Sunday, October 29 [Day 37] (Bill Wilson, assisted by Lori Anderson) 0755-1850. The starting and finishing temperature was 0C and the high at 1500 was 4C. Ground winds were mainly E-NE 3-10 gusting 15 km/h except around 1700 when they were briefly 5-15 gusting 30 km/h, while ridge winds were NNW all day, moderate to strong to 1200 and moderate throughout the afternoon. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus to 0900 that reduced to 10% cumulus at 1200 while the afternoon saw variable 90-40% cumulus cover that completely disappeared after 1700. The western ridges were 10-20% obscured to 0900 but otherwise the mountains were clear all day. A total of 55 migrant raptors of 4 species were seen between 0940 and 1806 comprising a season-high count of 22 Bald Eagles (13a, 3sa, 3j, 3u), 3 adult Northern Goshawks, 2 dark morph Rough-legged Hawks and 28 Golden Eagles (13a, 2sa, 8j, 5u). Movement was steady throughout the day and peaked at 11 between 1600 and 1700 after which only 3 more migrants were recorded. With the exception of single birds that moved on the western route and over the centre of the valley all the Golden Eagles moved along the Fisher Range at various heights with very little soaring. Many of these birds were initially located above Mount Lorette. The Bald Eagles moved on a broader path between the centre of the valley and the Fisher Range. Other birds included a flock of 13 swans (12 Tundra, 1 Trumpeter) and another of 19 unidentified swans, 130 Canada Geese migrating in several flocks, a flock of 8 migrating Common Loons and 1 high-flying silhouetted gull, while closer to earth songbirds included 1 juvenile Harris’s Sparrow, 3 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 5 Pine Grosbeaks and 20 undifferentiated flying redpolls/siskins. There were 9 visitors to the site today. The weather forecast for all three sites show a northern front arriving on the evening of October 31 (Halloween!) that will bring 4 to 5 days of low temperatures and snow. This has already “pushed” high numbers of migrants ahead of it and it will be interesting to see what numbers are seen in the next couple of days.

10.92 hours (404.9) BAEA 22 (142), NOGO 3 (27), RLHA 2 (26), GOEA 28 (3126) TOTAL 55 (3508)

Vicki Ridge [Day 38] (Peter Sherrington) 0930-1800 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). It was a cool day with a temperature of 2C to 1300 and again at 1800 with a high of 3C the rest of the time. Winds were mainly light N-NNE all day and cloud cover was 100% stratus to 1500 when it began to break up and reduced to 30% cumulus at 1700 before thickening again to 80% at 1800. Despite the light northerly winds there was a persistent raptor movement between 1006 and 1704 that involved 95 birds of 6 species. The count was 21 Bald Eagles (13a, 1sa, 7j), 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 2 Cooper’s Hawks (1a, 1u), 4 Northern Goshawks (1a, 3u), 26 Rough-legged Hawks (20 light, 3 dark, 3u), 40 Golden Eagles (27a, 3sa, 4j, 6u) and 1u dark morph Gyrfalcon. The highest hourly count was 18 from 1400 to 1500 and all other hours between 1000 and 1600 produced double-digit counts. The migration shut down early, however and only one Rough-legged Hawk was seen after 1650. There was also good movement of non-raptor species including 8 Trumpeter Swans that flew west at 0957, 385 Canada Geese in 13 flocks that mainly flew to the west as did 130 high-flying unidentified ducks; migrant passerines were 90 Bohemian Waxwings, 50 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 2 Pine Grosbeaks, 4 Red Crossbills and 23 Common Redpolls.

