Saturday, September 30 [Day 10] (Jim Davis, assisted by Ruth Morrow) 0755-1945. The starting temperature was 5C, the high at 1700 was 14C and it was 12C at the end of observation. Ground winds were calm to light all day and ridge winds were light to moderate SW-SSW. Cloud cover was 90-100% stratocumulus and cumulus to 1600 when it became 80% cumulus that gradually reduced to 60% at the end of the day, finally allowing some sunshine. The western mountains were 10-20% obscured to 1000 but otherwise all ridges were clear. Conditions were favourable for migration and produced a season-high count of 106 birds of 9 species that moved between 0817 and 1915. The count was a season high 12 Bald Eagles (4a, 2sa, 6j), a season high 12 Sharp-shinned Hawks (4a, 8u), a season high 3 Cooper’s Hawks (1j, 2u), 2 Northern Goshawks (1a. 1j), the season’s first Broad-winged Hawk, an adult light morph bird, 3 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (2a, 1j), a season high 2 Rough-legged Hawks (1 light, 1 dark), a season high 70 Golden Eagles (31a, 7sa, 7j, 25u), and 1u columbarius Merlin. Only 9 birds were seen to the W and the rest moved south along the Fisher Range. Only 1 bird was seen over Lorette and the rest were located at the northern end of the Fisher Range and probably originated from Heart Mountain to the north. The movement was steady all day and the highest hourly count was 18 between 1500 and 1600. Other migrant birds noted were 16 Snow Geese, 115 Canada Geese in 4 flocks, 37 American Robins, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 Savannah Sparrow and 15 Pine Siskins. A Mountain Goat was atop the Fisher Range ridge and a single Elk was heard bugling. The 51 visitors to the site had plenty of opportunities to view migrating eagles. The strong movement of both raptors and other species was probably ahead of a weather system that is forecast to bring rain and snow to the area for the next two days.

11.67 hours (120.6) BAEA 12 (28), SSHA12 (44), COHA 3 (9), NOGO 2 (10), BWHA 1 (1), RTHA 3 (15), RLHA 2 (3), GOEA 70 (276), MERL 1 (2) TOTAL 106 (400)

Lorette September Summary (September 20-30), with variances to 1993-2015 averages (excluding 1997, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008) Days 10 (-7.3%), Hours 120.6 (+1.0%) Turkey Vulture 0, Osprey 1 (-53.7%), Bald Eagle 28 (+54.2%), Northern Harrier 2 (-59.6%), Sharp-shinned Hawk 44 (-23.0%), Cooper’s Hawk 9 (-20.8%), Northern Goshawk 10 (+31.0%), Broad-winged Hawk 1 (-55.8%), Swainson’s Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 15 (-17.2%), Rough-legged Hawk 3 (+67.6%), Golden Eagle 270 (-25.0%), American Kestrel 0, Merlin 2 (-30.9%), Gyrfalcon 0, Peregrine Falcon 3 (+72.7%), Prairie Falcon 0, UA 1 (+69.8%), UB 2 (+100%), UE 2 (+375%), UF 0, UU 1 (-42.4%), TOTAL 400 (-20.9%)

Vicki Ridge [Day 11] (Peter Sherrington) 0900-1700. The temperature was 11C all day with only a brief rise to 12C at 1400. Winds were constant WSW28-40 gusting to 50km/h to 1700 when they became W 35-40 Km/h, and cloud cover was 100% altostratus and cumulus that began to break up only at 1700 to produce the first sunshine of the day just when I had to leave! There was a reasonably good raptor movement of 59 birds of 7 species between 0916 and 1631 that comprised 22 Sharp-shinned Hawks (7a, 15u), 1 adult Cooper’s Hawk, 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1u), 4 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (3a light morphs and 1j dark morph), 25 Golden Eagles (10a, 4sa, 8j, 3u), 3 American Kestrels (2 female, 1u) and 1 adult female columbarius Merlin. Twenty-nine birds moved before noon but the flow gradually dwindled throughout the afternoon. Other birds included a flock of 25 Snow Geese and 2 adult California Gulls that moved south west of the ridge, but migrant songbirds were rare in the windy conditions and comprised only 2 American Robins, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler and 1 Pine Siskin. According to the forecast we are also going to get rain and snow for the next couple of days so migration prospects are poor.

