3.7%) | 6 (-72.7%) | 1 (+100%) |
| GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) | 2395 (-29.4%) | 2778 (+17.3%) | 191 (+47.2%) |
| Eagle sp. (UE) | 24 (+350%) | 28 (+124%) | 6 (+445%) |
| AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) | 0 (-100%) | 18 (+9.1%) | 5 (+108%) |
| MERLIN (MERL) | 5 (-33.1%) | 18 (-12.2%) | 1 (+25%) |
| GYRFALCON (GYRF) | 0 (-100%) | 4 (-20%) | 0 (-100%) |
| PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) | 1 (-82.8%) | 13 (=) | 2 (+233%) |
| PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) | 2 (10.6%) | 3 (-60%) | 0 (-100%) |
| Falco sp. (UF) | 3 (+80%) | 2 (=) | 0 |
| Unidentified Raptor (UU) | 2 (-49.4%) | 1 (-50%) | 0 (-100%) |
| 13 species | 18 species | 12 species | |
| TOTALS | 2731 (-31.2%) | 4642 (+3.2%) | 448 (+18.6%) |
