Friday, October 26 Mount Lorette [Day 33] 0825-1750 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Joel Duncan). The temperature at 0825 was 3C, the high was 10C at 1400 and 1500, and it was 5C at the end of observation. Ground winds were SW all day 5-10 gusting to 20-35 km/h, and ridge winds were strong SW all day. Cloud cover was initially 100% altostratus that became mainly cumulus and reduced to 30% at 1300 before gradually increasing again throughout the afternoon and was again 100% stratus at the end of the day. Light rain started to fall at 1600 and heavy rain at 1750 brought the count to an early close. The eastern ridges were clear until the end when they quickly clouded over, and the west was clear until 1100 after which it became increasingly occluded and also reached 100% at the end of the day. A total of 50 migrant raptors of 4 species moved between 1000 and 1652 comprising 2a Bald Eagles, 1u small Accipiter, 1u Northern Goshawk, 1 light morph Rough-legged Hawk and 44 Golden Eagles (26a, 1sa, 2j, 15u). All the eagles glided high above the Fisher Range but none were seen at Mount Lorette, and the maximum hourly count was 17 (15 Golden Eagles) between 1400 and 1500. One or 2 resident Golden Eagles were seen and a non-migrant adult Bald Eagle perched on a spruce tree near the river. Other birds seen were 2 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 3 Canada Jays, 2 Black-billed Magpies, 6 Common Ravens, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Mountain Chickadee 1 Brown Creeper, 1 American Dipper, 10 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 30 White-winged Crossbills and 20 Pine Siskins. Eleven visitors were at the site today.

9.42 hours (347.7) BAEA 2 (143), NOGO 1 (31), UA 1 (8), RLHA 1 (30), GOEA 44 (2388), UE 1 (25) TOTAL 50 (2757)

Friday, October 26 Vicki Ridge [Day 30] 0845-1800 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson to 1530 and Gord Petersen after 1530, observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite). The temperature was 6C at the start, rose to a high of 10C at 1500 and was 8C at 1800. Winds were strong WSW and occasionally W all day that gusted 50-60 km/h to 1500 and then increased to 70-80 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 100% uniform grey stratus to 1030 after which it was 80-100% dark cumulus to the west and cirrus, cirrostratus and cirrocumulus overhead and to the east with the rain clouds periodically moving east bringing light rain showers in the morning and again late in the day. The unsettled weather produced the lowest count at the site since October 13 with 54 birds of 5 species counted between 0933 and 1730. The count was 17 Bald Eagles (10a, 2sa, 3j, 1 undifferentiated immature, 1u) that equals the highest count of the season, 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 adult Northern Goshawks, 7 Rough-legged Hawks (2 light, 2 dark, 3u) and 26 Golden Eagles (21a, 2j, 3u) The highest hourly count was 15 between 1400 and 1500 but movement became sporadic after 1500 as the wind velocity increased. Other birds were scarce but included 5 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 42 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 12 Pine Siskins.

9.25 hours (269.5) BAEA 17 (211), SSHA 2 (619), NOGO 2 (74), RLHA 7 (310), GOEA 26 (2349) TOTAL 54 (3951)

Friday, October 26 Steeples [NO OBSERVATION] (Vance Mattson). Rain fell until 1400 but the mountains remained shrouded by cloud. Vance periodically watched from his home in Wasa but saw no raptors.

Thursday, October 25 Mount Lorette [Day 32] 0815-1900 (Joel Duncan, assisted by Brian McBride). It was a warm day with a starting temperature of 6C, a high at 1600 of 11C and 8C at the end of observation. Ground winds were steady W-SW all day 5-15 gusting up to 27 km/h, and ridge winds were strong SW all day. Cloud cover was a 50-80% mixture of mostly cumulus and altostratus to 1400 then 70-80% cirrus and cirrostratus to 1900 when it reduced to 50%. The top of Mount Kidd was in cloud at 0900 and 1000 but otherwise the mountains were completely clear. A total of 40 Golden Eagles (21a, 6sa, 2j, 11u) moved between 0840 and 1650 with a high hourly count of 15 between 1200 and 1300. One bird glided high from the summit of Mount Lorette above the centre of the valley, but the rest were initially located at the northern end of the Fisher Range where many birds were visibly buffeted by the strong winds. The only other migrant raptor seen was an unaged Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a resident Northern Goshawk was heard calling near the parking area early in the morning. The flock of 22 Cassin’s Finches was seen again and the other non-raptor highlight was a pair of White-winged Scoters that flew to the south against the face of the Fisher Range. Almost 100 visitors made it to the site today including 60 pupils and staff from West Ridge School in Calgary.