8 hours (90.83) SSHA 22 (368), COHA 1 (48), NOGO 3 (33), RTHA 4 (70), GOEA 25 (112), AMKE 3 (16), MERL 1 (11) TOTAL 59 (716)

Vicki Ridge September Summary (September 23-28) 11 days (90.83 hours) Turkey Vulture 0, Osprey 7, Bald Eagle 11, Northern Harrier 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk 368, Cooper’s Hawk 48, Northern Goshawk 33, Broad-winged Hawk 14, Swainson’s Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 70, Ferruginous Hawk 4, Rough-legged Hawk 1, Golden Eagle 112, American Kestrel 16, Merlin 11, Gyrfalcon 1, Peregrine Falcon 7, Prairie Falcon 0, UA 1, UB 2, UE 0, UU 0 TOTAL 716

Steeples [Day 7] (Vance Mattson) 1130-1700. The temperature was 16C at 1130 and reached a high of 18C before falling again to 16C at the end of observation. Winds were moderate S toW until 1600 when they became strong S, and cloud cover was 60-100% altostratus, cumulus and altocumulus that produced light rain from 1300 to 1330. Conditions for migration appeared favourable but only 4 birds were seen: 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk and 1 adult Golden Eagle. Non-migrants were 2 juvenile Bald Eagles, 2 adult Sharp-shinned Hawks and a number of adult Red-tailed Hawks that were seen hunting throughout the observation period.

5.5 hours (32.5) BAEA 1 (31), SSHA 1 (61), RTHA 1 (39), GOEA 1 (16) TOTAL 4 (174)

Steeples September Summary (September 20-30) 7 days (32.5 hours) Turkey Vulture 1, Osprey 2, Bald Eagle 31, Northern Harrier 6, Sharp-shinned Hawk 61, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Northern Goshawk 5, Broad-winged Hawk 4, Swainson’s Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 39, Ferruginous Hawk 0, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 16, American Kestrel 6, Merlin 1, Gyrfalcon 0, Peregrine Falcon 9, Prairie Falcon 0, UA 0, UB 0, UE 0, UU 0 TOTAL 174

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 10

HOURS 120.6

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 28

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 44

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 9

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 10

Accipiter sp. (UA) 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 1

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 15

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 3

Buteo sp. (UB) 2

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 276

Eagle sp. (UE) 2

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 2

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 3

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 400

Friday, September 29 [Day 9] (Blake Weis) 0735-1945. The temperature again reached 21C at 2100 from a morning low of 5C, and at the end of observation it was 14C. Ground winds were NW 0-5 gusting 10 km/h to 1000 then variable S-SW-SE 0-10 gusting 20 km/h to 1800 after which they were 0-5 km/h; ridge winds were W-SW light to moderate all day. It was again cloudless with the exception of 1500-1700 when 10% cirrus developed. A season-high 73 raptors of 4 species migrated between 0835 and 1905 comprising 1 subadult Bald Eagle, 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks (2a, 1j, 2u), the first Rough-legged Hawk of the season, a dark morph juvenile, and a season high 65 Golden Eagles (12a, 7sa, 33j, 13u). Movement was steady all day but peaked in the evening with 33 of the birds moving between 1700 and 1905. Only 4 birds used the W route, all between 1000 and 1100, and the Golden Eagles all moved above the Fisher Range although only 19 were initially located at Mount Lorette. Resident and non-migrant birds were an adult male Sharp-shinned Hawk hunting in the meadow, 1 or 2 Northern Goshawks, 1 adult Golden Eagle and a Prairie Falcon that was seen hunting a meadow high at the northern end of the Fisher Range. Other bird species were fairly common and included 2 single unidentified white-headed gulls flying high to the south, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 9 American Robins, 2 Lapland Longspurs, 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 1 White-throated Sparrow, 1 Dark-eyed Junco, 4 White-winged Crossbills and 37 Pine Crossbills. There were 11 visitors to the site today.