8.5 hours (316.1) BAEA 21 (162), NOHA 1 (18), COHA 2 (94), NOGO 4 (91), RLHA 26 (482), GOEA 40 (1721), GYRF 1 (3) TOTAL 95 (3699)

Steeples [Day 30] (Vance Mattson) 1345-1815. The valley was socked-in and light rain fell until 1330 when things began to clear. The heavy overcast conditions dispersed by 1430, leaving sunny conditions for the rest of the day with a 40-50% cumulus cloud cover.           The ridges, however, remained partially obscured until 1700. The temperature was 2C, rising to 10C which, combined with calm conditions, produced another beautiful day marked by slow and low moving birds, many of which soared extensively in front of the ridge and moved in and out of the low cloud. The final tally of 52 migrants of 7 species is the second highest daily count this fall and comprised 1 Osprey, 22 Bald Eagles (12a, 1sa, 9j), 1 juvenile Northern Harrier, 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1j), 2 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1 intermediate juvenile, 1 dark adult), 2 light morph Rough-legged Hawks and a season high total of 21 Golden Eagles (18a, 1sa, 1j, 1u). The first migrant was an adult Bald Eagle that flapped south through the rain at 1355, and 5 birds moved between 1400 and 1500. The next hour saw 13 birds, and the peak was reached between 1600 and 1700 with 21 migrants.           12 migrants were counted after 1700, with the last, a juvenile Bald Eagle, at 1735. The only non-migrants seen were an adult of each eagle species.

4.5 hours (141.3) OSPR 1 (6), BAEA 22 (204), NOHA 1 (13), NOGO 3 (12), RTHA 2 (50), RLHA 2 (9), GOEA 21 (104) TOTAL 52 (497)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 37

HOURS 404.9

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 2

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 142

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 6

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 81

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 27

Accipiter sp. (UA) 3

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 29

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 1

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 26

Buteo sp. (UB) 10

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 3126

Eagle sp. (UE) 6

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 3

MERLIN (MERL) 5

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 4

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 7

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 6

Falco sp. (UF) 3

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 3508

Saturday, October 28 [Day 36] (Jim Davis, assisted by Ruth Morrow) 0815-1830. It was a delightful autumnal day with the temperature reaching 17C at 1500 and 1600 from a starting low of 0C, and it was still 14C when observation ceased. The valley was calm to 1300 and then winds were S-SE 15 gusting to 27 km/h for the rest of the day, while ridge winds were NW, light to 0900 and subsequently moderate. Cloud cover was initially 90% altostratus that reduced to 40% by 1000, it was cloudless at 1100 and 1200 with stratus gradually increasing throughout the afternoon reaching 40-80% with minor cumulus after 1600. Ridges were clear all day and observation conditions were excellent setting the stage for what Jim described as his “best day of the season”. A total of 310 migrant raptors were counted between 0923 and 1806 that comprised a season-high count of 17 Bald Eagles (7a, 4sa, 6j), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 287 Golden Eagles (85a, 13sa, 32j, 157u) and 2 dark morph Gyrfalcons that flew south together at 1002. The Golden Eagle count is the third highest of the season and is one of the highest ever for late October. The highest hourly counts were 106 (1000-1100) and 74 (1200-1300) after which the flow gradually subsided. All of the raptors, apart from a very late Osprey that flew to the west, moved generally low along the Fisher Range except for the final three hours when the last 33 birds glided high above the ridge. The forecast calls for a general deterioration of weather in the coming week and it is probable that this large late season movement was ahead of an approaching cold front. There was also a good variety of other birds including a Northern Pygmy-Owl perched south of the site, a Boreal Owl that called around 1700, a late migrating flock of 11 American Robins, 47 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 1 Pine Grosbeak and 16 Pine Siskins. A Grey Wolf, presumably the one seen by Blake yesterday, howled to the NW around 0900. A total of 58 visitors to the site enjoyed both the weather and the spectacular migration.