10.75 hours (338.2) SSHA 1 (64), GOEA 40 (2344) TOTAL 41 (2707)

Thursday, October 25 Vicki Ridge [Day 29] 0845-1805 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson and Gord Petersen observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite, and Gord Petersen observing from the Waterton 68 Wellsite, 1420-1730). The temperature at 0845 was 7C, the high at 1600 was 11C and it was 8.5C at the end of observation. Winds were strong WSW to W all day 30-50 gusting 60-80 km/h to 1500 and 30-40 gusting 50-60 km/h for the rest of the day. Cloud cover was 10-20% Cumulus to 1030 after which it quickly clouded over and was a complex mixture of 80-100% cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus and dark cumulus for the rest of the day that provided excellent viewing conditions. Movement was initially very slow with only 5 birds seen before 1400, but then picked up and the final count was 111 migrant raptors of 6 species that occurred between 0932 and 1756. The total comprised 10 Bald Eagles (3a, 4sa, 2j, 1u), 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1u), 3 adult calurus Red-tailed Hawks (2 light, 1 dark), 18 Rough-legged Hawks (15 light, 2 dark, 1u), 74 Golden Eagles (47a, 11sa, 5j, 11u) and 1 unidentified eagle. The total includes 45 migrants seen by Gord Petersen at the western edge of Kyllo Ridge near the Waterton 68 wellsite that comprised 2 adult Bald Eagles, 2u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 5 light morph Rough-legged Hawks and 35 Golden Eagles (23a, 6sa, 3j, 3u). The busiest hours were 34 (1500-1600) and 32 (1600-1700) with both hours seeing the passage of 24 Golden Eagles. Other birds seen included 1 juvenile Northern Shrike, 35 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 8 Red Crossbills and 3 Pine Siskins.

9.33 (260.2) BAEA 10 (194), SSHA 2 (617), NOGO 3 (72), RTHA 3 (169), RLHA 18 (303), GOEA 74 (2323), UE 1 (4) TOTAL 111 (3897)

Thursday, October 25 Steeples [Day 32] 1230-1730 (Vance Mattson). The temperature was 12C but fell to 9C by 1700, winds were strong S and cloud cover was 90-100% altostratus and cumulus; light rain fell between 1620 and 1700. The only migrant seen was an adult Bald Eagle at 1424 which was just the 6^th migrant Bald Eagle since October 13 and the first since October 17. A resident Golden Eagle was kiting above the ridge when Vance arrived at the site.

5 hours (142) BAEA 1 (86) TOTAL 1 (419)

Wednesday, October 24 Mount Lorette [Day 31] 0830-1850 (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Joel Duncan). The temperature reached a high of 10C at 1400 and 1500 from a morning low of -1C and it was 7C at the end of observation. Ground winds were SW all day, 0-5 km/h in the morning but gusted 20-30 km/h in the afternoon, while ridge winds were strong SW all day. Cloud cover was 100-80% altostratus, cumulus and altocumulus to 1700 after which it gradually thinned to 20% at the end of the day. The west was 40% obscured between 1400 and 1600 and there were light rain showers around 1600. The cloud cover made aging of high-flying eagles difficult as most were merely silhouettes. A total of 45 migrant raptors of 3 species moved between 0905 and 1759 comprising 2u Bald Eagles, 1 unidentified Accipiter, 41 Golden Eagles (23a, 1sa, 17u) and 1 unidentified eagle. All birds moved on the eastern route mostly high above the Fisher Range and 34 were seen after 1300 with a maximum hourly count of 11 (10 Golden Eagles) between 1400 and 1500. No resident birds were seen but 2 separate migrant Golden Eagles performed brief display flights before continuing to glide high to the SE. An adult Northern Shrike was seen apparently attempting to predate an American Dipper which repeatedly dived beneath the surface of the river to avoid capture, before the shrike itself was chased away by a flock of 4 Canada Jays. A flock of 24 Cassin’s Finches perched in a leafless aspen tree near the site and were photographed by Caroline. Ten visitors were at the site today.

