Beaver Mines and Steeples, September 27

Sunday, September 27 Vicki Ridge [Day 8] 0815-1915 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge, and Gord Petersen and Cathy Scrimshaw at the western edge of Kyllo Ridge at the Waterton 68 wellsite, 1230-1905). The temperature at 0815 was 4C the high at 1500 and 1600 was 11.5C and it was 9C at 1915. Winds were W-WSW all day 25-35 gusting 45 km/h and it was cloudless for most of the day with up to 10% lenticular cloud developing after 1515. At the Waterton 61 site a modest total of 42 raptors of 9 species were counted between 1034 and 1855 that comprised 1u Bald Eagle, 1j female Northern Harrier, 11 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 2j, 8u), 4 Cooper’s Hawk (3a, 1j), 1u Northern Goshawk, 3 light morph Broad-winged Hawks (1a, 1j, 1u), 9 Red-tailed Hawks (calurus 8: 5 light morphs (4a, 1u), 1a intermediate morph and 2a dark morphs, and 1a dark morph harlani), 11 Golden Eagles (2a, 1sa, 6j, 2u) and 1u columbarius Merlin. Movement was slow for much of the day with 17 of the birds seen between 1600 and 1800. Migration was steadier to the west at the Waterton 68 site where 80 raptors of 8 species were seen between 1238 and 1904 that comprised 1u Turkey Vulture, 1a Bald Eagle, 42 Sharp-shinned Hawks (7a, 3j, 32u), 10 Cooper’s Hawks (2a, 2j, 6u), 8 Red-tailed Hawks (calurus 6: 5 light morphs (3a, 1j, 1u), 1a intermediate morph and 2 indeterminate birds), 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 14 Golden Eagles (8a, 5j, 1u) and 3 American Kestrels (2 females and 1u). Movement peaked at 15 birds between 1500 and 1600 and again between 1800 and 1900. The combined species count was 122 birds of 12 species seen between 1034 and 1904 that comprised 1u Turkey Vulture, 2 Bald Eagles (1a, 1u), 1j female Northern Harrier, 53 Sharp-shinned Hawks (8a, 5j, 40u), 14 Cooper’s Hawks (5a, 3j, 6u), 1u Northern Goshawk, 3 light morph Broad-winged Hawks (1a, 1j, 1u), 17 Red-tailed Hawks (calurus 14: 10 light morphs (7a, 1j, 1u), 2a intermediate morphs and 2a dark morphs, 1a dark morph harlani and 2 indeterminate birds), 1 dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 25 Golden Eagles (10a, 1sa, 11j, 3u), 3 American Kestrels (2 females and 1u) and 1u columbarius Merlin. The highest hourly combined count was 22 between 1700 and 1800. Other birds seen were 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 199 Common Ravens, 3,  88 American Robins, 7 Pine Siskins, 1a Brewer’s Sparrow and 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler.

11 hours (87.25) TUVU 1 (6), BAEA 2 (23), NOHA 1 (7), SSHA 53 (326), COHA 14 (67), NOGO 1 (5), BWHA 3 (10), RTHA 17 (106), RLHA 1 (8), GOEA 25 (360), AMKE 3 (9), MERL 1 (12) TOTAL 122 (959)

Sunday, September 27 Mount Lorette [Day 8] 0715-1945 (Lori Anderson, assisted by Patrick Farley). Observers counted a total of 59 migrant raptors of 9 species that comprised 2 Bald Eagles (1a and 1 undifferentiated immature bird), 2 northern Harriers (1a male and 1u female), 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1u Cooper’s Hawk, 3j light morph Broad-winged Hawks, 2 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1j light, 1a intermediate), 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 45 Golden Eagles (25a, 3sa, 12j, 5u) and 1 unidentified small falcon.

12.5 hours (98.74) BAEA 2 (20), NOHA 2 (7), SSHA 2 (56), COHA 1 (6), BWHA 3 (3), RTHA 2 (13), RLHA 2 (1), GOEA 45 (336), UF 1 (1) TOTAL 59 (478)

Sunday, September 27 Steeples (Vance Mattson).  No observation.