10.25 hours (394) OSPR 1 (2), BAEA 17 (120), SSHA 1 (81), NOGO 1 (24), RLHA 1 (24), GOEA 287 (3098), GYRF 2 (4) TOTAL 310 (3453)

Vicki Ridge [Day 37] (Peter Sherrington on the ridge top 0930-1820, and Gord Petersen near the Waterton 68 well site just below the western edge of Kyllo Ridge 1150-1815). It was a warm day with a temperature of 10C at 0930 that reached 14C at 1400 and was still 11C at 1800. The warmth was somewhat tempered, however, by strong W-WSW winds that blew all day 30-50 gusting to 80 km/h that only moderated during the last hour. Cloud cover was initially 80% altostratus and altocumulus that formed a Chinook Arch which slowly moved to the east leaving cloudless skies after 1500. Both sites produced a high count of migrant raptors and we are still trying to work out if the flows are discrete or if there was movement between the ridges. From Vicki Ridge between 0940 and 1757 I counted 170 migrants of 6 species comprising 1 Osprey, 21 Bald Eagles (15a, 1sa, 3j, 2u), 2 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks, 4 Northern Goshawks (3a, 1j), 1 small unidentified Accipiter, 31 Rough-legged Hawks (27 light, 1 dark, 3u) and 110 Golden Eagles (85a, 1sa, 7j, 17u). The birds all appeared to mainly fly high to the south above Vicki Ridge or above the eastern edge of Kyllo Ridge and it was only during the last hour that most birds moved high to the west. From just below the western edge of Kyllo Ridge between 1202 and 1813 Gord counted 161 migrants of 8 species that comprised 13 Bald Eagles (10a, 3j), 4u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 4 Northern Goshawks (3a, 1j), , 32 Rough-legged Hawks (31 light, 1u), 99 Golden Eagles (61a, 7sa, 10j, 21u), 6 unidentified eagles and 1 unidentified large falcon. Most of these birds were originating from the north and then flew west to the Carbondale Ridge or beyond. Several birds were initially located well to the west including one over Turtle Mountain in the Crowsnest Pass but only a few birds continued to the south along the west edge of Kyllo Ridge. Although the numbers at both sites are similar detailed timings, for example of goshawks and Bald Eagles, do not correlate and it is probable that most of the eagle flows were separate. It is entirely likely, however, that there was some duplication in the numbers of Rough-legged Hawks that often move to the west from Vicki Ridge. All this needs further analysis so in the interim the combined count for the day stands at 331 birds of 9 species: 1 Osprey, 34 Bald Eagles (25a, 1sa, 6j, 2u), 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 4u), 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 8 Northern Goshawks (6a, 2j), 1 small unidentified Accipiter, 1 adult dark morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 63 Rough-legged Hawks (58 light, 1 dark, 4u), 209 Golden Eagles (146a, 8sa, 17j, 38u), 6 unidentified eagles and 1 unidentified large falcon. Movement was slow in the morning when only 16 birds were counted, but was strong throughout the afternoon with each hour between 1200 and 1800 producing between 40 and 58 migrants (combined counts). Other birds seen included 1 Ruffed Grouse, 30 Bohemian waxwings, 220 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 1 Red Crossbill and 1 Common Redpoll.

8.83 hours (307.6) OSPR 1 (11), BAEA 34 (141), SSHA 6 (750), COHA 1 (92), NOGO 8 (87), UA 1 (6), RTHA 1 (232), RLHA 63 (456), GOEA 209 (1681), UE 6 (7), UF 1 (2) TOTAL 331 (3604)

Steeples [Day 29] (Vance Mattson) 1245-1800. Vance arrived at the site as the low cloud that filled the valley started to lift and the weather was then beautiful with the temperature rising to 12C from a low of 3C, calm conditions and completely cloudless skies. The raptor movement, however, was disappointing with only 7 birds of 3 species seen between 1340 and 1645 comprising 3 Bald Eagles (2a, 1j) 2 Northern Harriers (1 adult female, 1u juvenile) and 2 adult Golden Eagles. The first migrant, an adult female Northern Harrier, was in the air when Vance arrived, the juvenile Northern Harrier moved at 1340, three Bald Eagles between 1420 and 1423, and, more than two hours later, the last two migrants, 2 adult Golden Eagles, glided south low in front of the ridge at 1634 and 1645. An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk was the only non-migrant seen. The consolation for low raptor numbers was again good views of all birds as they moved low and slow in front of the ridge.