12.33 hours (108.9) BAEA 1 (16), SSHA 6 (32) RLHA 1 (1) GOEA 65 (206) TOTAL 73 (294)

Vicki Ridge [Day 10] (Peter Sherrington) 0900-1830 and Kylo Ridge near Waterton 68 well site (Denise Cocciolone-Amatto, Raymond Toal) 1310-1700. The temperature was already 12C on the ridge at 0900 that rose to a high of 21C at 1400 and 1500 and was still 18C at the end of observation. Winds were SW-WSW 30-40 gusting to 47 km/h to 1200 after which they were W, and occasionally NW, 22-35 gusting 50 km/h throughout the afternoon. It was again cloudless with the exception of 1300-1500 when 10-30% cirrus cloud developed. There was a strong and persistent raptor movement all day involving 11 species that migrated between 0910 and 1819. The flight comprised 1 subadult Bald Eagle, 4 juvenile Northern Harriers (1 female, 3 males), a site record 110 Sharp-shinned Hawks (82a, 6j, 22u), 7 Cooper’s Hawks (4a, 2j, 1u), 4 Northern Goshawks (3a, 1j), 3 Broad-winged Hawks (2a light, 1j dark), 14 Red-tailed Hawks (calurus 11 light adults, 2 dark: 1j, 1u; harlani dark 1j), 2 adult Ferruginous Hawks (1 “intermediate”, 1 dark), 2 unidentified dark morph Buteos, 21 Golden Eagles (4a, 2sa, 15j), 3 American Kestrels (2 females, 1 male) and 1 adult male Peregrine Falcon. Maximum hourly movement was 27 birds between 1100 and 1200 and again from 1200 and 1300. The adult “intermediate” Ferruginous Hawk seen soaring at 1230 (which was, incidentally, also the 500^th migrant of the season) sported a plumage that I had never seen either in the field or illustrated. The head, body and tail were all pure white but the under wing coverts were black. It was a really beautiful bird and I would be interested in hearing from anybody who may have seen or heard of a similar plumage in the species. Other birds on the wind-swept ridge were scarce and included 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 American Robin, 1 female Varied Thrush and 2 Pine Siskins. A single Mourning Cloak was the only butterfly seen.

The count about 2 km to the west of Vicki Ridge on Kylo Ridge near the Shell Waterton 68 gas well site yielded a further 47 migrants of 9 species that comprised 1 Osprey, 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 juvenile Northern Harrier, 23 Sharp-shinned Hawks (14a, 9u), 2 adult Cooper’s Hawks, 1 juvenile Northern Goshawk, 1 small unidentified Accipiter, 4 Red-tailed Hawks (calurus 2 light adults, 1 rufous juvenile; 1 adult dark harlani), 11 Golden Eagles (5a, 2sa, 4j), and 2 American Kestrels (1 female, 1u). The combined count involving 219 migrants of 12 species is given below.

(Combined count) 9.5 hours (82.83) OSPR 1 (7), BAEA 2 (11), NOHA 5 (9), SSHA 133 (346), COHA 9 (47), NOGO 5 (30), UA 1 (1), BWHA 3 (14), RTHA 18 (66), FEHA 2 (4), UB 2 (2), GOEA 32 (87), AMKE 5 (13), PEFA 1 (7) TOTAL 219 (657)

Steeples [Day 6] (Vance Mattson) 1300-1700. The weather was similar to that of yesterday with the temperature reaching 24C, calm to light W winds that became moderate between 1600 and 1630 and cloudless skies. Fifteen migrants of 6 species were seen that comprised 1 Osprey, 4 Bald Eagles (2a, 1 late subadult, 1j), 7 Sharp-shinned Hawks (3a, 4u), the season’s first Cooper’s Hawk (a juvenile), 1 juvenile Northern Goshawk and 1 adult light morph Broad-winged Hawk. Non-migrants were an adult Bald Eagle, an adult Northern Goshawk and 4 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks.

