Beaver Mines and Steeples, Oct 1

Thursday, October 01 Vicki Ridge [Day 12] 0815-1900 (Peter Sherrington and Hilary Atkinson observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge, assisted by Trevor Lewis (1615-1730). There was no observation at the Waterton 68 site. The temperature at 0815 was 13C (in contrast to 2C at Beaver Mines when we left home 10 minutes earlier!), the high at 1300 and again at 1500 was 21C and it was still 18C at 1900, Winds were moderate 20-30 km/h all day, NW to 0900 and then W for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 80-100% altostratus and altocumulus with light smoke haze to 1330 when the smoke thickened and provided very gloomy conditions to 1675, after which the smoke thinned and the rest of the day was 70-90% altostratus, altocumulus, cirrus and lenticular cloud that gave excellent viewing conditions for the last two hours of observation. A total of 77 migrant raptors of 12 species were seen between 1006 and 1845 that comprised 1 Osprey, 3 Bald Eagles (1a, 2u), 2 Northern Harriers (1a female, 1j male), 30 Sharp-shinned Hawks (4a, 26u), 8 Cooper’s Hawks (1a, 7u), 4 Northern Goshawks (3a, 1j), 3 Red-tailed Hawks (2 light calurus(1a, 1u) and 1a dark harlani), 4 Rough-legged Hawks (1light, 1 dark and 2u), 19 Golden Eagles (12a, 2sa, 2j, 3u), 1 female American Kestrel, 1u malecolumbarius Merlin and 1a Peregrine Falcon. Movement was steady to 1700 but peaked in the last 2 hours when the smoke thinned with 14 birds moving between 1700 and 1800 and 13 between 1800 and 1845. Other birds seen were 1 Great Horned Owl that flew low at the base of Vicki Ridge at 1855, 1 Northern Flicker, 3 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 5 Black-billed Magpies, only 15 Common Ravens, 74 American Robins and 86 Pine Siskins.

10.75 hours (131.7) OSPR 1 (5), BAEA 3 (34), NOHA 2 (10), SSHA 30 (489), COHA 8 (91), NOGO 4 (12), RTHA 3 (124), RLHA 4 (18), GOEA 19 (410), AMKE 1 (11), MERL 1 (14), PEFA 1 (3) TOTAL 77 (1257)

Thursday, October 01 Mount Lorette [Day 11] 0730-1930 (Graeme Dunlop, assisted by Joel Duncan). Observers counted a season-high 214 migrant raptors of 9 species that included the first three-figure Golden Eagle movement of the season. The count was 1 Osprey, a season-high 23 Bald Eagles (9a, 2sa, 11j, 1u), 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks (5a, 1j), 2u Cooper’s Hawks, 4a Northern Goshawks, 13 Red-tailed Hawks (8a calurus (7 light, 1 dark) and 5 indeterminate birds, 159 Golden Eagles (119a, 4sa, 11j, 25u), 1 unidentified eagle and 1 juvenile Prairie Falcon.

12 hours (147), OSPR 1 (4), BAEA 23 (49), SSHA 6 (74), COHA 2 (11), NOGO 4 (29), RTHA 13 (40), RLHA 4 (9), GOEA 159 (581), UE 1 (3), PRFA 1 (2), TOTAL 214 (838)

Thursday, October 01 Steeples (Vance Mattson).  No observation.