5.25 hours (136.8) BAEA 3 (182), NOHA 2 (12), GOEA 2 (83) TOTAL 7 (445)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 36

HOURS 394

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 2

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 120

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 6

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 81

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 24

Accipiter sp. (UA) 3

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 29

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 1

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 24

Buteo sp. (UB) 10

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 3098

Eagle sp. (UE) 6

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 3

MERLIN (MERL) 5

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 4

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 7

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 6

Falco sp. (UF) 3

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 3453

Friday, October 27 [Day 35] (Blake Weis, assisted by Cliff Hansen) 0830-1830. The starting temperature was -2C, the high at 1600 was 11C and it was 7C at the end of observation. It was flat-calm to 1000 then 0-5 km/h for the rest of the day, and ridge winds were light NW all day. Cloud cover was 20-30% altocumulus and cirrus to 1100 then 80-90% cirrus with minor altocumulus for the rest of the day giving very good observing conditions. The calm conditions did not appear to augur well for raptor movement but to the delight of the observers a total of 113 migrants of 6 species were counted between 1024 and 1745. The count was a season high 15 Bald Eagles (103), 1 adult male Northern Harrier, 3 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 dark morph Rough-legged Hawks, 90 Golden Eagles (74a, 4sa, 3j, 9u), which is the highest count at the site since October 21, 1 juvenile Peregrine Falcon and 1 unidentified large falcon. Movement was steady throughout the afternoon with an hourly high count of 23 from 1400 to 1500 and the subsequent 2 hours each saw the passage of 22 birds. Apart from 1 Bald Eagle and 1 Golden Eagle that flew south above the valley, all birds used the eastern route and most were located at the northern end of the Fisher Range. Ten Golden Eagles that soared high above Mount Lorette were the only birds detected there, but despite their initial altitude they quickly lost height as they crossed the valley and arrived on the lower slopes of the Fisher Range. Most birds used flapping flight in the light winds and only a few moved much above ridge level. There was a good variety of other bird species that included a Northern Pygmy-Owl that briefly perched east of the river, 1 Northern Shrike, 5 Grey Jays, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 2 Brown Creepers, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 American Tree Sparrow, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 1 Pine Grosbeak, 1 Red Crossbill, 3 White-winged Crossbills, 102 Common Redpolls and 3 Pine Siskins. The highlight of the day, however, occurred early as Blake heard a Grey Wolf howling as he walked to the site and on arrival saw the animal, that was mainly grey with a brown back, walk slowly northwards across the Hay Meadow. There were also 7 human visitors to the site later in the day.

10 hours (383.8) BAEA 15 (103), NOHA 1 (6), SSHA 3 (80), RLHA 2 (23), GOEA 90 (2811), PEFA 1 (7), UF 1 (3) TOTAL 113 (3143)

[Correction to October 25: in the list of other bird species “52 Pine Siskins” should be “25 Common Redpolls and 27 Pine Siskins”.]