4 hours (27) OSPR 1 (2), BAEA 4 (30), SSHA 7 (60), COHA 1 (1), NOGO 1 (5), BWHA 1 (4) TOTAL 15 (170)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 9

HOURS 108.9

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 16

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 32

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 6

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 8

Accipiter sp. (UA) 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 12

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 1

Buteo sp. (UB) 2

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 206

Eagle sp. (UE) 2

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 1

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 3

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 294

Thursday, September 28 [Day 8] (Caroline Lambert, assisted by Rick Robb) 0745-1930. The temperature at 0800 was 0C but it reached a season high of 21C at 1700 before falling to 15C at the end of observation. It was calm to 1100 then winds were S-SW 0-5 km/h to 1200, 5-10 km/h to 1800, then it was calm again for the rest of the day. Ridge winds were probably light SW all day and the sky was completely cloudless. With the exception of a single Bald Eagle seen to the west, all birds moved slowly along the Fisher Range with much flapping and soaring in the calm air but none rose significantly above the ridge. A total of 26 birds of 6 species moved after 1100 and comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 5u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2u Cooper’s Hawks, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, 1 unidentified dark morph Buteo, 15 Golden Eagles (3a, 2sa, 7j, 3u) and 1u Peregrine Falcon. Other birds seen were 2 Ruffed Grouse, 3 Grey Jays, 1 Clark’s Nutcracker, 6 American Crows, 10 Common Ravens, 4 American Robins, 1 White-throated Sparrow 2 Dark-eyed [“Oregon”] Juncos, and 15 Pine Siskins. A single Painted Lady butterfly was also on the wing. In contrast to yesterday’s crowds only 16 visitors came to the site today. [Correction to yesterday’s report: George McDougall High school is in Aidrie, not Calgary]

11.75 hours (96.59) BAEA 1 (15), SSHA 5 (26), COHA 2 (6), RTHA 1 (12), UB 1 (2), GOEA 15 (141) PEFA 1 (3) TOTAL 26 (221)

Vicki Ridge [Day 9] (Peter Sherrington) 0900-1830. The temperature was already 12C at 0900 and rose to a season high 22C at 1800. Winds were initially W 10-15 gusting 25 km/h; at 1250 they switched to E 2-10 km/h and at 1545 switched again to SW 15-20 gusting 25 km/h. It was completely cloudless all day giving summer-like conditions in late September. The first migrant was not seen until 1114 and 9 birds had flown south when the wind changed to E at 1250, the next 3 hours produced only 7 migrants but almost immediately after the winds shifted to SW there was a steady stream of birds with 26 more seen between 1600 and 1811. The final count of 42 birds of 11 species was 1 Osprey, 2 subadult Bald Eagles, 1 juvenile Northern Harrier, 13 Sharp-shinned Hawks (12a, 1u), 2 adult Cooper’s Hawks, 1 juvenile Northern Goshawk, 1 adult light morph Broad-winged Hawk, 5 calurus Red-tailed Hawks (3 light adults and 1 juvenile and 1u dark morphs), a season high 14 Golden Eagles (2a, 2sa, 8j, 2u), 1adult female columbarius Merlin and 1 adult male Peregrine Falcon. A few minutes after the wind shifted to the SW the resident male Golden Eagle soared high above the ridge and made a high intensity display flight almost as if it was celebrating the event! A juvenile Northern Shrike and a female Pine Grosbeak were both firsts for the season and other birds present were 2 Ruffed Grouse, 5 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, only 1 Mountain Bluebird, 22 American Robins, 2 Dark-eyed [“Oregon”] Juncos and 13 Red Crossbills. Most remarkable for late September, however, were the 6 species of butterfly flying on the ridge that comprised 4 very late Woodland Skippers, 1 Clouded Sulphur, 1 Mourning Cloak, 1 Green Comma, 1 Satyr Comma and 3 Painted Ladies.

