RMERF counts, November 8

Wednesday, November 8 [Day 44] (Joel Duncan, assisted by Patrick Farley) 0900-1730. The temperature was -11C at 0900, the high was -4C at 1400 and it was -7C at 1730. Ground winds were variable 2-5 km/h with a “gust” of 8 km/h around 1500, while ridge winds were light SW all day. Cloud cover was 60% cumulus and cirrus to 1200 that increased to 80% cumulus, altostratus and cirrus at 1400 and after 1500 was 80% altostratus for the rest of the day. The eastern ridges were 60% obscured to 1100 and 20% at 1200 but were clear all afternoon, and the west was 60-40% obscured to 1300 and then 20% for the rest of the day. No raptors were seen at the Hay Meadow site so at 1615 Joel moved to Wasootch Creek where at 1620 he saw the only migrant of the day, a light morph Rough-legged Hawk that flapped to the south against the face of the Fisher Range. Other birds were also scarce and comprised 1 Belted Kingfisher, only 2 Common Ravens, 2 Boreal Chickadees, 1 American Dipper and 3 Pine Grosbeaks; only 2 visitors came to the site today.

8.5 hours (470.2) RLHA 1 (28) TOTAL 1 (3609)

Vicki Ridge [Day 45] (Peter Sherrington) 0830-1630 (Observation from the Waterton 61 wellsite on the western flank of the ridge). The temperature was -11C at 0830, the high was -7C at 1200 and 1300 and it was -9C at 1630. Winds were variable 0-5 km/h all day, and cloud cover was 100% stratus and altocumulus to 1315 when it began to break up and reduced to 70% altocumulus, cirrus and altostratus at 1500 before increasing again to 100% broken altostratus and altocumulus at 1600. The almost calm conditions were not conducive to raptor migration and none were seen. Other birds seen at the site were 1 Steller’s Jay, 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers, 3 Black-billed Magpies, 45 Common Ravens, 26 of which flew to the west in a single flock at 1624, and 3 Pine Grosbeaks.

8 hours (359.8) TOTAL 0 (3945)

Steeples (Vance Mattson) NO OBSERVATION

MOUNT LORETTE SUMMARY COUNT (September 20 to November 15)

DAYS 44

HOURS 470.2

TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) 0

OSPREY (OSPR) 2

BALD EAGLE (BAEA) 162

NORTHERN HARRIER (NOHA) 6

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (SSHA) 81

COOPER’S HAWK (COHA) 18

NORTHERN GOSHAWK (NOGO) 28

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) 28

Buteo sp. (UB) 10

GOLDEN EAGLE (GOEA) 3203

Eagle sp. (UE) 7

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 3609