Vicki Ridge [Day 36] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Connie Simmons, Phil Hazelton and Trevor Lewis after 1630) 0900-1800 (observation from the ridge top), and Gord Petersen 1450-1800 at the Waterton 68 site. After two weeks on the flank of the ridge because of almost continuous extreme high winds it was a pleasure to be back atop the ridge. The temperature was 6C at 0900, reached a high of 12C at 1500 and was still 10C at 1800. Winds were WNW 10-20 gusting 25-30 km/h to 1100 and subsequently W 20-30 km/h that increased to 30-35 gusting 44 km/h after 1600. It was cloudless to 1120 when cirrus cloud began to develop which reached 100% at 1200 and 1300, thickened to 100% altostratus at 1400 and 1500 and subsequently was a spectacular sky of thin cirrus altostratus and altocumulus for the rest of the day. Observing conditions were excellent all day. The first migrant was an adult Cooper’s Hawk at 0931, but the second migrant, a distant Golden Eagle, was not seen until 1226 and by 1400 only 5 migrants had been seen. The pace then slowly increased and peaked between 1600 and 1800 when 47 of the day’s 70 migrants were counted. The final count was 5 Bald Eagles (5a, 2j), 1 juvenile female Northern Harrier, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1j, 2u), 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 5 adult Northern Goshawks, 4 adult Red-tailed Hawks (1 dark calurus, 3 dark harlani), 16 Rough-legged Hawks (14 light, 2 dark), 33 Golden Eagles (27a, 2sa, 2j, 2u) and 1 unidentified eagle. These totals include 27 migrants (2 Bald Eagles, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Northern Goshawk, 1 calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 9 Rough-legged Hawks and 11 Golden Eagles) seen by Gord between 1450 and 1800 from the western edge of Kyllo Ridge at the Waterton 68 wellsite. An adult Harris’s Sparrow was at the site all morning (probably a first for the site), and other birds were 2 Grey Jays, 5 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 55 Common Ravens, 10 American Robins, 12 Bohemian Waxwings, 525 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 44 Common Redpolls.

9 hours (298.7) BAEA 6 (107), NOHA 1 (17), SSHA 3 (744), COHA 1 (91), NOGO 5 (79), RTHA 4 (231), RLHA 16 (393), GOEA 33 (1472), UE 1 (1) TOTAL 70 (3273)

Steeples [Day 28] (Vance Mattson) 1130-1700. The temperature was 2C at 1130 and warmed to 7C, it was calm all day, and there was a cloud cover of 100% thin altostratus at 1130 which subsequently became 50-60% of various combinations of thin altostratus, altocumulus and cirrus. It was a painfully quiet day for migration as only a juvenile Northern Harrier was seen, at 1519. Non-migrants were also scarce with single sightings of an adult Bald Eagle and adult Red-tailed Hawk, and two sightings of an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk.

5.5 hours (131.5) NOHA 1 (10) TOTAL 1 (438)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 35

HOURS 383.8

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 103

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 6

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 80

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 23

Accipiter sp. (UA) 3

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 29

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 1

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 23

Buteo sp. (UB) 10

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2811

Eagle sp. (UE) 6

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 3

MERLIN (MERL) 5

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 2

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 7

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 6

Falco sp. (UF) 3

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 3143

Thursday, October 26 [Day 34] (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Rick Robb) 0830-1835. The temperature was -4C at 0830, rose to a high of 8C at 1700 and was 5C at the end of observation. Ground winds were calm or light and variable in the morning and SW 5-10 km/h to 1700 and finally NW 5-10 gusting 15 km/h. Ridge winds were SW moderate to strong to 1200 when they became light to 1700 after which they were strong NW for the rest of the day. Initial cloud cover was 10% cirrostratus and altostratus that increased to 100% between 1000 and 1500 and decreased to 0% after 1700. Despite the perfect observing conditions the day again produced a disappointing 16 bird raptor migration of 3 species that moved between 0955 and 1710. The count was 4 Bald Eagles (3a, 1j), 1u Northern Goshawk, 1 unidentified dark Buteo and 10 Golden Eagles (5a, 1sa, 2j, 2u). Ten migrants were counted between 1100 and 1200 that raised expectations that a movement was finally underway, but only 4 more migrants were counted during the entire afternoon. Other birds seen included a flock of 40 Canada Geese flying south, 1 juvenile (probable) California Gull, 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, a flock of 40 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 2 Pine Grosbeaks, 45 Common Redpolls, and 4 Pine Siskins. A Striped Skunk ambled south, east of the river, and the 7 visitors to the site were all west of the river.