9.5 hours (73.33) OSPR 1 (6), BAEA 2 (9), NOHA 1 (4), SSHA 13 (213), COHA 2 (38), NOGO 1 (25), BWHA 1 (11), RTHA 5 (48), GOEA 14 (55), MERL 1 (10), PEFA 1 (6) TOTAL 42 (438)

Steeples [Day 5] (Vance Mattson) 1400-1700. The temperature was 19C at 1400 but quickly warmed to a season high 24C where it remained for the rest of the observation period. It was mainly calm with occasional light W-SW winds and it was cloudless throughout. A total of 9 migrants of 4 species moved between 1408 and 1621 that comprised 5 Bald Eagles (4a, 1j), 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 1u), 1 juvenile light morph Broad-winged Hawk (that was the first bird of the day) and 1 adult Golden Eagle. Most birds soared lazily above the ridge. The only non-migrant raptor was an adult Bald Eagle.

3 hours (23) BAEA 5 (26), SSHA 2 (53), BWHA 1 (3), GOEA 1 (15) TOTAL 9 (155)

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 8

HOURS 96.59

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 15

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 26

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 6

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 8

Accipiter sp. (UA) 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 12

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 0

Buteo sp. (UB) 2

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 141

Eagle sp. (UE) 2

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 1

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 3

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1  P

TOTAL 221

Tuesday, September 26 [Day 6] (Cliff Hansen) 0720-1940. It was pleasant day with the temperature reaching 16C at 1600 and 1700 from a morning low of 2C, and it was 13C at the end of observation. Ground winds were generally less than 5 km/h except between 1200 and 1600 when they were SW 5-15 gusting 20 km/h, while ridge winds were SW light to moderate all day. Cloud cover was 20-60% variable altocumulus, altostratus, cumulus and cirrus giving generally excellent observing conditions. Despite this the day only produced 11 migrant raptors with all but one bird moving along the Fisher Range between 1026 and 1800. The count was 2 Bald Eagles (1sa, 1j), 8 Golden Eagles (1a, 1sa, 5j, 1u) and 1 large unidentified raptor. Non-migratory raptors were 1 Northern Goshawk calling near the parking area early in the morning, a Red-tailed Hawk and an adult Bald Eagle that flew to the north, and non-raptors included 1 Blue Jay, 6 American Robins and 11 American Pipits. The 51 visitors to the site included 35 students and staff from Western Canada High school in Calgary.

12.33 hours (73.34) BAEA 2 (13), GOEA 8 (91), UU 1 (1) TOTAL 11 (145)

Vicki Ridge (Peter Sherrington) [Day 7] 0900-1800. The temperature was 9C at 0900 reached a season high of 17C at 1700 and was 14C at 1800. Winds were moderate W-SW all day 10-20 km/h in the morning but of variable velocity in the afternoon that ranged from almost calm periods to 35-40 km/h around 1600. Cloud cover was initially 100% stratocumulus that produced light drizzle, but it gradually cleared from the west and by 1200 it was 30% cumulus; between 1300 and 1500 it became 70-80% dark and often towering cumulus that gave way after 1600 to 20-60% light cumulus and cirrus. During the dark cloud periods it was impossible to age the high flying smaller raptors, but observing conditions improved considerably by late afternoon. A total of 64 migrants of 10 species flew south between 1048 and 1740, although by noon only 2 birds had been seen. The count comprised 1 Osprey, 1 juvenile Bald Eagle, 39 Sharp-shinned Hawks (14a, 1j, 24u), 6 Cooper’s Hawks (3a, 1j, 2u), 3 Northern Goshawks (2a, 1j), 4 adult Red-tailed Hawks (3 light morph calurus and 1 dark harlani), the season’s first Rough-legged Hawk, a light morph juvenile female at 1416, 5 Golden Eagles (1a, 4j), 2 male columbarius Merlins (1a, 1u) and 2 Peregrine Falcons (1j male and 1u). Passerines on the ridge were relatively scarce but included 8 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 23 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 8 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire and 3 American Robins, and the warm weather produced single Clouded Sulphur and Mourning Cloak butterflies.