10.33 (327.5) BAEA 2 (141), UA 1 (7), GOEA 41 (2304), UE 1 (24), TOTAL 45 (2666)

Wednesday, October 24 Vicki Ridge [Day 27] 0845-1800 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson and Gord Petersen observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite). The temperature at 0845 was 10C, the high at 1300 was 13C and it was 9.5C at the end of observation. Winds were W-WSW all day 30-50 gusting 60-70 km/h in the morning and 30-40 gusting 50-60 km/h in the afternoon. Cloud cover was 100-80% altostratus, altocumulus and cumulus that formed a Chinook arch to 1130 which quickly cleared to 10% cumulus at 1200 and was 10-20% cumulus to 1730 when it increased to 40% scattered cumulus. The exception was around 1500 when 80% dark cumulus moved rapidly from the west and produced a light rain shower for 10 minutes before just as quickly dissipating. Raptor movement was sporadic between 0912 and 1717 and a total of 71 birds of 5 species was seen comprising 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 1sa, 1j), 2 adult Northern Goshawks, 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 7 Rough-legged Hawks (5 light, 2u) and 56 Golden Eagles (39a, 3sa, 8j, 6u). The highest hourly count was 18 that included 13 Golden Eagles from 1600 to 1700, but only a single bird, an adult Golden Eagle, was seen after 1700. Other birds were scarce but included 1 Ruffed Grouse, 1 male Hairy Woodpecker, 3 Canada Jays, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 4 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches and 10 Pine Siskins.

9.25 hours (250.9) BAEA 4 (184), NOGO 2 (69), RTHA 2 (166), RLHA 7 (285), GOEA 56 (2249), TOTAL 71 (3786)

Wednesday, October 24 Steeples [Day 31] 1530-1800 (Vance Mattson). Rain showers preceded Vance’s arrival at the site where the temperature was 13C, winds were moderate to strong S and cloud cover was 40-60% cumulus. No migrants nor resident raptors were seen.

2.5 hours (137) TOTAL 0 (418)

Tuesday, October 23 Mount Lorette [Day 30] 0815-1900 (Rick Robb and Cliff Hansen). The starting temperature was -5C, the high was 15C at 1600 and it was 8C at 1900. Ground winds were light W all day, ridge winds were light SW and it was cloudless all day. The first migrant, a Bald Eagle, was not seen until 1330 and the first Golden Eagle did not appear until 1358 but the pace then quickened and when the last 2 Golden Eagles went south at 1828 a total of 74 migrants of 3 species had been recorded. The count was 5 adult Bald Eagles, 1 adult Sharp-shinned Hawk and 67 Golden Eagles (57a, 3sa, 4j, 3u). Most birds were initially located at the northern end of the Fisher Range and most movement involved flapping flight and brief attempts at soaring in the light-air conditions. Only late in the day did the birds manage to glide high above the ridge. Maximum hourly movement was 21, including 19 Golden Eagles, between 1700 and 1800, and 10 Golden Eagles were recorded between 0800 and 1828. Other birds seen were 15 unidentified swans flying high to the north above Mount Lorette which were probably heading for Lac des Arcs in the Bow Valley, 2 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Canada Jays, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 8 Common Ravens, 2 Pine Grosbeaks and 10 Dark-eyed Juncos of the race cismontanus. Six visitors were at the site today.