10.08 hours (373.8) BAEA 4 (88), NOGO 1 (23), UB 1 (10), GOEA 10 (2721) TOTAL 16 (3030)

Vicki Ridge [Day 35] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Raymond Toal) 0900-1820 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). Yesterday’s late rain turned to snow overnight and there was 4cm at the site at 0900 which showed fresh tracks of 2 Grizzly Bears that had walked south during the night. The temperature was -5C which slowly rose to a high of 5C at 1700 and 1800 and was 4C at the end of observation. It was calm or very light E winds until 1030 when a light W flow was detected which increased to 15-20 gusting 30 km/h from 1100 to 1500 and then 25-30 gusting 40 km/h for the rest of the day. It was cloudless to 1020 when altostratus cloud began to move from the NNE that quickly reached 100% by 1045. Around 1300 it disappeared as rapidly to 10% then increased again to 80-100% altostratus and lenticular which again dwindled to 10% for the last two hours of observation. A total of 82 raptors of 8 species migrated between 1035 and 1815 made up of 4 Bald Eagles (1a, 2j, 1u), 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 4u), 2 adult Cooper’s Hawks, 2 Northern Goshawks (1a, 1u), 3 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1 light, 2 dark), 41 Rough-legged Hawks (38 light, 2 dark, 1u), 1 unidentified dark Buteo, 21 Golden Eagles (15a, 2sa, 4j) and 1 Prairie Falcon. These totals include 13 migrants (2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 8 Rough-legged Hawks and 3 Golden Eagles) seen by Raymond between 1415 and 1630 from the western edge of Kyllo Ridge near the Waterton 68 wellsite. Because of the initial calm conditions only 1 bird was recorded before 1100, but subsequent movement was steady and peaked at 20 birds between 1500 and 1600. A skein of 22 Canada Geese flew west at 0935, 2 Trumpeter Swans flew SE at 1016, and other migrant birds were 25 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 5 Red Crossbills and 4 Common Redpolls.

9.33 hours (289.7) BAEA 4 (101), NOHA 1 (16), SSHA 6 (741), COHA 2 (90), NOGO 2 (74), RTHA 3 (227) RLHA 41 (377), UB 1 (18) GOEA 21 (1439), PRFA 1 (4) TOTAL 82 (3203)

Steeples [Day 27] (Vance Mattson) 1330-1830. The temperature was 10C at 1330 and dropped to 4C by 1830, cloud cover was initially 100% altocumulus but it was cloudless by 1530 giving a sunny and pleasant day, and calm conditions prevailed throughout. When Vance arrived at the site 2 adult Golden Eagles were already moving south above the ridges, followed by a juvenile Bald Eagle, an adult light calurus Red-tail Hawk, and an Osprey, all before 1400.           Ten migrants moved between 1400 and 1500, but the next migrant, an adult Bald Eagle, was not seen until 1632, after which migration was sporadic with the last migrant, an adult Golden Eagle, moving south at 1754. The final count of 21 birds of 5 species was 1 Osprey, 9 Bald Eagles (5a, 1sa, 3j), 2 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1 light, 1 dark) and 6 Golden Eagles (5a, 1j). The calm conditions produced much flapping and/or extended soaring flight. Non-migrants were a juvenile and adult Bald Eagle.

5 hours (126) OSPR 1 (5), BAEA 9 (179), SSHA 3 (78), RTHA 2 (48), GOEA 6 (81) TOTAL 21 (437)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 34

