Beaver Mines and Steeples, November 5

Thursday, November 05 Vicki Ridge [Day 45] 0715-1530 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). The temperature at 0715 was 7C, the high at 0900 was 9C and it was 6C at 1530 when the count was abandoned for the day. Winds were WSW all day 30-40 gusting 60 km/h to 1030, 30 gusting 50 km/h to 1400 and diminishing to 20-30 km/h after 1500. Cloud cover was 100% stratocumulus all day that produced continuous light to moderate rain throughout. The ridges remained clear but the only raptor seen was a large falcon that interacted briefly with a raven at the northern end of Kyllo Ridge at 1420 before flying fast to the east during a brief period of very light rain. This evening at 1812 I received an e-mail from David McIntyre that informed me that he had seen a female Peregrine Falcon perched in a roadside tree on the west side of Highway 507 about 1 km north of the Screwdriver Creek Road at 1455, that is 35 minutes after I saw a large falcon and about 4 km ENE of where I last saw it. There is a high probability that it was the same bird. The only other birds seen were 25 Common Ravens and 10 Bohemian Waxwings.

8.25 hours (448.9) (probable) PEFA 1 (9) TOTAL 1 (4679)

Thursday, November 05 Mount Lorette [Day 45] 0800-1300 (Graeme Dunlop assisted by Caroline Lambert). It rained all day and the count was abandoned at 1300. No migrant raptors were seen and a single Common Raven was the only bird recorded.

5 hours (480.4) TOTAL 0 (3128)

Thursday, November 05 Steeples (Vance Mattson). No observation. It was overcast at 1600 when Vance finished work so no observation was possible.