10.75 hours (317.2) BAEA 5 (139), SSHA 1 (63), GOEA 67 (2263), UE 1 (23) TOTAL 74 (2621)

Tuesday, October 23 Vicki Ridge [Day 26] 0845-1745 (Doug and Teresa Dolman, assisted by Raymond Toal and Gord Petersen observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite). It was the warmest day of the season with a starting temperature of 8C, a high of 22C at 1400 and 1500 and it was still 14C at 1800. Winds were light SW to 1100 and subsequently mainly W-WSW 15-20 gusting 25 km/h. It was cloudless until 1100 when traces of cirrus developed that expanded to 10-30% until 1800 when it increased to 60%. A total of 65 migrant raptors of 6 species were recorded between 1104 and 1742 that comprised 14 Bald Eagles (5a, 8sa, 1j), 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 5u), 2 Northern Goshawks (1a, 1j), 2 unidentified Accipiters, 1 adult rufous morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 13 Rough-legged Hawks (12 light, 1 dark) and 27 Golden Eagles (15a, 5sa, 3j, 3u). Most birds migrated above Vicki Ridge and the busiest hours were 15, including 5 Bald Eagles and 6 Golden Eagles between 1500 and 1600, and 14, including 10 Rough-legged Hawks and 2 Golden Eagles between 1700 and 1742. Other birds seen were 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 juvenile Northern Shrike, 3 Canada Jays, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 10 Common Ravens, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 5 American Robins and 3 Red Crossbills, and a single Mourning Cloak butterfly was also recorded.

9 hours (241.7) BAEA 14 (180), SSHA 6 (615), NOGO 2 (67), UA 2 (7), RTHA 1 (164), RLHA 13 (278), GOEA 27 (2193) TOTAL 65 (3715)

Tuesday, October 23 Steeples [Day 30] 1300-1800 (Vance Mattson). A temperature of 11C, calm conditions and a cloudless sky again produced a slow migration day with only 3 birds recorded: an adult female Northern Harrier at 1556 and single juvenile Golden Eagles at 1423 and 1632. The resident adult female Golden Eagle was again conspicuous soaring, and perching on the ridge for up to 70 minutes.

5 hours (134.5) NOHA 1 (14), GOEA 2 (143) TOTAL 3 (418)

Monday, October 22 Mount Lorette [Day 29] 0730-1900 (George Halmazna, assisted by Dan Parliament). The temperature was -8C at 0730 but reached a high of 13C at 1600 and was 3C on departure. Ground winds were very light (<5 km/h) SW and occasionally SE all day, and ridge winds were light SW all day. It was cloudless to 1600 after which there was 10% cirrus for the rest of the day. The pleasant weather produced a raptor migration of 46 birds of 5 species that moved between 1156 and 1723 and comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 1 juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, 1 adult Northern Goshawk and 42 Golden Eagles (32a, 7j, 3u). All the birds used the eastern route and were mainly initially located over the north ridge of Mount Lorette from where the crossed the valley and moved with flapping flight either behind or across the face of the northern end of the Fisher Range. Maximum movement was 1600-1700 when 16 Golden Eagles were counted. There was a good variety of other birds in the area including 5 Ruffed Grouse, one of which was heard drumming, a female Red-breasted Merganser that was probably a new species for the site, 1 female Common Merganser, 1 Varied Thrush, 24 Bohemian Waxwings, 8 Pine Grosbeaks, 3 male Cassin’s Finches, 1 White-winged Crossbill, 5 Evening Grosbeaks and 9 Pine Siskins. Thirty-one visitors enjoyed both the birds and the weather.