HOURS 373.8

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 88

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 5

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 77

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 23

Accipiter sp. (UA) 3

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 29

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 1

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Buteo sp. (UB) 10

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2721

Eagle sp. (UE) 6

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 3

MERLIN (MERL) 5

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 2

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 6

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 6

Falco sp. (UF) 2

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 3030

Tuesday, October 24 [Day 32] (Cliff Hansen, assisted by Dan Parliament) 0815-1830. The starting temperature was 6C, the high at 1700 was 14C and it was still 13C at 1830. Ground winds were SSW 5-10 gusting 20 km/h which increased to 50 km/h after mid-afternoon, while ridge winds were strong SW all day. Cloud cover was 100% altostratus in the form of a Chinook Arch that persisted to 1300 after which it slowly moved to the east leaving cirrus and altostratus cloud in its wake that was 50% at 1600 but by 1800 cloud cover was 100% cirrostratus. Locating conditions were excellent all day. There was a fairly strong raptor movement with 62 birds of 3 species seen between 0815 and 1730 that comprised 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 58 Golden Eagles (41a, 3sa, 4j, 10u), 1 unidentified eagle and 2 Prairie Falcons. Twenty-five of the birds were recorded between 1200 and 1400 and all moved at varying heights along the Fisher Range having been initially located at the northern end of the range. An adult Bald Eagle and 2 adult Northern Goshawks were resident or non-migrant, and other birds of note were 1 adult Northern Shrike, a flock of 40 Bohemian Waxwings, 19 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches in 2 flocks and 19 Pine Siskins. Fifteen visitors were at the site today.

10.25 hours (353.7) SSHA 1 (77), GOEA 58 (2698), UE 1 (6), PRFA 2 (6) TOTAL 62 (2998)

Vicki Ridge [Day 33] (Peter Sherrington to 1600, Gord Petersen and Raymond Toal after 1600) 0900-1800 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). The temperature was 8C at 0900, rose to a high of 14C at 1600 and was 10C at the end of observation. Winds were W-WSW 40-50 gusting 60-85 km/h all day, and cloud cover was 100% all day with a Chinook Arch giving gloomy conditions to 1400 when it began to move eastwards and was replaced by thin cirrostratus that gave welcome sunshine for the rest of the day. Movement was slow but persistent between 0924 and 1810 during which time 47 raptors of 7 species were counted that comprised 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa, 1j), 7u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 adult Cooper’s Hawks, 3 adult Northern Goshawks, 12 Rough-legged Hawks (10 light, 1 dark, 1u), 18 Golden Eagles (9a, 1sa, 7j, 1u) and 1 (probable female) American Kestrel. These totals include 15 migrants (1 Bald Eagle, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 8 Rough-legged Hawks and 5 Golden Eagles) seen by Raymond between 1345 and 1715 from the west ridge of Kyllo Ridge near the Waterton 68 wellsite. Other birds of note were 1 juvenile Northern Shrike, 4 American Robins, 4 European Starlings, 300 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches migrating in 9 flocks plus 3 that fed at the site with a female House Finch, and 4 Red Crossbills.

9.33 hours (271.4) BAEA 4 (84), SSHA 7 (723), COHA 2 (87), NOGO 3 (71), RLHA 10 (282), GOEA 18 (1388), AMKE 1 (21) TOTAL 47 (3007)

Steeples [Day 25] (Vance Mattson) 1145-1745. ) The temperature rose from 6C to a high of 14C and was still 13C at 1730. It was essentially calm and cloud cover was 40% thin altostratus for the first hour and then 10-20% cumulus and altostratus for the rest of the day. Twelve migrants of 3 species were seen between 1322 and 1546 comprising 10 Bald Eagles (3a, 2sa, 5j), 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk and 1 light Rough-legged Hawk. All but the first bird, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, moved between 1519 and 1546, and included 7 of the Bald Eagles that were seen between 1526 and 1532. The migrants soared extensively providing excellent views, especially of the various plumages of the juvenile and sub-adult Bald Eagles. Non-migrants consisted of single adults of Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Golden Eagle, the latter also providing great views as it soared extensively in front of the ridge.

6 hours (119) BAEA 10 (170), SSHA 1 (75), RLHA 1 (7) TOTAL 12 (415)