9 hours (53.83) OSPR 1 (4), BAEA 1 (7), SSHA 39 (190), COHA 6 (32), NOGO 3 (22), RTHA 4 (40), RLHA 1 (1), GOEA 5 (33), MERL 2 (8), PEFA 2 (5) TOTAL 64 (365)

Steeples [Day 4] (Vance Mattson) 1230-1700. The temperature was 16C at 1230 and reached a high of 20C before dipping to 18C at 1700. It was calm all day and cloud cover was 50-100% altostratus and altocumulus. The day produced only 3 migrants: a Turkey Vulture at 1437, an adult Bald Eagle at 1410 and a juvenile Northern Goshawk at 1305. Non migrants were two sightings of single Turkey Vultures, an adult Bald Eagle and an adult Red-tailed Hawk.

4.5 hours (20) TUVU 1 (1), BAEA 1 (21), NOGO 1 (4) TOTAL 3 (146)

Wednesday, September 27 [Day 7] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Caroline Lambert) 0800-1930. The temperature reached a season-high 19C at 1700 from a low of 0C and was 13C at the end of observation. Ground winds were light SW and ridge winds moderate SW. and cloud cover was 10-20% cirrus except at 1800 when it was 30% cirrus and cumulus which dwindled to 10% by 1900. Migration conditions were good and produced a season-high count of 50 raptors of 6 species between 1158 and 1827, all but 2 of which moved above to Fisher Range although none were seen over Mount Lorette. The count comprised 1 adult Bald Eagle, 6u Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Cooper’s Hawks (1j, 1u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 2 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 1 unidentified dark morph Buteo, 35 Golden Eagles (13a, 2sa, 9j, 10u) and 2 unidentified eagles. Thirty-five birds moved between 1200 and 1500 and the busiest hour was 14 between 1300 and 1400. Non-raptor migrants were 3 American Robins, 5 Lapland Longspurs, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 Wilson’s Warbler and 10 Pine Siskins. Butterflies were 1 Clouded Sulphur, 1 Polygonia sp. and 2 Mourning Cloaks. There was a record 208 visitors to the site today including 178 students and staff from Notre Dame High school in Calgary and 17 from George McDougal School in Calgary.

11.5 hours (84.84) BAEA 1 (14), SSHA 6 (21), COHA 2 (4), NOGO 1 (8), RTHA 2 (11), UB 1 (1), GOEA 35 (126), UE 2 (2) TOTAL 50 (195)

Vicki Ridge [Day 8] (Denise Cocciolone-Amatto, Raymond Toal and Pat Lucas; Peter Sherrington after 1530) 0830-1830. The initial temperature was 10C and reached a season high 18C at 1400 that held to 1800. Winds were W generally 7-15 km/h to 1400 when they switched to light E-NE and the last 3 hours were E 2-8 km/h. It was essentially cloudless to 1500 after which 10-30% cirrus and cumulus developed which facilitated the location of very high flying birds in the late afternoon. A total of 31 migrant raptors of 9 species moved between 1003 and 1750 with 19 of the birds recorded before 1145. The count was 1 Osprey, 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 10 Sharp-shinned Hawks (9a, 1u), 4 Cooper’s Hawks (3a, 1u), 2 adult Northern Goshawks, 1 adult dark morph Broad-winged Hawk, 3 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks, 8 Golden Eagles (4a, 4j), and 1u male columbarius Merlin. There was a good variety of non-raptors including 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 5 Northern Flicker (including 1 “Yellow-shafted” bird), 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 2 Grey Jays, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 9 Mountain Chickadees, 6 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 43 Mountain Bluebirds, 42 American Robins, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Red Crossbills and 1 Pine Siskin.