11.5 hours (306.4) BAEA 1 (134), NOHA 1 (7), COHA 1 (7), NOGO 1 (30) GOEA 42 (2196) TOTAL 46 (2547)

Monday, October 22 Vicki Ridge [Day 26] 0845-1745 (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Hilary Atkinson observing from the ridgetop). It was a beautiful day and a real pleasure to be back on top of the ridge again. The temperature was -3C at 0845 and rose to a high of 16C at 1500 and 1600 and was still 14C at the end of observation. Winds were W-WSW all day 10-15 gusting to 22 km/h apart from the first and last hours when it was calm. It was cloudless to 1130 and again at 1800 but for the rest of the day there was 10-30% cirrostratus cover that provided reasonably good observing conditions. The day produced a fairly strong and varied raptor movement that involved 85 birds of 7 species that were seen between 0931 and 1729, although only 2 of these birds were seen before 1210. The count was 16 Bald Eagles (9a, 6sa, 1j), 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 1j, 1u), a season-high 13 Northern Goshawks (10a, 2j, 1u), 1 adult dark morph harlani Red-tailed Hawk, 11 Rough-legged Hawks (9 light, 2 dark), 39 Golden Eagles (21a, 5sa, 13j) and 1 adult male Prairie Falcon. The highest hourly count was 24 between 1600 and 1700, and 1300-1400 and 1400-1500 produced 19 and 20 birds respectively. Most of the late afternoon movement involved slow high soaring flight which gave us time to fully enjoy watching the birds under perfect viewing light. Other birds seen on and from the ridge were 17 Canada Geese migrating in 2 flocks, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 juvenile Northern Shrike, 4 Canada Jays, 5 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 116 Common Ravens including 80 after 1730 that soared in flocks of up to 30 birds before flying to the west, 15 Mountain Chickadees, 5 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 5 American Robins, a single flock of 30 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches that flew south at 1530, 3 female red Crossbills, 2 female Cassin’s Finches, 10 Evening Grosbeaks and 8 Pine Siskins. One Mourning Cloak butterfly flew in the late afternoon sunshine. It was a very enjoyable idyllic day.

9.5 hours (232.7) BAEA 16 (166), SSHA 4 (609), NOGO 13 (65), RTHA 1 (163), RLHA 11 (265), GOEA 39 (2166), PRFA 1 (4) TOTAL 85 (3650)

Monday, October 22 Steeples [Day 29] 1530-1800 (Vance Mattson). The warm stable weather system persisted with a temperature of 13C, calm conditions and a cloudless sky that failed to produce any migrant raptors. The resident Golden Eagle pair was seen, especially the female that was conspicuous perching on the ridge on three occasions and was mobbed by ravens each time she took flight.

2.5 hours (129.5) TOTAL 0 (415)

Sunday, October 21 Mount Lorette [Day 28] 0755-1900 (Bill Wilson, assisted by Lori Anderson, James Bannon, Theresa Cawron and Gord Petersen). The temperature was -3C at 0800, rose to a high of 12C at 1600 and was 7C at 1900. Ground winds were SW 2-12 km/h to 1400 after which they were NE 2-12 gusting up to 20 km/h; ridge winds appeared to be moderate SW all day. Cloud cover was 40-90% cirrostratus and cirrus to 1200 after which it completely cleared to 1700 when 100% thin cirrostratus again formed. Conditions were good for migration and produced 133 migrant raptors of 7 species that moved between 0830 and 1805. The count was a season-high 38 Bald Eagles (21a, 14sa, 2j and 1 undifferentiated immature bird), 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1j, 4u), 5 Northern Goshawks (3a, 2j), 3 Red-tailed Hawks (2 (1a, 1j) dark calurus and 1a dark harlani), 4 light morph Rough-legged Hawks, 75 Golden Eagles (46a, 4sa, 17j, 8u), 2 undifferentiated eagles and 1 large unidentified falcon. With the exception of a few Bald Eagles and the falcon all birds flew high from Mount Lorette to the Fisher Range and at one time 6 Golden Eagles soared together over Lorette. Early movement was slow and only 5 raptors were seen before 1200 but the rate steadily increased throughout the afternoon and peaked at 39 birds (14 Bald and 24 Golden Eagles) between 1400 and 1500. One adult resident Golden Eagle was seen to the west and 1 adult non-migrant Bald Eagle perched on a spruce by the river. The non-raptor bird highlight was a flock of 10 Humorous finches perched on aspens close to the site which included 3 male Cassin’s Finches and 1 female Purple Finch. Other birds recorded included 3 Ruffed Grouse, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 2 White-winged Crossbills, 9 American Tree Sparrows and 1 cismontanus Dark-eyed Junco. A single Mourning Cloak was the only butterfly seen. A total of 24 visitors were at the site today.

