RMERF counts, October 26

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.