10 hours (63.83) OSPR 1 (5), NOHA 1 (3), SSHA 10 (200), COHA 4 (36), NOGO 2 (24), BWHA 1 (10), RTHA 3 (43), GOEA 8 (41), MERL 1 (9) TOTAL 31 (396)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) NO OBSERVATION

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 7

HOURS 84.84

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 14

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 21

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 4

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 8

Accipiter sp. (UA) 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 11

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 0

Buteo sp. (UB) 1

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 126

Eagle sp. (UE) 2

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 1

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 2

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 1

TOTAL 195

Monday, September 25 [Day 5] (George Halmazna, assisted by Dan Parliament) 0650-1930. The temperature was -1.5C to 0800 but rose to a season high 15.5C at 1600 and was 13C at 1900. Ground winds were SW light all day except around 1600 when they gusted to 20 km/h and ridge winds were SW light to moderate all day. Cloud cover was 0-30% cumulus to 1200 after which it slowly thickened in the afternoon to 90% cumulus and stratus which produced brief light rain showers in the area; the ridges were clear all day. The total of 38 migrants of 5 species that moved between 0821 and 1817 comprised 1 late subadult Bald Eagle, 1u Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2u Cooper’s Hawks, 3 light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawks (1a, 1j, 1u) and 31 Golden Eagles (12a, 1sa, 15j, 3u). There was a good variety of songbirds in the area including 2 Blue Jays, 3 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Townsend’s Solitaire, 43 American Robins, 2 American Pipits, 2 Snow Buntings, 1 Song Sparrow, 2 Lincoln’s Sparrows, 3 White-crowned Sparrows, 3 Common Grackles and 6 female or juvenile House Finches. The warm weather put a few butterflies on the wing: 1 Mourning Cloak and 4 Painted Ladies, but the highlight of the day was a family of Grizzly Bears (1 female with 2 cubs) that was seen feeding in a high alpine meadow just above the treeline at the northern end of the Fisher Range between 0750 and 1900. The day was shared by 45 visitors to the site including a school party from Aidrie.

12.67 hours (61.01) BAEA 1 (11), SSHA 1 (15), COHA 2 (12), RTHA 3 (9), GOEA 31 (83), TOTAL 38 (134)

Vicki Ridge (Peter Sherrington, assisted by Denise Cocciolone Amatto, Raymond Toal, Doug and Teresa Dolman) [Day 6] 0900-1815. The warming trend continued with a starting temperature at 0900 of 8C a high of 16C at 1600 and 14C at the end of observation. Winds were steady WSW all day 15-20 occasionally gusting to 25-30 km/h with variable 40-90% cumulus and stratocumulus cloud cover that made aging of migrants difficult during periods of thick cloud. There was a steady stream of raptors again dominated by Accipiters, but Golden Eagle numbers were still disappointingly low and Red-tailed Hawks were completely absent. The count of 80 migrants of 9 species that moved between 0946 and 1741 was 53 Sharp-shinned Hawks (21a, 2j, 30u), 6 Cooper’s Hawks (3a, 3u), 6 Northern Goshawks (4a, 1j, 1u), 3 juvenile light morph Broad-winged Hawks, 1 juvenile light morph Ferruginous Hawk, 7 Golden Eagles (2a, 5j, 3u), 3 columbarius Merlins (2 female, 1 male) and 1 adult female Peregrine Falcon. The highest hourly count was 26 between 1200 and 1300 but only 7 birds were seen after 1600 although they did include the Peregrine at 1721 and the Ferruginous Hawk at 1725. Other birds seen included 19 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 6 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 48 Mountain Bluebirds, 18 American Robins, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler and 1 Dark-eyed [Oregon] Junco.

9.25 hours (44.83) SSHA 53 (151), COHA 6 (26), NOGO 6 (19), BWHA 3 (9), FEHA 1 (2), GOEA 7 (28), MERL 3 (6), PEFA 1 (3) TOTAL 80 (301)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) NO OBSERVATION

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 5

HOURS 61.01

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 1

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 11

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 2

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 15

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 2

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 7

Accipiter sp. (UA) 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BWHA) 0

SWAINSON’S HAWK (SWHA) 0

RED-TAILED HAWK (RTHA) 9

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FEHA) 0

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (RLHA) 0

Buteo sp. (UB) 0

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 83

Eagle sp. (UE) 0

AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) 0

MERLIN (MERL) 1

GYRFALCON (GYRF) 0

PEREGRINE FALCON (PEFA) 2

PRAIRIE FALCON (PRFA) 0

Falco sp. (UF) 0

Unidentified Raptor (UU) 0

TOTAL 134