11.67 hours (294.9) BAEA 38 (133), SSHA 5 (62), NOGO 5 (29), RTHA 3 (27), RLHA 4 (29), GOEA 75 (2154), UE 2 (22), UF 1 (4) TOTAL 133 (2501)

Sunday, October 21 Vicki Ridge [Day 25] 0845-1745 (Peter Sherrington, observing from the Waterton 61 wellsite). The temperature at 0845 was 6C the high at 1300 was 16C which fell abruptly to 11.5C at 1400 as the winds shifted from west to east, and it was 9C at the end of observation at 1745. Winds were W-WNW 10-20 km/h to 1400 when they switched to E-SE 15-20 km/h and became light after 1700. Cloud cover was cirrostratus all day: 30-40% to 1000, 80% at 1100 and 100% throughout the afternoon that gave excellent observing conditions. Unfortunately there was only a mediocre raptor movement between 1106 and 1510 involving 63 birds of 6 species. The count was 7 Bald Eagles (6a, 1sa), 9 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 7u), 5 adult Northern Goshawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks ( 1j light calurus and 1a dark harlani), 20 Rough-legged Hawks (17 light 1 dark, 2u) and 20 Golden Eagles (13a, 4sa, 3j). The highest hourly count was 24 including 8 Golden Eagles, between 1300 and 1400. This hourly count includes 3 adult Bald Eagles and 2 Golden Eagles seen moving to the east of Vicki Ridge by Connie Simmons. No migrants were seen after 1510 as the winds became light. It is possible that westerly winds persisted longer towards the west and eagles might have been moving south above the Carbondale Ridge. Other birds seen included 1 Steller’s Jay, 9 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 240 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches that migrated to the south in 6 flocks, 14 Red Crossbills and 20 Pine Siskins, 10 of which also flew to the south. A single Mourning Cloak was the only butterfly seen.

9 hours (223.2) BAEA 7 (150), SSHA 9 (605), NOGO 5 (52), RTHA 2 (162), RLHA 20 (254), GOEA 20 (2127) TOTAL 63 (3565)

Sunday, October 21 Steeples [NO OBSERVATION] (Vance Mattson). Because of disappointing results at the Steeples site Vance decided to check out the Purcell Mountains to the west of the Rocky Mountain Trench, which did not lead to anything conclusive but was interesting nonetheless.  Here is his report. “At 1250, 35 km west on St. Mary’s Lake Road, I spotted an adult Bald Eagle soaring amongst 4 ravens on the north saddle of Mount Bonner; it soared for 10 minutes, before soaring south over Mount Bonner.  4 Mountain Goats were also seen grazing on the ridge of the saddle.  I then drove closer and at 1310 an adult Golden Eagle was seen soaring at the same place.  This eagle was then joined by perhaps a new adult Bald Eagle, and both soared extensively, showing no migratory behaviour.  More ravens joined in, before the eagles could no longer be seen from my vantage point.  Then, at 1339, 2 Golden Eagles were seen soaring (an adult – perhaps the same bird, and a young sub-adult with a missing secondary feather).  Again, no migratory behaviour was observed, and the eagles again could no longer be seen.  Then, an adult of each eagle species were seen (though I am assuming the Golden was again the same bird).  Lastly, an unaged Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen, soaring in the same area.  This all occurred between 1250 and 1405.  The 17 ravens that erupted over the ridge at a certain juncture gave the impression that the eagles and ravens were busy on a gut-pile.  As I was searching for a better vantage point an unidentified eagle was seen gliding south over Mount Bonner.  I drove north up the St. Mary’s Road hoping to find a vantage point of the prominent ridge of St. Mary’s Alpine Provincial Park, which however did not manifest.  It turned out the original vantage point is the most promising of the those visited today”.