Wednesday, October 25 [Day 33] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Patrick Farley) 0800-1800. The temperature at 0800 was 14C which also proved to be the high of the day. The temperature gradually dropped and was 10C at 1600 but after the passage of a cold front around 1630 it dropped rapidly and was 4C at 1800. Ground winds were SW 15-25 gusting to 38 km/h to 1300 when they became light, but when the front arrived they switched to N 15-25 gusting 40 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was initially 60% cumulus and altostratus which thinned to 20% at 1000, after which it was 80-90% stratocumulus that reached 100% at 1630 and brought steady rain and sleet at 1730. The eastern ridges were clear to 1700 after which they were completely obscured, and the west was briefly 20% obscured around 1300 before also becoming 100% obscured after 1700. There was a disappointing raptor movement of 16 birds of 3 species between 0953 and 1548 comprising 1 juvenile Bald Eagle, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk, 13 Golden Eagles (6a, 3sa, 4u) and 1 unidentified eagle. All birds moved along the Fisher Range, some at ridge level while others glided very high above the ridge, and the maximum movement was 5 between 1500 and 1548 just ahead of the approaching front. Other birds seen included 1 displaying Ruffed Grouse, 1 female Belted Kingfisher, a flock of 25 Bohemian Waxwings, 1 Pine Grosbeak and 52 Pine Siskins, and 10 visitors made it to the site today.

10 hours (363.7) BAEA 1 (84), RLHA 1 (21), GOEA 13 (2711), UE 1 (6), TOTAL 16 (3014)

Vicki Ridge [Day 34] (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Raymond Toal) 0915-1815 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). The temperature was 11C at 0900, reached a high of 14C at 1500 and rapidly dropped after 1700 to 6C at the end of observation. Winds were yet again strong W-WSW 50 gusting 80 km/h to 1000 then 70-80 gusting to 110 km/h until 1400 when they moderated to 20-30 gusting 50 km/h. Around 1700 the wind shifted quickly to the ENE at 30-40 gusting 50 km/h which finally diminished to 10-20 km/h at 1800. Cloud cover was 30-80% altostratus, altocumulus and cumulus that gave sunny periods to 1430, and a light rain shower between 1030 and 1100 produced a perfect rainbow arch that formed a bridge between Kyllo Ridge and Vicki Ridge. After 1430 100% dark stratocumulus cloud quickly formed and persisted for the rest of the day and threatened rain which fortunately did not start until the end of observation. There was a remarkably high and varied raptor movement involving 114 birds of 9 species that migrated between 0942 and 1745. The count was a season-high total of 13 Bald Eagles (11a, 2sa), 12 Sharp-shinned Hawks (5a, 7u), 1u Cooper’s Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1 adult dark morph harlani Red-tailed Hawk, 1 adult dark morph Ferruginous Hawk that glided directly overhead at 1546, a season-high and single-day site record total of 54 Rough-legged Hawks, all of which were light morphs, 30 Golden Eagles (17a, 3sa, 6j, 4u) and 1 Prairie Falcon. The movement was initially slow and very sporadic in the strong winds and by 1300 only 16 migrants had been recorded, but the pace quickened throughout the afternoon and climaxed, after the wind-shift, at 42 between 1700 and 1745. This period saw 7 Bald Eagles and 33 Rough-legged Hawks move mainly from east to west and included prolonged soaring of up to a dozen birds at a time above Vicki Ridge. It was quite the sight! Other migrant birds were 1 adult California Gull, 21 European Starlings, 1 Bohemian Waxwing, 175 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches in 5 flocks, and 10 Red Crossbills.

9 hours (280.4) BAEA 13 (97), SSHA 12 (735), COHA 1 (88), NOGO 1 (72), RTHA 1 (224), FEHA 1 (6), RLHA 54 (336), GOEA 30 (1418), PRFA 1 (3) TOTAL 114 (3121)

Steeples [Day 26] (Vance Mattson) 1330-1530. Observation from the South Lakit site where the temperature was 12C, winds were moderate to strong S-SW and cloud cover was 100% altostratus and cumulus. The only raptor seen was a migrant adult Peregrine Falcon.

2 hours (121) PEFA 1 (2) TOTAL 2 (416)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 33

HOURS 363.7

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 84

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 5

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 77

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 22

Accipiter sp. (UA) 3

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 29

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 1

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 21

Butte sp. (UB) 9

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 2711

Eagle sp. (UE) 6

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 3

MERLIN (MERL) 5

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 2

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 6

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 6

Falco sp. (UF) 2

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 2

TOTAL 3014